No, not like, bad things I regret in my past or things that haunt me. I don't have "Ghosts" in that way. I have "Ghosts" as in...a new special interest.
Hello friends, welcome to the autistic expression part of this website. I am going to be using this blog as an outlet to share things I like, topics I enjoy, ect. In the neurodivergent community, these are called special interests, and being autistic myself...I have a SLEW of interests I would love to share with the world. So step into some autistic joy. We're going to talk about Ghost.
So...what is Ghost? I would describe Ghost as a Swedish power metal band, but even within the fandom, there is some discourse over what genre they actually fall into. Some say they are alternative rock, others think they are pop, and some claim they are doom metal and/or goth rock. That's the beauty of Ghost. Their discography contains melodically rich songs of varying styles, that range from 60's rock inspo ("Kiss the Go-Goat" is a great example) to electric guitar heavy bangers like, "Square Hammer" and "Cirice". I truly believe that this band has a song for ANY lover of metal or the rock genre in general. Their songs are just a blast to listen to, and their music videos are so stylistic, and experiment with different cinematic influences.
However, Ghost doesn't just have music to offer. This band has deep lore and a vast storyline that goes all the way back to the late 2000s. Before I go any further, I want to state the following:
For much of the band's existence no one knew who of any of the musicians and singers were. It has only been in the past few years, that identities have been revealed. However, keep in mind, that the band's on stage persona doesn't translate off stage. It's best to look at the lead singer and musicians as characters. When they step off stage and take off the makeup, they have their own lives and different musical projects. To honor that differentiation that they have worked to achieve, and to stay "in lore", I won't be mentioning who any of the musicians are.
Now, I am going to attempt to give the most bare bones version of the band's background, but I highly encourage you to seek out the rest of the story for yourself. I promise, it is worth the deep dive. The best videos I have seen on the lore are from a Youtuber called, "Just Another Sad Zoomer". I suggest beginning with "An Unhelpful Guide to Ghost" (the shortest video is 8 minutes) and then launching into the deeper lore via "The Ghost Iceberg Explained".
But here's my best TLDR of the Ghost lore: it's a costumed satanic band that wants power/to rule the world, and they use concerts (that they call rituals) to gain power and influence so they can achieve that goal. The lead singer is known as Papa *fill in the name of the current Papa here, because there have been, like FOUR* and the background musicians are called Ghouls/Ghoulettes. There is a lot of dramatic political church in fighting, wild adventures, and wacky going on's. It's a camp at times and a TON of fun.
Let me clarify a few things after hitting you with that knowledge drop: this band is NOT actually satanic. This band parodies over the top religious practices of certain sects of belief, and they use their musical work to criticize Conservative Christianity and the trauma it has caused others. If you have a queer/identity affirming church that isn't using power dynamics to harm people, and they keep their clergy in check, Ghost isn't talking about you. So drop your pitch forks. The lead singer has revealed that he went through some very deep religious trauma as a kid, and Ghost has been his way to unpack and heal from all that. You can definitely catch those themes in the songs, "Griftwood", "Jesus He Knows Me", and "Spillways".
A lot of queer, neurodivergent, and secular people have found a community in the Ghost fandom...and that's one of the main reasons I love this band. The fandom is known as The Congregation, and about every fan I have met has been an absolute delight and a kind soul. And so MANY of this fandom are talented. Literally, google "Ghost metal band fan art" and you'll receive a feast for the senses. In fact, Ghost has used past fan art (with compensation and permission from the artists) on merch. For a fake "Satanic" band...the group itself and the fandom is very much wholesome.
A big reason I am writing this blog about Ghost right now, is over the excitement of their concert film, "Rite Here, Rite Now". The trailer for it drops May 9th, along with showings and tickets. I am pretty hyped up about it right now, and I just needed an outlet. The category this is under is literally "Things I Like". And I don't need much justification outside of that.
So if you are looking for some new tunes to listen to, have some religious trauma you just want to feel seen about, or just want to get lost in some wild lore...look no further.
You now have Ghost, and Ghost has everything.
Image description: The nine band members of Ghost standing in a catacomb with stained glass windows behind them. In the middle is Papa Emeritus IV, clad in Papa dark robes with rich gold embellishment. The band members beside him wear 1920's style black gas masks, and uniform black jackets, pants, boots, gloves, with a leather black belt across their chest with a large silver buckle.
Picture credit: Tobias Forge, a.k.a. Papa Emeritus IV, center, leads the Swedish heavy metal band Ghost. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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