Ghost have returned with brand new single ‘Satanized,’ which also gave us our first look at new front man, ‘Papa V Perpetua.’ Before we get to our new leader of the ministry though, let’s take a look at Ghost’s new single, which we have also learned is the lead track to upcoming album; ‘Skeletá’ (releasing 25th April.)

‘Satanized’ shows the story of a monk, who is plagued by apparently demonic thoughts. He is punished by his priest, nuns and fellow monks for having these ‘unholy urges.’ As with most of Ghost’s tracks, there is a theme of celebrating the human condition and not denying natural urges. As the story progresses, our monk is punished to the point of being pinned down and having an exorcism conducted to remove the wickedness from him. However, in the end, it is the clergy who were in the wrong, and our monk ascends to become ‘Papa V.’ This is another common theme in Ghosts music, the pariah becoming the hero. The video looks gorgeous, like an old black and white film. A technique Ghost have utilised before in ‘Squarehammer’ and ‘From the Pinnacle to the Pit.’ There are some stunning shots here, including close ups of our monk and other players. The lighting effects are excellent, and it really gives the vibe of a turn of the century silent horror film. The track is Ghost at their best, here we have the vocals and blistering guitar solos of their ‘Impera’ era, while providing the groove and darkness of Ghost’s second album ‘Infestissumam.’

At the end of the video, we get our first glimpse of ‘V’ and he is glorious. Like all Ghost’s front men, ‘V’ is played by Ghost mastermind, Tobias Forge. ‘V’ seems shrouded in a metal exoskeleton, with a metallic half mask, on top of the prosthetic mask, Forge is already wearing. The Nameless Ghouls (forge’s live band) are again skeletal in appearance, with hoods similar to that worn during the ‘Infestissumam’ cycle. Of course all of this is accompanied by Ghost’s continuing chapter drama on Youtube, where we get a peak at the ministry and its evolving mythos. It’s also often very funny.

‘Satanized’ is a fantastic Ghost track, and if you’re new to the band, a great introduction to what they do. As most of Ghost’s output, the song is also very catchy. Satanism never sounded so good!

Ghost are embarking on a 2025 World tour (Skeletátour.’) Tickets available here.

Watch the music video to ‘Satanized’ here.

Papa V will also be haunting the stage at the upcoming Black Sabbath ‘Back to the Beginning’ show in Birmingham… see you there!

Chris \m/