He is expected to play a role in their fifth album and its accompanied tour.

In March 2020, during their final show supporting their 2018 album Prequelle in Mexico City, Ghost introduced a new character Papa Emeritus IV. presidential election to release the album, concerning the event would draw public's attention the most.

However, Forge stated that they would wait to until after the U.S. The band then entered the studio in January 2020 to begin working on their fifth album, and planned to release it by late summer that year. In June 2019, Forge stated that the band would be touring the United States in September and October in support of their fourth album Prequelle before returning to Europe. Right there and then, I knew that at some point, 'I'm going to make an imperial record.'' When asked about that chance discovery, he explained: 'I'm interested in history and culture, and how empires are built up, and how and why they always fall apart. He came across the book in an independent bookstore called Left Bank Books, situated in Seattle's Pike Place Market. In a 2021 interview with radio station KLAQ, frontman Tobias Forge stated that he came up with the concept of Impera in 2013 after reading the book The Rule of Empires: Those Who Built Them, Those Who Endured Them, and Why They Always Fall by Timothy Parsons.

The album received widespread critical acclaim. Multiple outside songwriters assisted with the album, including pop producers Salem Al Fakir and Vincent Pontare, Kent lead singer Joakim Berg and The Cardigans guitarist Peter Svensson.

The theme of Impera mainly focuses on 'the rise and fall of empires'. The release of Impera was preceded by three singles: the first, ' Hunter's Moon', was released on 30 September 2021 in support of the 2021 slasher film Halloween Kills with a version being a part of the film's closing credits the second single, 'Call Me Little Sunshine', was released on 20 January 2022 and the third, 'Twenties', was released on 2 March 2022. Released on 11 March 2022, it was produced by Klas Åhlund who also produced the band's 2015 album, Meliora. Impera is the fifth studio album by the Swedish rock band Ghost.

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