While initially veiled in secrecy, Ghost‘s identities and power structure were ultimately exposed in a messy 2017 lawsuit filed by former bandmates who had served as Nameless Ghouls in the band. Not only did that legal spat reveal the names of numerous band members, it also spelled out vocalist Tobias Forge‘s role as the band’s shot caller.
Having experienced explosive success in the years since that suit played out before the courts, while also anonymously cycling through a number of other Nameless Ghouls, Forge has clarified that he still remains at the head of the table for the now multi-platinum-certified band.
In a new cover story with Rolling Stone UK, Forge went so far as describe himself as a ‘solo artist’. He stated:
“If you want to be super pragmatic, I’m technically a solo artist. I don’t have to think in terms of a group, but everybody needs to understand that my job is a group effort… We’re a group working together, but practically, if the label is asking Ghost to make a record, they don’t call a group of people — they will call me because it’s my responsibility. So, as a creator and a writer, I don’t think that there is such a thing as an end until the actual end.”
Forge has once again reinvented himself for the group’s next album cycle, taking on the persona of Papa V Perpetua. That new full-length has been titled “Skeletá” and will receive and April 25th release. Speaking to the above-mentioned publication about the lyrical inspiration for that record, Forge went on to say:
“I’ve mostly described the record as one about being human. Life isn’t always great. There’s a non-deliberate, self-inflicted sense of unhappiness that we have subjected ourselves to because we have somehow got the idea that life is supposed to be 100 per cent positive. Life is, unfortunately, a balancing act where good and bad is a pendulum going back and forth, and that’s something I’m guilty of not intuitively feeling all the time. That is a very natural part of the struggles of being alive, and it’s perfectly fine.”
Ghost on tour:
04/15 Manchester, UK – AO Arena
04/16 Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro
04/19 London, UK – The O2
04/20 Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena
04/22 Antwerp, BEL – Sportpaleis
04/23 Frankfurt, DE – Festhalle Frankfurt
04/24 Munich, GER – Olympiahalle
04/26 Lyon, FRA – LDLC Arena
04/27 Toulouse, FRA – Zénith Toulouse Métropole
04/29 Lisbon, POR – MEO Arena
04/30 Madrid, SPA – Palacio Vistalegre
05/03 Zürich, SWI – Hallenstadion Zürich
05/04 Milan, ITA – Unipol Forum
05/07 Berlin, GER – Uber Arena
05/08 Amsterdam, NET – Ziggo Dome
05/10 Lodz, POL – Atlas Arena
05/11 Prague, CE – O2 Arena
05/13 Paris, FRA – Accor Arena
05/14 Oberhausen, GER – Rudolf Weber-ARENA
05/15 Hannover, GER – ZAG Arena
05/17 Copenhagen, DEN – Royal Arena
05/20 Tampere, FIN – Nokia Arena
05/22 Linköping, SWE – Saab Arena
05/23 Sandviken, SWE – Göransson Arena
05/24 Oslo, NOR – Oslo Spektrum
07/09 Baltimore, MD – CFG Bank Arena
07/11 Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena
07/12 Tampa, FL – Amalie Arena
07/13 Miami, FL – Kaseya Center
07/15 Raleigh, NC – Lenovo Center
07/17 Cleveland, OH – Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
07/18 Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena
07/19 Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
07/21 Boston, MA – TD Garden
07/22 New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
07/24 Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
07/25 Louisville, KY – KFC Yum! Center
07/26 Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
07/28 Grand Rapids, MI – Van Andel Arena
07/29 Milwaukee, WI – Fiserv Forum
07/30 St. Louis, MO – Enterprise Center
08/01 Rosemont, IL – Allstate Arena
08/02 Saint Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center
08/03 Omaha, NE – CHI Health Center
08/05 Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center
08/07 Denver, CO – Ball Arena
08/09 Las Vegas, NV – MGM Grand Garden Arena
08/10 San Diego, CA – Viejas Arena
08/11 Phoenix, AZ – Footprint Center
08/14 Austin, TX – Moody Center
08/15 Fort Worth, TX – Dickies Arena
08/16 Houston, TX – Toyota Center
09/24 Mexico City, MEX – Palacio de los Deportes
