The current incarnation of Ghost came to an end last night (Sept. 30) when frontman Papa Emeritus was forcibly removed from a stage in Sweden and a “new” Papa introduced himself. The Gothenburg show was the band’s last appearance in support of most recent releases, the album Meliora in 2015 and last year’s Popestar EP.

In the video clip above, Papa Emeritus is dragged away by two men, then an older, frail man in similar clothing appears and tells the audience: “I am Papa Emeritus Zero. The party is over and now a new era begins. The Middle Ages begin now.”

In reality, band leader Tobias Forge has created a fresh version of his "Pope" character to front the band for each album. The theatrics are loosely based on the creation of new popes in the Catholic church. When Forge confirmed his identity for the first time earlier this year, he also reported that Ghost were working on their fourth album and planned to follow the 2018 release with another 18-month world tour.

Last year one of Ghost’s Nameless Ghouls (probably Forge) reported that their fourth album would be “darker” then Meliora, adding: “Let’s just say it’s a continuation of Meliora, but it’s sort of a response. I’ve used the word ‘pre-apocalyptic’ on Meliora. It’s sort of the height of civilization. Obviously, there has to be an end to that. So there will be a call and response. If there was an absence of God, there might be a return of a deity, which usually comes in horrible form. So it will be a darker album.”

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