GHOST Announces 'Unplugged' Tour Of North America

Swedish occult rockers GHOST will promote their third album, "Meliora", later this month by embarking on the "Unholy/Unplugged" tour that will take place at select record stores in North America.

The details are as follows:

Aug. 18 - Silver Platters (SoDo Location) - Seattle, WA - 7 p.m.
Aug. 20 - Amoeba Records - Los Angeles, CA - 6 p.m.
Aug. 21 - ZIA (Camelback Location) - Phoenix, AZ - 7 p.m.
Aug. 22 - Sound Garden - Baltimore, MD - 2 p.m.
Aug. 23 - Rough Trade - Brooklyn, NY - 2 p.m.

"Meliora" will be released on August 21 via Loma Vista Recordings. The follow-up to 2013's "Infestissumam" was helmed by Klas Åhlund, a prolific songwriter, producer and guitarist who is also a member of the Swedish rock band TEDDYBEARS, and was mixed by Andy Wallace (SLAYER, NIRVANA, SEPULTURA, LINKIN PARK, GUNS N' ROSES).

GHOST's June 3 warm-up show at at Doom in Linköping served as the group's live debut with their "new" singer, Papa Emeritus III, the three-month-younger brother of GHOST's previous frontman, Papa Emeritus II.

Asked if there is any kind of special audition process for picking a new Papa Emeritus, a nameless ghoul from GHOST told Music Radar: "Fortunately for us, we don't have to do auditions where you put people through the paces. We just expect somebody to be on time, in tune and somewhat glad. Usually we don't see much of our Papas — 'cause they're hanging out with the mamas. [Laughs] They tend to appear as we go on stage and disappear just as quickly. We don't socialize or fraternize that much, which is cool. I don't know him very well, really. He's very new to me."

Regarding whether the fact that the various Papas are "emeritus'" means that they never really go away, the nameless ghoul said: "Well, that's the ironic thing. 'Emeritus' in the tradition of popes means that you're dead — you never get that title until after you've died. Benedictus was the first pope in something like 400 years who was named 'emeritus' while he's still alive. He got to retire with that title. So our Papa Emerituses get to retire, but they're still here."

GHOST will embark on the "Black To The Future" North American headlining tour in the fall. The procession will begin at The Fillmore in Washington, D.C. on September 22.