Ghost is a Swedish rock band formed in Linköping in 2006 around Tobias Forge, who fronts it through rotating masked personas — Papa Emeritus, Cardinal Copia — backed by the Nameless Ghouls. Meliora (2015), home to the Grammy-winning Cirice, is the ideal entry; Impera (2022) keeps the streak going. Browse Ghost vinyl, CDs, and reissues at Wax Trax Records.
Ghost formed in Linköping, Sweden in 2006 around Tobias Forge. The band's theatrical concept presents Forge performing under a rotating series of anonymous personas - Papa Emeritus I, II, III, IV, Cardinal Copia, and Papa V Perpetua - alongside a backing band of masked Nameless Ghouls. Forge's identity as the figure behind the personas was publicly confirmed in 2017 following lawsuits from former band members. They have won the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance for Cirice in 2016.
Ghost's sound combines occult rock, hard rock, heavy metal, doom metal, and psychedelic rock with extensive theatricality and lyrical engagement with Satanic, occult, and religious imagery. Their work bridges classic heavy metal traditions with broader rock and pop production approaches, particularly on Meliora (2015) and subsequent material.
Loma Vista pressings of the Ghost catalog have been issued in multiple color variant editions and limited deluxe pressings. Multiple anniversary editions have been released.
Listeners new to Ghost typically start with Meliora (2015) or Impera (2022).
