Era III — Papa Emeritus III

In September 2016, Ghost released the Popestar EP, containing five covers and one original song: "Square Hammer". This song proved to be a turning point in the band's career. With a hypnotic synthesizer riff, a powerful chorus and a theatrical music video, "Square Hammer" became Ghost's first single to reach #1 on the Billboard rock chart in the United States, opening the door to a massive North American audience. Ghost undertook extensive tours of Europe and North America during 2016 and 2017, performing in increasingly larger venues. Papa Emeritus III was presented as a younger and physically more active pontiff than his predecessors, with more stage energy. His era was marked by Ghost's consolidation as a rock band capable of competing in the mainstream without losing their unique identity.

"Square Hammer" (2016): the first US rock radio #1

In 2017, four former Nameless Ghouls —including Martin Persner (Ghoul Omega)— sued Tobias Forge in a Swedish court, claiming a larger share of the project's profits. The lawsuit did what no journalist or fan had managed: it legally confirmed before the public that Tobias Forge was the founder, songwriter and creative force behind Ghost. Forge responded to the lawsuit publicly, acknowledging his identity and explaining that Ghost had always been his project and vision, and that the Nameless Ghouls had been hired as session musicians. The trial was eventually settled out of court. By then, Papa Emeritus III was already history: in October 2017, during a show at the Fox Theatre in Oakland, he was presented on stage by a master of ceremonies called Papa Nihil —an elderly and decrepit pope— and officially sent into theatrical retirement, as his predecessors had done.

2017: the world learned the real name of the man behind the popes