Satanized (song)

Did You Know?

• The day before the release, Ghost livestreamed a billboard in Las Vegas reading "V IS COMING".
• The band launched a web app called "The Satanizer" in collaboration with Jason Zada.
• The single was released at midnight (EST) along with its music video.

Themes and composition

With a driving beat, punchy drums, and layered harmonies, "Satanized" fuses rock and hard rock into an energetic, 1980s-inspired anthem. Vice's Stephen Andrew Galiher called it a "catchy goth-rock epic." Its lyrics move away from standard devil-worship, instead exploring an internal conflict between sin and salvation through religious imagery of blasphemy, heresy, and a longing for redemption.

Music video

The music video, directed by Amir Chamdin and starring David Dencik, shows a frustrated monk in a confessional while two nuns mock him. Clergy members, possibly portrayed by unmasked Ghost members, play cheerfully around him. At the end, the monk transforms into the band's frontman character Papa V Perpetua, revealing a new look with purple and silver makeup and attire; Tobias Forge's new mask covers only half his face, unlike previous full-head prosthetics.

Reception

"Satanized" received generally positive reviews, with critics praising its energetic instrumentation, 1980s-inspired hard rock sound, and anthemic chorus. The Rockpit highlighted its "catchy hooks, layered harmonies, and dynamic guitar work". ACRN described the song as a "dramatic exploration of inner conflict framed with religious imagery". Critics also noted the music video and promotional web app as effective extensions of Ghost's theatrical presentation.