Ghost’s Tobias Forge has told NME that the band are “living proof” that the concept that “rock is dead” is not true.
The metal frontman was speaking ahead of the band’s highly anticipated sixth studio album ‘Skeletá’, which is due to be released on April 25. It has been previewed with its anthemic lead single ‘Satanized’, and it is the first to feature Forge’s new persona Papa Perpetua.
During the interview, he was asked what goals remain on his radar, and it was the lazy cliche that heavy guitar music is incapable of producing new ideas that he turned his attention to.
“For the last decade or so, there’s been this ongoing chatter in the music business – especially in the rock business – of ‘rock is dead’ or ‘no new bands can become big’,” he said. “Ghost, as well as a few others, are living proof that that is not true.”
“I’m not saying that you can become a new AC/DC, but we are living proof that you still can do it. There are more recent bands around, like Sleep Token, who are succeeding, so obviously, you can become a bigger band.”
Pointing at where Ghost’s ambitions lay, he continued: “Rammstein, for a long, long time, were just an arena band. They were well known for their big shows, but they were only playing arenas. Then they decided to do a stadium tour, and all of a sudden, they went from 15,000 people every night to 55,000, three nights in a row! In terms of sheer achievements, I would love to make that a journey. That would be fantastic, simply because I’m very interested in stage production.
“My fascination with that really exploded into obsessive fandom in the ‘80s when I saw The Rolling Stones. When I was eight years old, they released ‘Steel Wheels’ and did a tour through America… If you guys think Rammstein’s stage is cool, ‘Steel Wheels Tour’ was the absolute behemoth. That’s where I set the standard — being able to build this giant thing that people come to see, and it just takes over a city. I’ve always been obsessed with that idea of being behind that turmoil that comes in and disrupts a city.”
Ghost are one of the many bands that are playing a slot at Black Sabbath’s upcoming final show at Villa Park in Birmingham. “ Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne have been a tremendous influence on me,” Forge said. “Ozzy as a frontman and Ozzy as a solo artist is something I put a divide between, because I grew up in the ‘80s where he was much more of a rockstar than Black Sabbath were. I gravitated towards that, but I also grew up listening to the old Black Sabbath records. Nowadays, I love most Black Sabbath releases. Even the ‘80s and ‘90s albums, I love them for what they are, and the Dio era also has a very special place in my heart, too.”
Ghost are heading on their own tour around the UK, Europe and the US later this year, starting in Manchester’s AO Arena on April 15. Find the full list of dates here and any remaining tickets here.
