Ghost have just posted the latest chapter in their ongoing web series and it appears that Frater Imperator is no longer with us.
In the five minute clip, the Head of the Clergy is sitting for a portrait with an artist clearly suffering from a crisis of confidence.
"That's what I look like," he assures the painter. "Kinda rubbery, kinda fake looking and an unrealistic colour and like I've had a bad facelift – all surprised. Look at my surprise now. Ah-ha... you know what that means? Good painting in French."
Spoiler: it's not a good painting in any language. Despite this, he asks one of his team to frame the painting quickly and give it pride of place in his new office. Once assembled, he announces his intention to take a holiday as his staff grimace at the portrait. He thanks his staff and bids them farewell (to the strains of Sid Vicious' cover of My Way). The ending, however, suggests that Frater Imperator meets a sticky end, mere moments after his Out of Office had been set.
A message from the clergy reads: "We wish to inform you that everyone needs a little R&R these days, so do it your way. Watch Chapter 25: The Portrait now."
We suggest you do this, and with great haste.
The latest chapter in Ghost's story is a lofty way of saying that their mastermind Tobias Forge is taking a break from touring, now that the current leg of Skeletá world tour has been completed.
In an interview with Full Metal Jackie, he admitted that he feels the need to be at home with his family after recording and touring six studio albums.
“I’ve had two kids waiting at home with my wife for 15 years,” says the vocalist, who performs onstage as Ghost’s masked leader Papa V Perpetua (via NME). “And maybe that says something about me that it wasn’t a pushing enough factor during those years. Believe me, I felt bad, but I’ve definitely come to a point where I feel, physically and mentally, I need to be home. [My kids are] 17; they’re not gonna be around for an eon.”
Perhaps this will give Forge a chance to learn how to scuba dive and get inspiration for the next chapter of the Ghost story.
