Ghost’s Nameless Ghoul Calls Papa Emeritus II “a Real Assh*le,” Says Band is Looking to Replace Him

I totally back Ghost, but one thing I absolutely do no understand about them is all this silly lead singer business. You probably recall that they “replaced” their original vocalist, Papa Emeritus, with a “new” vocalist, Papa Emeritus II, at some point in-between their albums Opus Eponymous and Infestissumam… except, y’know, it’s clearly the same dude. I mean, maybe it’s not the same dude, but, let’s be real, it is. His outfit may have changed a tad, and he may wear (not especially convincing) old man make-up for certain off-stage appearances, but his voice is exactly the same, and his on-stage persona is exactly the same. I appreciate that Ghost is a (very, very, very) theatrical endeavor, but I totally do not get what the point of this fake singer switch was.

And, furthermore, I do not understand why they’d do it again.

But apparently they are planning to do it again.

In a new interview with Metal Hammer, one of the Nameless Ghouls reveals:

“There will definitely be a third [vocalist]; we’re looking into the options right now. We’re trying to work out who’s the best candidate.

“Number II is a real asshole so we’re looking for someone with a different approach to things. He still has to be an entertainer, but we’re narrowing down the contenders.”

Okay, but again, why? Is the idea getting a new, identical-sounding and mostly-identical-looking vocalist for every album really that entertaining? I would understand why the band kept doing this if there were some major changes being made to the overall persona of the singer — a unique vocal style, or even a dramatic new appearance — but otherwise… this just isn’t a funny enough gag to warrant re-visiting, let alone re-visiting again and again and again (which, at this point, it seems safe to assume the band will do).

Am I missing something here? Is there some hilarious joke I’m not getting, or some creative reason to keep pulling this same stunt? Sound off in the comments section below.

[via Metal Insider]