Ghost mastermind Tobias Forge has explained why the band’s ‘new’ frontman Papa V Perpetua was first named on the poster for Black Sabbath’s Back To The Beginning show.
Talking to Metal Hammer, Forge, who’s normally incredibly secretive about future Ghost announcements, says he rescinded control over the revealing of Perpetua’s name due to the timing of Back To The Beginning’s unveiling back in February.
“We were asked to perform [at Back To The Beginning as a band],” he explains. “We’re starting our US tour, we couldn't do that. So it ended up being like, ‘OK, so we’ll just send our singer.’ So that was done in a heartbeat, some time ago. And then all of a sudden, it’s like, ‘We want to announce now, what do we say?’ ‘Well, his name is Papa V Perpetua. So write that!’”
Forge will perform as the Perpetua persona for the event, joining such legendary metal bands as Metallica and Slayer plus individual performers including Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine) and Billy Corgan (The Smashing Pumpkins). The Birmingham one-dayer, taking place at Villa Park on July 5, will crescendo with the last-ever live performances from Ozzy Osbourne and the original Sabbath lineup.
During the Hammer conversation, Forge talks about the influence Sabbath have had on his music.
“I obviously keep on talking a lot about Black Sabbath,” he says. “A huge inspiration … and I guess Geezer [Butler, bassist/lyricist] is very much to be credited for that, these hugely frail and very introspective lyrics. Just putting yourself out there as the small human being against the big machinery of authority. That has always been an inspiration for me, even though you sort of wrap it underneath big, muscular rock music.”
Perpetua will make his live debut at the first date of Ghost’s 2025 world tour, which kicks off in Manchester, UK, on April 15. He replaces Forge’s outgoing persona Papa Emeritus IV, in the long-running tradition of the masked band ‘changing’ frontman with each new album. Ghost’s next album, Skeletá, will come out on April 25 and lead single Satanized is now streaming.
See the full list of live dates Ghost have planned for 2025 below.
Ghost 2025 tour dates:
UK:
Apr 15: Manchester AO Arena
Apr 16: Glasgow OVO Hydro
Apr 19: London The O2
Apr 20: Birmingham Utilita Arena
Europe:
Apr 22: Antwerp Sportpaleis, Belgium
Apr 23: Frankfurt Festhalle, Germany
Apr 24: Munich Olympiahalle, Germany
Apr 26: Lyon LDLC Arena, France
Apr 27: Toulouse Zenith Metropole, France
Apr 29: Lisbon MEO Arena, Portugal
Apr 30: Madrid Palacio Vistalegre, Spain
May 03: Zurich AG Hallenstadion, Switzerland
May 04: Milan Unipol Forum, Italy
May 07: Berlin Uber Arena, Germany
May 08: Amsterdam Ziggo Dome, Netherlands
May 10: Lodz Atlas Arena, Poland
May 11: Prague O2 Arena, Czech Republic
May 13: Paris Accor Arena, France
May 14: Oberhausen Rudolph Weber Arena, Germany
May 15: Hannover ZAG Arena, Germany
May 17: Copenhagen Royal Arena, Denmark
May 20: Tampere Nokia Arena, Finland
May 22: Linköping Saab Arena, Sweden
May 23: Sandviken Göransson Arena, Sweden
May 24: Oslo Spektrum, Norway
USA:
Jul 09: Baltimore CFG Bank Arena, MD
Jul 11: Atlanta State Farm Arena, GA
Jul 12: Tampa Amalie Arena, FL
Jul 13: Miami Kaseya Center, FL
Jul 15: Raleigh PNC Arena, NC
Jul 17: Cleveland Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, OH
Jul 18: Pittsburgh PPG Paints Arena, PA
Jul 19: Philadelphia Wells Fargo Center, PA
Jul 21: Boston TD Garden, MA
Jul 22: New York Madison Square Garden, NY
Jul 24: Detroit Little Caesars Arena, MI
Jul 25: Louisville KFC Yum! Center, KY
Jul 26: Nashville Bridgestone Arena, TN
Jul 28: Grand Rapids Van Andel Arena, MI
Jul 29: Milwaukee Fiserv Forum, WI
Jul 30: St Louis Enterprise Center, MO
Aug 01: Rosemont Allstate Arena, IL
Aug 02: Saint Paul Xcel Energy Center, MN
Aug 03: Omaha CHI Health Center, NE
Aug 05: Kansas City T-Mobile Center, MO
Aug 07: Denver Ball Arena, CO
Aug 09: Las Vegas MGM Grand Garden Arena, NV
Aug 10: San Diego Viejas Arena, CA
Aug 11: Phoenix Footprint Center, AZ
Aug 14: Austin Moody Center ATX, TX
Aug 15: Fort Worth Dickies Arena, TX
Aug 16: Houston Toyota Center, TX
Mexico:
Sep 24: Mexico City Palacio De Los Deportes
