Ghost return with their fifth psalm fronted by the newly anointed Papa Emeritus IV. Its dozen songs take on themes of isolation and demigod worship, as well as colonization of both space and mind.
Grammy-winning Swedish rock band Ghost have elevated themselves to one of the most esteemed and celebrated rock bands in the world today. Their new album, IMPERA finds them transported literally hundreds of years forward from the 14th century Europe Black Plague era of their previous album, 2018’s Best Rock Album Grammy nominated, Prequelle. The result is the most ambitious and lyrically incisive entry in the Ghost canon. Over the course of its 12-song cycle, empires rise and fall, would-be messiahs ply their hype (financial and spiritual alike), prophecies are foretold as the skies fill with celestial bodies divine, and man-made. All in all, the most current and topical Ghost subject matter to date is set against a hypnotic and darkly colorful melodic backdrop making IMPERA a listen like no other - yet unmistakably, quintessentially Ghost.
Driven by their new leader, Papa Emeritus IV, their fifth album is their most biting and political yet. And that's from a band who have toppled many a church in just under a decade of existence. The songs are critical yet sympathetic to a new world order, one that is dominated by despots both real imagined, digital, and of the flesh. Papa IV has been building himself up to lead Ghost to further global domination, and as we head into our third year of these ‘20s, the world is poised for new hope and new direction. And for this, legions of Ghost fans have been waiting for Papa IV’s next moves.