GHOST's TOBIAS FORGE Doesn't Want To Rush Next Studio Album

GHOST leader Tobias Forge has told Billboard in a new interview that he is already looking forward to entering the studio in January 2020 to start making the band's fifth album.

"There are a lot of things making [2018's] 'Prequelle' and all the other records I'm thinking about; some things I'm looking to perfect, and some things I'm looking not to repeat," he said. "Some things I think we just missed the mark on. And those are the ambitions I go into with every record and this time as well."

He added: "I don't want to rush. I want to go forward and achieve as many things as possible. I'm always thinking ahead. One day this will all be over, and I'll have plenty of time to sit and wonder what happened."

"Prequelle" debuted in June 2018 at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart. It has yielded the chart-topping "Rats" and "Dance Macabre", a well as the latest single "Faith".

Back in May, Forge spoke about his plans for the next GHOST studio LP with Revolver, saying, "I want to make a different record from 'Prequelle'. I want it to feel different... I definitely have a darker, heavier record in mind." He added that "Prequelle" turned out to be "a little ballad heavy."

Forge told Overdrive that fans will have to wait until 2021 before they get to experience "the next chapter of the GHOST story."

"In order to make that record, it's going to take me about six months and then that'll take me to the summer, which we've already decided we'll take a break a let the dust settle," he said. "Then hopefully by the end of the summer the record will be finished.

"Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you see it, the U.S. elections are happening, so bearing that in mind, it's not the best time to release new material when people's minds are focused on other things. I just want to make sure that when we release this new album, we have people's attention."

Forge told The Pulse Of Radio what he had learned about the songs on "Prequelle" from playing them live for much of the past year. "I've come to realize that the songs on the record are very diverse," he said. "Not that I didn't understand that before, but I've definitely felt it now, playing them. Definitely a lot of the 'Prequelle' material is varied, which I like. It fits very well into a live set that is very long."

GHOST's "Ultimate Tour Named Death" North American headline arena tour starts on September 13 in Bakersfield, California and will see an expanded theatrical production, a stage set resembling a medieval cathedral with a backdrop of illuminated stained-glass windows. In addition to costumes, special effects, and a light show tailor-made for arenas, the Cardinal, the Ghouls and the Ghoulettes will take advantage of series of multi-level platforms and walkways to prowl around on while performing some of GHOST's fan-favorite songs from the band's albums and EPs catalogs.