Yesterday (April 30), Ghost revealed that former singers Papa Emeritus I, II & III were dead, killing off the Emeritus bloodline once and for all. Sure, Papa Nihil could grab some Viagra and get freaky with a Sister of Sin, but in a new interview with Metal Hammer, Ghost mastermind Tobias Forge explained why the Papa Emeritus lineage had to end with Papa III.

Ghost experienced massive creative success with each Papa. It seems like no version of Forge’s leading man has been deemed the unanimous favorite, as Ghost fans embraced each incarnation. “I’ve always tried to make things hard for myself,” says about creating the persona of each frontman. “Instead of just doing big, blunt commercial statements, I’m trying to do things in a more cinematic way.”

He continues, “If we just continued with Papa to Papa to Papa to Papa, that would grow very boring. That is a one-dimensional way of looking at this band. If I had just done that, Ghost would have gone on auto-pilot and it would have grown stale very quickly.”

Forge may be more ahead of the curve than fans expected, as Cardinal Copia is already accumulating a solid fan base thanks to his killer dance moves in Ghost’s “Rats” video.

As for Ghost’s upcoming Prequelle album, Forge revealed the deaths of various music legends influenced the record. “This is a record themed with death and the impending end – even if it might just be our own – and in recent years we have seen the passing of many of our elder idols,” says Forge. “Ronnie James Dio was one, but I think that, especially when Lemmy passed away, and Bowie and Prince so close to that, it affected me a lot. It feels like our parents are passing.”

Ghost will unleash Prequelle on June 1, so click here to pre-order the album.

See Ghost in the 50 Most Important Metal Bands of the 21st Century