Skeletá is the sixth studio album by the Swedish rock band Ghost. It was released on 25 April 2025 through Loma Vista Recordings, was preceded by the singles "Satanized", "Lachryma" and "Peacefield", and is notable for being the band's first album to top the US Billboard 200. The album was produced by the band's leader Tobias Forge under the alias "Gene Walker".
Release Skeletá follows up the band's 2022 studio album Impera and is described as their "most unflinchingly introspective work to date". It was reported to include lyricism of "the newly instated Perpetua" and showcase a variety of "distinct individual emotional vistas". The band announced the album alongside the release of the lead single "Satanized" on 5 March 2025. Accompanying visuals were developed by the band alongside Jason Zada and enables fans to be integrated into the video. The album's second single, "Lachryma", was released on 11 April 2025. The album's third single, "Peacefield", was released on 22 April 2025. The fourth and final single "Umbra" was released on 14 February 2026.
Alongside the album announcement, the band revealed the new figurehead for the band called Papa V Perpetua. His vocal debut on the lead single "Satanized" was said to concern "demonic possessions" and succumbing to "dark forces".
Composition and themes Musically, the album has been described as hard rock, arena rock, pop rock, and glam metal. The album has been described as Ghost's most introspective album. Speaking about the album's themes, Sydney Taylor of Loudwire wrote, "It's a constant reckoning with guilt, identity, faith and failure."
Promotion In promotion of the album, the band embarked on the Skeletour, consisting of 73 dates starting at the AO Arena in Manchester on 15 April 2025 until February 2026. The tour encompassed dates in the United States, Europe, and Mexico and celebrated their "most spectacular live productions" as well as the "most ambitious run of their career".
Somewhat controversially, the band decided not to allow mobile phones in the venues for the tour. This led to a massive accumulation of attendees ahead of their show in Birmingham, England, as staff searched bags for phones.
Commercial performance Skeletá debuted on top of the US Billboard 200, shifting 86,000 album-equivalent units in its first week, with the album selling 77,000 copies. Skeletá marks the second time a performing Swedish artist reached the top of the Billboard 200, following Ace of Base's The Sign in 1993.
Reception
On Metacritic, a review aggregator site that compiles reviews from mainstream publications and assigns a weighted average score out of 100, Skeletá received a score of 78 based on ten critic reviews. This score indicated "generally favorable reviews". James Christopher Monger of AllMusic wrote, "There are bands that lavish in the fondue of modern hard rock without the cheese, but not Ghost. Ghost is fun." Dom Lawson of Blabbermouth.net called it "aggressively entertaining and full of massive tunes". Steven Loftin writing for Dork stated, "Skeleta continues to prove why Tobias and co are not only mainstays but so beloved."
Kelly Scanlon of Ed Power of The Irish Times was also mixed stating, "Ghost have always spun the cheesiest ingredients into pop gold. But this hollowed-out affair is haunted by the spirits of old glories." Sam Law of Kerrang! called it "Ghost's deepest, most intriguing statement to date." Liberty Dunworth of NME wrote, "Through a rich exploration of genres and a new level of emotional depth, it becomes clear that Skeletá was made with a new vision in mind, and comes as the promising start of a new Ghost chapter."
Track listing
Personnel
Ghost Papa V Perpetua – vocals, bass (all tracks) A Group of Nameless Ghouls
Additional Fredrik Åkesson – lead guitar (tracks 1–3, 6–9) Salem Al Fakir – keyboards Martin Sandmark Eriksson – rhythm guitar, additional instruments Max Grahn – drums, additional instruments Vincent Pontare – additional synths Tove Burman – vocals (tracks 1, 3) Anthony Nichols – choir Per Larsson – choir Olle Vidner – choir Liv Howell – choir Joel Eberhardsson – choir Kristoffer Brander – choir Glädje Kalle Olsson – choir Jakob Grubbström – choir Emilia Hildebrand – choir Julia Fridberger – choir Katrin Jocham – choir Love Kihl – choir Rebecka Brostedt – choir Celina Larsson – choir Freja Högemark – choir Elisa Hedin – choir Emilia Karlborg – choir Susanna Appelgren – choir Martin Classon – choir Erik Uhlin – choir August Goldhahn – choir
Technical Max Grahn – producer Gene Walker – producer Martin Sandmark Eriksson – producer Vincent Pontare – producer Salem Al Fakir – producer Mark Rankin – engineer Niclas Lindström – engineer Basma Jabbar – engineer Wille Enblad – engineer Martin Sandmark Eriksson – engineer Calle London Gustavsson – engineer Andy Wallace – mixing Dan Malsch – mixing Ted Jensen – mastering
Charts
Weekly charts + Weekly chart performance for Skeletá Chart (2025) Peakposition Australian Albums (ARIA) 1 Croatian International Albums (HDU) 8 French Albums (SNEP) 4 French Rock & Metal Albums (SNEP) 1 German Rock & Metal Albums (Offizielle Top 100) 1 Greek Albums (IFPI) 1 Icelandic Albums (Tónlistinn) 31 Irish Albums (IRMA) 6 Italian Albums (FIMI) 26 Japanese Western Albums (Oricon) 30 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) 14 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) 2 Portuguese Albums (AFP) 20 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) 1 Swedish Hard Rock Albums (Sverigetopplistan) 1 US Top Rock & Alternative Albums (Billboard) 1
Year-end charts + Year-end chart performance for Skeletá Chart (2025) Position Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) 160 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) 88 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) 22
References