Ghost - Skeletá : de l'ombre à la lumière

The passing of power between the popes has always been a high point for Ghost, halfway between mystical storytelling and well-prepared artistic strategy. With Skeletá, Tobias Forge opens a new chapter - or rather, he continues an old one with pages rewritten in the ink of the 80s. Gone is Papa IV, replaced by Papa V, a twin in the lore, a musically brighter alter ego.

From Peacefield onwards, the mood is set: polished riffs, careful backing vocals, a chorus calibrated for the arenas. The nod to Journey's Separate Ways is no coincidence - Ghost confirm their arena rock transformation, begun with Prequelle and confirmed on Impera. Missilia Amori continues on this path, somewhere between the flamboyance of a Bon Jovi and the harmonies of an under control Meat Loaf.

The main criticism of Skeletá is precisely that: redundancy. The ballads Guiding Lights and Excelsis, though beautifully executed, are too directly reminiscent of more memorable tracks like He Is or Life Eternal. The emotion is there, but the thrill is slow in coming.

But that would be to miss the real novelty of this album: the lyrics. Tobias Forge abandons religious parables and imperial metaphors for a more direct, intimate and sometimes even disarming style of writing. And this change of tone marks a real break: Papa V is no longer a crusading conqueror, but a character in introspection. Behind the papal mask, we can finally make out the terribly human cracks: love, depression, impostor syndrome, acceptance of death... all themes that give Skeletá a new depth.

Even if the whole lacks immediately iconic tracks, certain titles such as Umbra, Satanized, Lachryma or De Profundis Borealis recapture the spirit of the early Ghost - more theatrical, more organic, more energetic - and hint at their full potential live, where the band excel at transforming a good song into a moment of liturgy.

The production remains polished: the guitars are more present, the bass is round and velvety, and the backing vocals are always impeccable. And that's exactly what Ghost seem to have found: a stable sonic identity, a style that no longer needs to prove anything.

Visually, Skeletá also marks a new stage in the band's aesthetic. The Ghouls' already iconic costumes are even more sophisticated, with metallic textures, sharper lines and futuristic, almost androgynous silhouettes. As for Tobias Forge, he makes an even more striking transformation: Papa V abandons the full mask of his predecessors for a semi-open face, revealing his mouth. This seemingly technical detail changes a lot. There's a kind of liberation here - no doubt physical (it's easy to imagine the difficulty of singing masked for two hours), but also symbolic. Papa V is no longer a masked prophet: he is an incarnate performer, more human, almost vulnerable. A visual evolution in keeping with the more direct and introspective tone of the album.

With Skeletá, Tobias Forge consolidates the style that suits him best. The album doesn't contain any instant hits like Square Hammer or Dance Macabre, but it could well prove a big hit live on stage, where the tracks take on a whole new dimension. What if Papa V, with its name of eternity (Perpetua), does not herald the end of an era, but rather the beginning of a long transition? Time will tell.

The band will be in concert in Paris on 13 May at the Accor Arena.