Ghost mastermind Tobias Forge has opened up about his decision to step away from the band for the time being, explaining that he has no interest in rushing into another album simply because it is expected of him.
The Swedish occult rock outfit has reached a remarkable level of success in recent years, including arena-headlining tours, multi-platinum certifications and a Billboard 200-topping album in ‘Skeletá’. However, following the extensive touring cycle behind that record, Forge decided it was time to put Ghost on hold.
The current downtime arrives alongside the theatrical release of the band’s latest concert film, ‘2 Big To Rig’, as well as its accompanying live soundtrack.
Speaking with Kerrang!, Forge discussed the sheer scale of the operation surrounding Ghost and how that has changed his perspective on stepping away. The band’s touring setup has grown to include roughly 106 crew members, 22 production trucks and six crew buses, leaving Forge acutely aware of the number of people relying on him.
“There’s a lot of people depending on you, let alone all these people buying tickets. For most of my career, I’ve been very triggered by that, in a positive way. But now, with a lack of a clear direction of where to go, I don’t want to have that responsibility on my shoulder. I can carry that when I’m there, but when I’m not there, it’s too tiresome.”
Years of constantly working with Ghost have also taken their toll, particularly as the band’s growth has brought additional responsibilities and increasingly demanding touring schedules. Despite that, Forge remains extremely satisfied with how the ‘Skeletá’ era concluded and views the end of that cycle as a fitting stopping point.
“When you’re done with the big wedding, you’re not gonna get married again immediately after! I don’t want to call it a bookend, but it serves as a great finale. I feel like, ‘If this is it, I’m pretty pleased. This is a fucking great repertoire, great band, they sound phenomenal.’ We managed to do this awesome show most of the nights, and I couldn’t be happier.”
For Forge, the biggest factor behind the hiatus was simply not having a compelling reason to immediately begin working on another Ghost record. Rather than forcing the creative process, he wants to wait until he genuinely has something he wants to say.
“Everything was great up until the moment when I was sort of eyeing the end of a tour and not knowing for the first time in our career what to do next. And that was kind of the get the fuck out of Dodge card, which is: I’m not gonna just go back to make an album or force myself to make an album for no reason. I need to want to make a record. I need to have something to say.”
“Every other record has been very inspired and there’s been a clear thought, there’s been a purpose. And that was completely generated by my passion to do so – it was never contractual fulfilment or whatever. It was nothing like that. And this time around it was just like, ‘I don’t have an idea.’ I just want to do other things and it doesn’t really mean anything other than that, but it also means that, no, we don’t have anything in the books, and yeah, it’s just a normal hiatus.”
The extended break has also given Forge an opportunity to reconnect with friends and family in a way that has been difficult during Ghost’s relentless touring schedule.
“I am. The big difference is how I’m able to talk to friends. For the last 15 years, I’ll come home [from a Ghost tour] for, like, two weeks, and the first week I’m sick, and the second week, I have to be with my family. I have to take care of people in a proximity level, with the closest ones first.”
Outside of Ghost, Forge has also been devoting more attention to his interest in filmmaking. He currently has several projects at different stages of development, with the band’s hiatus providing him with considerably more time to pursue those ambitions.
“When you’re in your dream-come-true band, it’s all-consuming in terms of time and energy. I’m very happy that I’m able to commit to other things now.”
For now, there is no new Ghost album on the immediate horizon. Forge appears content to let the next chapter develop naturally rather than manufacture one simply because the band has reached the end of another album cycle.
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