The Dumb Pageantry of Ghost and Papa Emeritus: A Rant
Image credit Joe Daly
In 2010, the emergence of Ghost and their magnificent debut, Opus Eponymous, delivered a surging jolt of life into the listless realms of rock and metal. Here was a group of anonymous Swedes, playing the kind of surging, polished classic rock that bridged the electric blues of the early-70s with the riff-driven glory of the early-80s. Fronted by Papa Emeritus, a sacreligious papal parody spun by founder Tobias Forge, and surrounded by an anonymous backing band called “Nameless Ghouls,” the band tapped into a sound so familiar and songs so damned catchy that, against all odds, they went and became superstars. Understandably, fans jumped on board in droves, salivating over this new band that looked metal, but sounded classic rock and by the way, damned if there wasn’t a whole lot of pop in those songs, too. It all made perfect sense until those same fans proceeded to lose their collective minds over what is, by any reasonable assessment, one of the most ludicrous sagas in the realm of rock.
For the uninitiated, Papa Emeritus is not a single entity, but rather a series of creepy characters decked out in ornate religious garb, closely resembling the extravagant uniforms of the Catholic clergy, wearing masks with corpsepaint and a wig or hat. It’s a unique and creative spin on what we’ve seen from other bands with masked members like KISS, King Diamond, Slipkknot or newer bands like Sleep Token or Gaerea. Periodically, usually with the release of a new Ghost album, a “new” Papa Emeritus takes over as the frontman of Ghost in a clumsy and poorly-articulated storyline where the old one dies and the new one — always Tobias Forge — continues doing his deal. That’s it. That’s the story. It’s a narrative more fitting for a low-rated Mexican soap opera making a frenetic, last-ditch attempt at avoiding cancellation. Yes, the concept is pure rock and roll escapism and is not to be taken seriously, let alone literally. And yet each time Forge adopts a new mask, the metal press report on the proceedings with the scripted excitement of a Publisher’s Clearinghouse letter. And yes, by pretending to follow these empty contrivances, we’re all sort of in on the joke. IYKYK!
Delving more deeply into this bizarre phenomenon, however, the sheer banality becomes more evident. Each iteration of Papa Emeritus is purportedly a "new" character, but of course, it's the same man, with a slightly modified mask, hair and outfit, crooning the very same songs, draped in different robes. The shtick has become so predictable that the mere unveiling of a "new" Papa is met with feverish anticipation and ludicrous fan theories. It’s all pure spectacle, devoid of substance.
Then there’s the lore. The Church of Ghost has its scriptures, detailing the convoluted, self-indulgent storyline of the Emeritus lineage, which is less a testament to creativity and more a damning indictment of modern metal's fall from grace. It's a non-story, a parade of clichés. Are we really expected to invest emotionally in these thinly-veiled caricatures? No, of course not. We’re there for the tunes, so why go through the motions?
And what of the metal community's role in this farce? Many a metal news outlet, it seems, has willingly imbibed the Kool-Aid, hailing each new chapter of this dreary pantomime with bug-eyed gusto. Slipknot change their masks too but they don’t weave a silly children’s play around it. Other anonymous bands just change the masks and get on with their music.
To be clear, I fucking love Ghost. I’ve seen them live many, many times. I’ve interviewed Tobias a few times, most recently about Ghost’s most recent album, Impera, which, along with its predecessor, Prequelle, ranks among my favorite albums of all time. And I like Tobias - he’s a thoughtful, down-to-earth guy with a dose of humility that’s rare among frontmen of that level. I’m not a hater by any stretch; quite the opposite, I’m usually the one pointing out to newbies that the visuals and attendant mythology are all good fun and never to be taken seriously. But good lord, if the metal community could stop pretending that there’s an actual storyline here and that it’s one worthy of discussion and reporting, that would be great.