On April 25, 2025, Ghost released their sixth studio album “Skeletá.” The debut of “Skeletá” comes after the start of Ghost’s newest tour, “Skeletour,” and the release of three singles from the album, “Satanized,” “Lachryma,” and “Peacefield.” Along with the release of the album and the single “Satanized,” Ghost debuted their new frontman Papa V Perpetua. The other songs on the album include: “Guiding Lights,” “De Profundis Borealis,” “Cenotaph,” “Missilia Amori,” “Marks of the Evil One,” “Umbra,” and “Excelsis.” It was later found out that in Ghost’s 2024 movie “Rite Here Rite Now,” that “Umbra” was the first song that was teased from the album, as in the post-credit scene of the movie, the beginning riff of the song was played.

“Skeletá” is a stellar album; it’s as if “Prequelle” and “Impera” were mashed into one album. “Skeletá” is a very personal album compared to the two previous albums, which tell a story about a broader topic. The album takes you on a journey of personal conflict, struggling through a toxic relationship, in whatever form that relationship takes in your life.

Each track on the album is one banger of a song one after another. Each song flows perfectly into the next, from the musical aspects of the song to the thematic aspects. Beginning with “Peacefield”, trying to see the light in a toxic relationship, to the culmination of that relationship, finally accepting that that relationship is over and it’s okay, with the song “Excelsis.” It truly is a powerful message with equally powerful-sounding songs.

The one thing missing from the album is a really hard-hitting, more metal-sounding song, like “Twenties” or “Mummy Dust” on past Ghost albums. While a song like this is missing, and a lot of Ghost fans are upset about this, I feel like the album would feel wrong with a song like that. As stated before, the album is a personal journey, and while it has its metal riffs and strong aggressive sounds, it’s an album that plays off of an 80s rock vibe compared to the rest of Ghost’s catalog.

Overall, “Skeletá” is another great album in Ghost’s catalog, which brings a familiar yet different sound to the band. The album definitely cements itself in the upper echelon of all of Ghost’s albums.