Era II — Papa Emeritus II
The global consecration
With Papa Emeritus II at the helm, Ghost signed to a major label, released Infestissumam —their first #1 album in Sweden— and won a Grammy. The band went from being a cult secret to becoming a global presence in rock.
Infestissumam and the major label
With Papa Emeritus II as the new frontman —a slightly different character to the previous one but with the same papal aesthetic— Ghost signed with Loma Vista Recordings, a label affiliated with Republic Records/Universal Music. The result was Infestissumam (Latin for "most hostile"), released in April 2013. The album reached #1 in Sweden, an enormous milestone for a metal band, and included the band's most ambitious song to date: "Year Zero", featuring a 32-voice choir. Infestissumam confirmed that Ghost was not a passing phenomenon: the band could write accessible songs without losing their dark identity. That same year they released the covers EP "If You Have Ghost", produced by Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters, Nirvana), which included covers of ABBA, Roky Erickson and Army of Lovers.
Infestissumam (2013): first #1 in Sweden, with Dave Grohl as an ally
Meliora and the Grammy
In August 2015, Ghost released Meliora (Latin for "better"), considered by many fans and critics as their masterpiece. The album was produced by Klas Åhlund and Forge himself, with Seba Öhrwall as co-producer. Meliora reached #1 in Sweden again and the Top 10 in several European countries. The single "Cirice" —a song about loneliness and belonging, with a powerful riff and cathartic chorus— was Grammy-nominated. At the ceremony on February 15, 2016, Ghost won the Grammy for Best Metal Performance for "Cirice", becoming the first Swedish band to win a Grammy in that category. The award was accepted by the vocalist without revealing his identity, simply as "Papa Emeritus III" —the new pontiff had already taken over by then— maintaining the mystery intact even at the world's biggest awards ceremony.
Meliora (2015) and "Cirice": the Grammy that established Ghost before the world