GHOST's TOBIAS FORGE: 'Our Career Might Have Gone Quickly In The Beginning, But The Last 10 Years Have Been Pretty Normal'

In a new interview with Taryn Daly of Audacy Check In, GHOST mastermind Tobias Forge was asked how he processes the fact that he has seen the size of the venues his band performs at grow exponentially over the years, from playing clubs to co-headlining arenas on GHOST's upcoming U.S. tour with VOLBEAT. He responded in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think if you are a touring band that tours continuously, and you do what most other touring bands do — you do your own tours, and then you support, and then you do your own tour, and then you support someone else, and then you do your own tour, and then you do a festival; you go on these cycles of going back and forth — and usually by the time, if you ever get to play an arena or a sport hall yourself, for the most part, I think, most rock bands at least have done that before supporting someone else. That's sort of the code of the road — you do that, unless you're this overnight sensation…

"Our career might have gone quickly in the beginning, but the last 10 years have been pretty normal in terms of what you're supposed to do — grinding," he continued. "So sometimes the novelty of doing something might not be as overwhelming as the first time you played a stadium show at all. We don't play stadiums ourselves — we don't play football stadiums — but we've done it quite many times supporting METALLICA, we've supported IRON MAIDEN, we've supported FOO FIGHTERS, we've supported other bands in stadiums as well. And the same thing went with arena shows — all those bands that I mentioned we did arena shows with before, so once you sort of accidentally do an arena show yourself, it feels, like, 'Oh, yeah. I know this. I know what to do.'"

Last month, GHOST released a new single titled "Hunter's Moon" which is featured in the latest blockbuster installment of the legendary film franchise "Halloween Kills". The "Halloween Kills" soundtrack arrived on October 15 via Sacred Bones, with the film hitting theaters (and Peacock) the same day as well.

Produced by Klas Åhlund and mixed by Andy Wallace, GHOST's "Hunter's Moon" plays as the "Halloween Kills" end credits roll, and will be released January 21, 2022 as a collectible seven-inch single by Loma Vista Recordings. "Hunter's Moon" can be streamed, purchased, and/or pre-ordered in its vinyl incarnation. The retail version of the seven-inch will feature the special B-side "Halloween Kills (Main Title)", performed, produced and engineered by John Carpenter, Cody Carpenter and Daniel Davies.

"Hunter's Moon" features OPETH's Fredrik Åkesson on guitar and THE SOUNDTRACK OF OUR LIVES founder Martin Hederos on the piano. Producer Max Grahn and "A Ghoul Writer" are listed as the song's composers and lyricists.

The official music video for the infectious first new track from GHOST since 2019's "Seven Inches Of Satanic Panic" was directed by Amanda Demme.

GHOST's 26-date co-headlining U.S. arena tour with VOLBEAT and special guests TWIN TEMPLE will include shows in Seattle, Denver, Chicago, Houston, and Phoenix.

In March 2020, at final show of GHOST's "Prequelle" tour in Mexico City, Mexico, the band officially introduced Papa Emeritus IV, the new character who will front the act for its next LP phase.

Forge performed as a "new" Papa Emeritus on each of the band's first three LPs, with each version of Papa replacing the one that came before it. Papa Emeritus III was retired in favor of Cardinal Copia before the release of 2018's "Prequelle".