The Papa Emeritus III Era

2015-2017

Papa Emeritus III made his live debut on June 3, 2015 in Linköping, Sweden, when his elder brother handed him the microphone and he introduced himself in Italian: 'Io sono Papa Emeritus... Terzo.' That night the band premiered four new songs: 'From the Pinnacle to the Pit', 'Cirice', 'Majesty' and 'Absolution'. He was a radically different Papa. Where his predecessors maintained an almost papal solemnity, the Terzo was a complete showman: deliberately lascivious hip movements, direct interactions with the audience, physical humor and overwhelming charisma. Mid-set he would remove his papal vestments to reveal a suit inspired by Swedish king Charles III, dancing with a fluid grace no previous Papa had shown. He was also the kazoo master: on the 'Unholy/Unplugged' tour he played an acoustic version of 'Ghuleh / Zombie Queen' with the humblest instrument in history. His mask was more expressive than previous ones, with features conveying a mix of authority and playful malice. The makeup evolved during his reign: the first show used a mistakenly sent mask, different from the definitive one he would wear from the third show onward. Meliora (2015) is considered by many to be Ghost's best album. Thematically it addressed the decline of modern civilization, spiritual alienation and the search for something superior in a desacralized world. 'Cirice', 'From the Pinnacle to the Pit', 'He Is', 'Majesty' and 'Absolution' form one of contemporary rock's most consistent tracklists. The album reached #1 in Sweden and Finland, and #8 in the United States. In 2016, 'Cirice' won the Grammy for Best Metal Performance, the first time Ghost received recognition from the Recording Academy. The Popestar EP (2016) included the original 'Square Hammer'—which reached #1 on the US Mainstream Rock Chart, making Ghost the first Swedish band to achieve this—and four covers. The EP was also the first to top the Billboard Top Rock Albums since that chart began. His downfall was the most dramatic and violent of all. On September 30, 2017, at Liseberg, Gothenburg, Sweden, during the encore of 'Monstrance Clock', two suited men stormed the stage and physically dragged the Terzo off it. The Ghouls stopped playing and followed their Papa backstage. Moments later, a decrepit old man with a cane and oxygen mask—Papa Emeritus Zero, later renamed Papa Nihil—was escorted onstage to announce: 'The party is over. The Middle Ages begin now.' That was the most theatrical closing of any era in Ghost's history. In December 2017, Ghost released Ceremony and Devotion, their first live album, recorded on July 2 of that year at The Warfield, San Francisco, during the Popestar Tour. It is the only official live record of Papa III. In the lore, Papa III was killed along with his brothers in March 2018. Embalmed and displayed as a relic, his remains have accompanied all of Ghost's subsequent tours as part of the Veneration of Relics. In a 2025 interview, Tobias Forge hinted that the Terzo could actually be Papa II's half-brother—explaining the just three months' difference—if both had different mothers.

Albums

Members

Tobias Forge

Vocals & leader

Leader

Simon Söderberg

Lead guitar

Core Member

Martin Persner

Rhythm guitar

Core Member

Mauro Rubino

Keyboards

Core Member

Martin Hjertstedt

Drums

Core Member

Henrik Palm

Rhythm guitar · Bass

Core Member

Chris Catalyst

Rhythm guitar

Core Member

Per Eriksson

Lead guitar

Core Member

Cos Sylvan

Bass

Core Member

Hayden Scott

Drums

Core Member

Laura Scarborough

Keyboards · Keytar

Core Member

Mad Gallica

Keyboards · Percussion

Core Member