We’ve not heard the end of Cardinal Copia. According to a recent interview Ghost majordomo Tobias Forge gave to the Australian podcast The Music (listen below), there’s a good chance that his current character could be sticking around for another album cycle.
“Right now, if everything goes according to plan, we’re hoping for Cardi to be strong enough and cool enough to possibly do something that none of the previous ones have done, and that’s basically to do two cycles,” Forge said. “Which I just find interesting, because each of the other ones you’ve sort of met when they’ve already accomplished their thing — they’re already accomplished; there’s no story — whereas this time around he’s presented very al dente; a little bit of chewing resistance. Not even I liked him to begin with, but now I can’t wait to see him hopefully accomplish these things and I really look forward to possibly seeing him in the skull paint and real papal attire.”
Prior to 2018’s Prequelle, Forge had performed in the guise of Papa Emeritus, with a new version of the evil papal figure arriving with each of Ghost’s first three albums. For Prequelle, he introduced his current alter ego, Cardinal Copia, complete with a rubber face mask that some may say is infinitely creepier than the skull paint Forge used to wear.
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We’ll likely hear new music from the Cardinal and his band of Nameless Ghouls at some point next year, as Forge has stated that he is already developing material for Ghost’s fifth full-length. The soonest Forge says that the band can get into the studio is likely early 2020 with the hope of releasing the album later that year. In the meantime, you can pick up Ghost’s previous album on vinyl and other formats at Reverb LP.
However, before they can get in the studio, the band has to wrap up another busy year of touring, including some festival shows and a support slot on Metallica’s stadium tour in Europe. Tickets for Ghost’s upcoming shows are available here.
