Man Behind the Madness: Is Cardinal Copia from Ghost the Antichrist?
By Devin Shea
Ghost’s new album is on the rise. While we await Prequelle, I’m starting to wonder if Cardinal Copia is actually one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse.
It’s only been a week since Swedish metal band Ghost released the single from their highly anticipated new album that is being released on June 1. After sitting and watching the video (more times than I’d like to admit because it’s amazing), I find myself wondering if new band leader Cardinal Copia is one of the four horseman of the apocalypse and the other three Papas will be filling the other roles. While that seems like an early theory to make, I’m not so sure.
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, an 1887 painting by Viktor Vasnetsov.
Ghost dropped a LOT of info on us with their new music video for “Rats.” There’s a lot of death, a lot of pestilence and some fancy as hell dancing from Cardinal Copia. And if you entertain my horseman theory, then Cardinal Copia would be the Horseman of Pestilence or the Horseman of Death and I agree from one big clue…the very end of the video.
In the end of “Rats,” among dancing dead ladies in leotards and capes, Cardinal Copia locks eyes with a white horse with glowing red eyes. He then gets on the horse and turns away. So, which is he? The first mention of the four horseman was in the New Testament in the Book of Revelation which gives us a play by play on the apocalypse.
Image courtesy of Ghost/Youtube
I think it’s safe to say that the Horseman of Death is ruled out. It mentions a pale horse which some could interpret as a white horse but based on the name of the horse, Khloros, the translation would indicate the color as a sickly green. That leaves the white horse which just happens to be the Horseman of Pestilence. Fun little fact, the Horseman of Pestilence in some interpretations is said to be the antichrist as well. And with Cardinal Copia being the odd man out of the group as not part of the bloodline and he’s the one bringing change, it seems like an odd coincidence.
That leaves the remaining Papas who Papa Nil had big plans for. Does that mean Papas I-III will act as the other horseman? Theories are circulating the internet in comments, reddit posts and on Facebook. Maybe it’s true and hopefully Ghost will give us more insight with new videos. What do you think of the four horseman theory? Let us know!
Next: Ghost releases Rats music video