This work week has been astoundingly stressful, and I feel it’s just the beginning of more stress. Because of that, I’m going to make my weekend extra special. For starters, I’m drinking an ice-cold Jack & Coke Zero early while listening to Ghost’s new single, “Lachryma”.
I love the new song because it sounds like old-school Ghost but on another level. And the accompanying music video is amazing—Papa V Perpetua looks hauntingly regal.
The music video of Ghost’s “Lachryma”.
I’m supposed to write more, but now I feel buzzed. Anyway, Ghost’s new album Skeletá will be released on April 25, 2025. I’m excited about it!
Tonight, as I drink my favorite Jack and Coke Zero to open the weekend, I’m listening to “Satanized”, the first single from Ghost’s upcoming album Skeletá. And let me tell you the reasons “Satanized” is my Song of the Moment.
If you have been reading The Diary for quite a long time, you should know that Ghost (a Swedish heavy metal/hard rock band with a Satanic theme) is one my favorite bands of all time. And last February 5, 2025, the legendary heavy metal band Black Sabbath announced their final concert, which will be held on July 5, 2025 at Villa Park, Birmingham, UK. One of the performers listed is Ghost’s newest vocalist, Papa V Perpetua.
In the first three album cycles, the vocalists took the name of “Papa Emeritus”—Papa Emeritus I for Opus Eponymous, Papa Emeritus II for Infestissumam, and Papa Emeritus III for Meliora. In the fourth album cycle (Prequelle), Cardinal Copia took over, and in the fifth (Impera), Cardinal Copia was promoted to Papa Emeritus IV. So, it was a breath of fresh air when it was announced that the newest Ghost frontman has a slightly different name, “Papa V Perpetua”. (“Perpetua” means “eternal”.)
Then last Wednesday, March 5, 2025, Ghost released the music video of “Satanized”. And in the video’s final scene, Papa V Perpetua and the Nameless Ghouls were finally revealed. I got goosebumps seeing the new look of Ghost—Papa V Perpetua in a magnificent purple-dominant robe and mitre with a cool half-skull mask/face paint combo, and the Nameless Ghouls in breathtaking skeleton-themed attire.
Side note: Papa V Perpetua somehow reminds me of Papa Emeritus III.
The music video of Ghost’s “Satanized”.
My excitement for the reinvigorated Ghost is one reason for “Satanized” being my Song of the Moment. The other reason is that “Satanized” intertwines lyrics about an untreatable demonic possession and a fight within oneself with the softer rock sound Ghost had developed during Prequelle and Impera, and I love every second of listening to it.
The new Ghost album, Skeletá, will be released on April 25, 2025.
Cheers to the weekend!
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Header image: The music video of Ghost’s “Satanized”. Edited in Adobe Photoshop 2025.
Published on March 8, 2025 at 1:13am. Edits were made at 2:13am.
The Diary of The Deranged Writer 