Swedish metal juggernaut Ghost (known as Ghost B.C. in the U.S. due to legal issues) is ramping up for the release of their third full-length album titled Meliora in August and at midnight on Saturday night they debuted the album’s first single “Cirice” via their website.

For those unfamiliar with the band, Ghost are extremely divisive amongst the metal community. Metalheads either view their weirdo brand of ABBA meets metal as groundbreaking and brilliant or they hate them with a passion. One metalhead went as far as starting an online petition to break the band up (for the record, I’m firmly entrenched in the pro-Ghost camp). The band members dress in anonymous costumes with the majority of members taking on the personas of “nameless ghouls.”

The band’s frontman position is filled by a character named Papa Emeritus who dresses as a ghoulish Pope-like figure. It’s a running joke that with every album Papa is replaced by his 3-month younger brother. Thus the credit of Papa Emeritus II on the last album and the promise of Papa Emeritus III on the upcoming album. (Spoiler alert: It is, in fact, the same singer on all 3 records.)

You can stream the track here below and download the track at this location.

In a strange twist, as part of the media blitz announcing Meliora, Ghost ran the following cryptic late night television ad the other night on VH1 Classic during a rerun of Caddyshack.

Odd indeed, but that’s Ghost for you. They are musically and aesthetically unique. I, for one, dig this new track and have very high hopes for Meliora. I’ll keep you up to date with all the news pertaining to Ghost and the album in the coming months. Just stay tuned right here at GoD and crank up “Cirice” and bask in the glorious weirdness that is Ghost!