WATCH: Ghost unveil ‘new’ frontman Papa Emeritus Zero
"The Middle Ages begin now."
Enigmatic Swedish rockers Ghost unveiled their ‘new’ frontman on Saturday night (30th September).
The band were nearing the end of their encore track ‘Monstrance Clock’ at Gothenburg venue Liseberg when two bouncers arrived to forcibly remove Papa Emeritus III – aka Tobias Forge – from the stage to screams from the crowd.
Moments later, a frail, elderly anti-Pope slowly walked on stage with the aid of breathing apparatus and announced the new era for Ghost.
Speaking in Italian, he told the crowd in his dulcet tones: “I am Papa Emeritus Zero. The party is over and now a new era begins. The Middle Ages begin now.”
The ‘new’ frontman is Forge’s fourth Papa Emeritus incarnation - the theatrics are based on the creation of new popes in the Catholic church and coincide with Ghost album cycles.
A Nameless Ghoul said last year that Ghost’s upcoming fourth studio album, tentatively set for release in 2018, is likely to explore darker realms.
“Let’s just say it’s a continuation of Meliora, but it’s sort of a response,” he told Whiplash. “I’ve used the word ‘pre-apocalyptic’ on Meliora. It’s sort of the height of civilization. Obviously, there has to be an end to that. So there will be a call and response.
“If there was an absence of God, there might be a return of a deity, which usually comes in horrible form. So, it will be a darker album.