GHOST Resurrects Hard Rock With Billboard-Topping Album Skeletá
In a triumphant return, GHOST has summoned its way to the top of the Billboard 200 for the first time ever, as their latest studio effort, Skeletá, claimed the No. 1 spot with 86,000 equivalent album units. Of that, a staggering 89% were traditional album sales, bolstered by a massive 44,000 vinyl purchases — the highest for any hard rock album in the modern tracking era.
This marks a momentous milestone: Skeletá is the first hard rock LP to top the Billboard 200 since AC/DC’s Power Up in 2020, and it places GHOST in elite company among rock’s most commercially potent acts. Released April 25 via Loma Vista Recordings, the album finds mastermind Tobias Forge digging deeper than ever with a thematic shift from Impera’s societal critiques to personal, emotional introspection.
“It’s a record about healing,” Forge said in a recent interview. “There’s a song about hope, hate, love, acceptance… basic sentiments that define the human condition.”
The album’s first single, “Satanized,” has already ignited fan fervor. With its upbeat stomp and throwback to ’70s-era Scorpions swagger, it was a surprise pick for lead single — but one Forge embraced wholeheartedly. “It’s a song about love that might be mistaken for demonic possession,” he joked, echoing the track’s delicious blend of darkness and allure.
The “Satanized” video also introduced the latest GHOST persona: Papa V Perpetua, a mysterious new figure carrying the band into its 2025 era. As with previous iterations of Papa Emeritus, Perpetua ushers in a new creative chapter both visually and sonically.
Forge’s decision to hand over single-picking duties to his label paid off. “I was overjoyed,” he said. “Sometimes synchronicity just hits. The stars aligned.”
GHOST is currently slaying across Europe on the first leg of their 2025 world tour, with a North American run scheduled to begin July 9 in Baltimore. With Skeletá already redefining modern rock benchmarks, expect the live rituals to be just as historic.
