GHOST mastermind Tobias Forge says he is currently in the writing stages of the follow -up to last year’s “Impera” album
GHOST frontman Tobias Forge has confirmed in an interview with Metal Hammer magazine that he has already penned “a few songs” for the upcoming album, following last year’s release of “Impera.”
Discussing the songwriting process, Forge said: “I like to compare what I’m doing to being a chef. A chef with a few different interests and specialities. So you might start a few different restaurants — an Italian one, a Greek one, an Asian Fusion one. But what they all have in common is the seasoning and the decor and the interior design… the secret sauce. With me, each record, each new cycle, is a new restaurant, but I don’t have to sit with an empty paper and come up with something new every time because the secret sauce is the same. If it comes from my notebook, it will sound like GHOST.”
Forge collaborated with producer Klas Åhlund, as well as Swedish co-writers Salem Al Fakir and Vincent Pontare, known for their work with global pop icons Madonna and Lady Gaga, on the creation of “Impera.”
The band’s noteworthy performances at the Forum in Inglewood, California, in September 2023 were professionally filmed and recorded, set to be incorporated into an upcoming film project.
During the Forum shows, GHOST treated fans to the live debut of “Twenties” and presented their rendition of Roky Erikson‘s “If You Have Ghosts.” Originally reimagined by GHOST for their 2013 EP “If You Have Ghost,” the Forum rendition featured a unique arrangement with two cellists and a piano on a separate stage, creating a distinctive atmosphere within the set.
In related news, it appears that the era of Papa Emeritus IV fronting GHOST is drawing to a close.
According to the enigmatic figure himself, during GHOST‘s performance at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Brisbane, Australia on October 5, he announced that the show marked his final appearance on stage.
“It’s a big night in so many ways,” said Emeritus IV to the audience. “I’m going to let you accompany me, you can stay where you are and I’m going to go have a little bit of a drink over here. I know a lot of people are expecting some sort of explosion, implosion, a miracle where I just disappear in favor of a successor.
“I’m going to take this ice cube and I’m going to put it down my pants. I usually don’t do that, but that is to make me feel a little bit better because now I’m focusing on that and not on you. Just in case you thought I was pissing myself, which I’m sure would have been the great finale. But you know what? This finale, it’s just going to be my last show, and I’m going to do my best to deliver that show to you and that would just have to be enough, okay?”
GHOST has been dropping hints about the conclusion of Papa Emeritus IV‘s chapter for some time now, although they’ve never quite come out and explicitly stated it. One notable moment was in October 2022 when Mr. Salterian addressed Papa Emeritus IV during the band’s ongoing storyline, alluding to the scheduled shows and implying that the end was drawing near. Additionally, in a video from February of this year, there was a clear visual of Saltarian maneuvering a new casket, all while Emeritus and Sister Imperator engaged in conversation.
All these signs strongly suggest that the next phase of the mysterious band is on the horizon.
