Record stores around the world will host listening parties at midnight local time Friday, April 25, for Ghost’s new album “Skeletá.”
“We wish to inform you that we encourage you to reclaim the night!” the band said on social media. “When the monstrance clock strikes MIDNIGHT (local) on Friday, April 25, Ghost fans will ring in the release of Ghost’s 6th psalm Skeletá. Find the nearest participating record store around the globe and partake in this Midnight Music Mania! Those in attendance will have their albums SATANIZED, receiving an official Grucifix stamp on their copy, proving to the world that they are on the level! Let the countdown begin, 10, 9, 8…..Ghost’s Skeletá-Eve Midnight Sales are one night only, be there!”
More information is available here.
The release of “Skeletá” has been preceded by the record’s first single, “Satanized.” The song’s video introduces Ghost’s “new” frontman, Papa V Perpetua.
Ghost also recently shared its latest webisode, “Chapter 20: Arrival of a Secret Agent.” The webisodes, along with the feature film “Rite Here Rite Now and the “Sister Imperatour” comic book, continue to add to the canon of Ghost lore. Chapter 20 checks in on recently replaced Ghost frontman Papa Emeritus IV—now rechristened Frater Imperator and promoted to “boss” of the Ministry—as he navigates the aftermath of his stint in the spotlight and begins to cultivate a less than healthy obsession with his replacement—and fraternal twin— Papa V Perpetua. Chapter 20 features the debut of a number of new characters likely to be integral to the new storyline, including Mrs. Psaltarian and Judith the socialist media manager. The new chapter also offers a look at the inner office environment of the Ministry, a setting that’s sure to serve as the stage for crucial developments impacting the lives and lore of Ghost and its millions of fans worldwide.
The genesis of “Skeletá” is rooted in the wake of a world-spanning, years-long touring campaign in support of Ghost’s 2022 album “Impera”—a period that saw “Impera” top album charts the world over and winning an American Music Award and an iHeart Radio Music Award, as well as the band earning its first RIAA-certified platinum single (“Mary on a Cross”) and presiding over the highest grossing hard rock cinema event in North American history (its feature film debut “Rite Here Rite Now). As this sustained maelstrom ultimately wound down, Ghost mastermind Tobias Forge’s next creative direction would prove to be an inward journey. This introspective turn in Forge’s creative process ultimately resulted in “Skeletá”: a collection of 10 new songs originating from and cutting as close to the bone as (in)humanly possible.
Where previous Ghost albums dealt largely with chronicling and/or observing outward facing subject matter—such as “Impera’s” meditations on the rise and fall of empires and its predecessor “Prequelle’s” evocations of the ravages of era-defining plagues—”Skeletá’s” lyrics render the distinct individual emotional vistas of each of its 10 songs in one-on-one fashion, at times as if in a dialogue with oneself in a mirror. The end result is a collection of universal sentiments, all filtered through a prism of a uniquely personal point of view.
“Skeletá” will be brought to life over the course of Ghost’s impending Skeletour World Tour 2025. The most ambitious incarnation of the Ghost live ritual to date, the tour recently revealed a first wave of more than 55 dates—including a first-ever headlining show at New York’s Madison Square Garden—with more to be announced.
“Skeletá” track list:
Excelsis
Peacefield
Lachryma
Satanized
Guiding Lights
De Profundis Borealis
Cenotaph
Missilia Amori
Marks of the Evil One
Umbra
Skeletour World Tour 2025:
04/15/25 – Manchester, UK – AO Arena
04/16/25 – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro
04/19/25 – London, UK – The O2
04/20/25 – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena
04/22/25 – Antwerp, BE – Sportpaleis
04/23/25 – Frankfurt, DE – Festhalle Frankfurt
04/24/25 – Munich, DE – Olympiahalle
04/26/25 – Lyon, FR – LDLC Arena
04/27/25 – Toulouse, FR – Zénith Toulouse Métropole
04/29/25 – Lisbon, PT – MEO Arena
04/30/25 – Madrid, ES – Palacio Vistalegre
05/03/25 – Zürich, CH – Hallenstadion Zürich
05/04/25 – Milan, IT – Unipol Forum
05/07/25 – Berlin, DE – Uber Arena
05/08/25 – Amsterdam, NL – Ziggo Dome
05/10/25 – Lodz, PL – Atlas Arena
05/11/25 – Prague, CZ – O2 Arena
05/13/25 – Paris, FR – Accor Arena
05/14/25 – Oberhausen, DE – Rudolf Weber-ARENA
05/15/25 – Hannover, DE – ZAG Arena
05/17/25 – Copenhagen, DK – Royal Arena
05/20/25 – Tampere, FI – Nokia Arena
05/22/25 – Linköping, SE – Saab Arena
05/23/25 – Sandviken, SE – Göransson Arena
05/24/25 – Oslo, NO – Oslo Spektrum
07/05/25 – Birmingham, UK – Back to the Beginning
07/09/25 – Baltimore, MD – CFG Bank Arena
07/11/25 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena
07/12/25 – Tampa, FL – Amalie Arena
07/13/25 – Miami, FL – Kaseya Center
07/15/25 – Raleigh, NC – Lenovo Center
07/17/25 – Cleveland, OH – Rocket Arena
07/18/25 – Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena
07/19/25 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
07/21/25 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
07/22/25 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
07/24/25 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
07/25/25 – Louisville, KY – KFC Yum! Center
07/26/25 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
07/28/25 – Grand Rapids, MI – Van Andel Arena
07/29/25 – Milwaukee, WI – Fiserv Forum
07/30/25 – St. Louis, MO – Enterprise Center
08/01/25 – Rosemont, IL – Allstate Arena
08/02/25 – Saint Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center
08/03/25 – Omaha, NE – CHI Health Center
08/05/25 – Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center
08/07/25 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena
08/09/25 – Las Vegas, NV – MGM Grand Garden Arena
08/10/25 – San Diego, CA – Viejas Arena
08/11/25 – Phoenix, AZ – Footprint Center
08/14/25 – Austin, TX – Moody Center
08/15/25 – Fort Worth, TX – Dickies Arena
08/16/25 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center
09/24/25 – Mexico City, MX – Palacio de los Deportes
09/25/25 – Mexico City, MX – Palacio de los Deportes
Leave a Reply