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Ghost
Melding surprisingly accessible metal- and pop-driven hard rock, costumed Swedish outfit Ghost delivers sonic sermons centered on horror imagery, the occult, and religious themes. The group is fronted by lead singer, songwriter, and conceptualist Tobias Forge, who dons various demonic Pope costumes and is backed by a band of “Nameless Ghouls” hidden in cloaks and heavy makeup. 2011’s Opus Eponymous wed ’70s hard rock to ’80s hair metal in hook-laden songs. 2013’s Infestissumam offered a keyboard-centric approach, combining progressive pop and alt metal. 2015’s Meliora mixed vintage FM rock, New Wave of British Heavy Metal, and edgy new wave influences, while 2018’s Grammy-nominated Prequelle doubled down on the hooks, revealing ABBA’s influence in a sound that combined the riffing bombast of Judas Priest and King Diamond. Ghost released their fifth effort, the international chart-topper Impera, in 2022, followed by the 2023 covers EP Phantomime in 2023, and 2024’s global movie event Rite Here Rite Now. 2025’s assured Skeleta marked the debut of Papa V Perpetua.