What began back in April heralding the arrival of Skeletá, the sixth studio album from the clergy of GHOST, is now drawing to a spectacular close.

Among the final few plays on the GHOST World Tour, San Diego served as the only Southern California stop of the international trek, drawing a capacity crowd to Viejas Arena for the kind theatric rock saga and live ritual that elevated an arena into a sanctuary. 

Executing a marathon live set, GHOST transformed the stage into an altar, presiding their parishioners by opening with first two tracks from their latest full length with "Peacefield" and "Lachryma". Given the high bar of the universally acclaimed album, the live translation earned a massive pop from the floor and set the tone for the evening. 

Bridging the various iterations of GHOST, the set list sourced selections across the band's celebrated catalog - from Opus Eponymous and Infestissumam to Meliora, Prequelle and Impera - the comprehensive performance covered the entirety of the band's lifespan with continuity and cohesion. 

Among the highlights on the evening included some GHOST's most glorious hymns with entries like "Cirice," "Satanized," "Ritual" and "Rats" proving some of the most emphatic instances of the set. 

True to the band's dazzling showcase of live spectacle, their encore was among the most dramatic takeaways from the night as GHOST reserved some of their heaviest artillery for their finale. Performing a greatest hits succession with "Mary on a Cross," "Dance Macabre" and "Square Hammer," Papa V Perpetua and the Nameless Ghouls submitted a live set that was pure gospel. 

See the gallery of recap images from the Southern California stop of GHOST's World Tour below. All images by Maurice Nunez. 

GHOST