It’s the latest turn in a lore that envies that of Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and Taylor Swift
The band unveiled Chapter 21 of their ongoing, ever-weirder lore in a new video. In the clip, Papa IV chats with Mr. Psaltarian over “Doom” (Ghost’s riff on Zoom, naturally). The punchline is Papa IV wants a meeting with Papa V Perpetua. Psaltarian subsequently checks the schedule and offers the date of… you guessed it, December 2026. There’s no follow-up, no wink. Just a hard date dropped like a stone in water.
Now, maybe it’s just an elaborate gag. Or maybe Tobias Forge is playing the long game, again. But knowing Ghost’s attention to detail and love of theatrical build-up, it’s safe to say that December 2026 isn’t just a throwaway line. The timing is specific, the delivery is deadpan, and the fandom’s already spiralling into conspiracy mode. Whatever it is, Forge is clearly playing chess while the rest of the rock world’s busy playing checkers.
While we stew on that, Ghost are still riding the high of their latest album Skeletá smashing its way to No.1 on the Billboard 200. It’s actually the first rock record to do so since AC/DC’s Power Up back in 2020. And you know what’s even more metal about it all, 77,000 of its 86,000 first-week sales were physical. Of those, 44,000 were on vinyl. In 2025. That’s not just a band winning, that’s a band quite literally dominating.
Skeletá also went No.1 across the US and Europe, including Australia, Germany, Sweden, Austria, and more. With their success, Ghost are proving they are a global phenomenon.
The band’s world tour kicked off in April and they’re tearing through continents as we speak. But keep your eye on December 2026. I know it’s a while away, but I would get prepared anyway. Because whatever’s coming… it’s not going to be small. I can guarantee you that.
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