TOBIAS FORGE Explains Origin Of GHOST's Narrative Story

Tobias Forge, the creative force behind the Grammy-winning Swedish rock band GHOST, recently sat down virtually with Associated Press entertainment journalist Liam McEwan to discuss the evolution of his "Papa" frontman alter-egos, his songwriting process and the expansive lore that defines GHOST's identity. Forge also opened up about trusting his musical instincts, his favorite instruments, and how storytelling, mythology, and music continue to shape the band's ever-evolving world.

Asked about the origin of GHOST's narrative story, which includes plot threads from the band's long-running "Chapters" series, Forge said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The first record deal for GHOST was a small indie label from London, operating out of London, called Rise Above. [It was] a very credible label, very much a cult establishment, helmed by, Lee Dorrian from CATHEDRAL fame. Their approach, him and his staff, their approach was very low key — do little, do few interviews, don't do much and preferably don't play much. We're very good friends, and we've been friends ever since, but on a strategic level, we disagreed pretty early because I wasn't very keen on having a social media or media presence, but I was definitely keen on making GHOST as big as possible as a live band. My outlook at the time was probably more I wanted to become a big theater band, go from playing a club to maybe being good for 2,000 tickets in a theater. But I understood that in order to get there, I have to comply with certain laws of gravity and I have to tour, I have to do a few things. And they wanted me to not have an agent, they didn't want me to have a manager. And I was, like, 'I am, too, having a manager, [and] of course we need an agent,' and all that. So, obviously, we had to part ways, and we did [so] amicably."

Forge went on to recount how he signed with Loma Vista Recordings, the company founded by Tom and Ryan Whalley. Before establishing Loma Vista in 2012, Tom Whalley had a distinguished career as the chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Records, where he played a key role in shaping the careers of iconic artists such as GREEN DAY and the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS. Tom also held executive positions at Interscope and Capitol Records. Tobias said: "At the time [Loma Vista] was brand new. They had just basically inked, I guess, an office space deal, because they were so new and they had no releases out. They had only signed — I think that they had signed Damian Marley. I'm not sure, but I, or GHOST, was the second signing or something like that. However, they — being Tom Whalley and his son, Ryan Whalley — they came from the very top of the food chain in American music industry. Tom had just stepped off for, or — I don't know — for the 10 years prior, he had been the head honcho of Warner Brothers. So he was a big guy, a big dude in the music industry and had signed a lot of big artists. [He was] very credible as an A&R [executive] as well. I mean, obviously he was up with the big wigs for a long time doing sort of corporate stuff, but he started as an A&R. He signed [Ronnie James] Dio when he was this sort of washed up singer that had just been sort of out of BLACK SABBATH, and he signed him for [DIO's debut album] 'Holy Diver'. But he also signed HELMET, I think NINE INCH NAILS, Tupac Shakur, stuff like that. He has a knack for finding [talent]. And he proposed me signing to Loma Vista, which seemed super attractive. 'Wow, what a thing.' And [it was] exciting working with a new label. We had our door knocked by a lot of the bigger established other record companies that [were] around at the time. But I was very much impressed by his resume and what he had done with other artists. And it was very tempting to work with someone who was, like, major, but he was gonna start an indie label. So I had the main guy in front of me — not like an A&R [representative] that — nothing against A&Rs — but more than often across, splattered all over rock history, is bands, especially GHOST at the time, hyped band that was very uncertain where we were going. It was uncertain if we were gonna make it past the hype or not. You're definitely out of the shallows because you're in deep water with the potential of your A&R, the guy who believes in you, or the girl who believes in you, leaving or getting sacked, and then, all of a sudden, you're sitting there being the alternative, weird Satanic AOR band from Sweden, and you're out. So, I wanted to work with him. One of the first things he said, it was, like, 'I love your band.' I think he was just throwing what felt like very sincere superlatives about how great the band was and how much he felt that he could do for it. But he was, like, 'One problem, though, is the story. What is the story? I've never worked with anything that does not have a story that I can tell.' And I said, 'Well, that's gonna be a problem, because I'm anonymous, we're anonymous. There is no band. Besides, we've not been around. We don't have a story. Give us 10 years and maybe we'll tell you about something at that point.' And he was, like, 'We have to work on this.' [And I said], 'Okay.' That's why there is a story. In short."

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". In March 2020, at final show of GHOST's "Prequelle" tour in Mexico City, Mexico, the band officially introduced Papa Emeritus IV, the character who fronted the act for its "Impera" (2022) album phase.

The North American 2026 leg of GHOST's "Skeletour" world tour will kick off January 21 at the Kia Center in Orlando, Florida and run through February 23 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California.

This past August, GHOST completed the U.S. leg of the "Skeletour" in support of the group's sixth studio album, "Skeletá", which came out in April. Marking a bold evolution in GHOST's live performances, the tour was the band's most theatrical and cinematic production yet. Designed by creative director Tobias Rylander and Forge, the tour embraced a grander and more ambitious scale than ever before.

The set design was a striking blend of gothic symbolism and brutalist architecture, melding the ornate drama of cathedrals with the stark lines of modernist concrete forms. Inspired by brutalist cathedrals across Europe, the stage transformed into a sanctum of dark majesty: part sacred temple and part rock coliseum.

At the core of the design was the "Grucifix" — GHOST's reimagined crucifix inspired by their iconic logo. Suspended above the band, this colossal structure functioned as both a visual centerpiece and a dynamic lighting rig, casting an ethereal glow over the stage.

Rylander's design included sculptural scenic facades on the lighting pods, echoing the textures and verticality of cathedral interiors, further reinforcing the ecclesiastical themes central to GHOST's identity.

The lighting leans into a retro-rock aesthetic, with visual nods to classical QUEEN and VAN HALEN. The tour also represented a milestone for the band as it's the first time a full-scale video production led by Rylander and video director Amir Chamdin. With video content by Green Wall Designs, the creative direction transcended the physical stage, evolving into a fully immersive multimedia experience.

In keeping with the show's theatricality, the stage itself had been engineered to perform as much as the artist. Multiple elevated performance platforms, mechanical lifts, and concealed entrances are strategically placed to accommodate dramatic reveals and character transitions. A living, breathing cathedral of performance, "Skeletour" redefined the GHOST live experience, where sacred architecture collides with the raw energy of rock and roll.

The European leg of GHOST's 2025 world tour kicked off on April 15 in Manchester, United Kingdom and concluded on May 24 in Oslo, Norway. The North American leg of GHOST's 2025 tour launched on July 9 in Baltimore, Maryland and wrapped up on August 16 in Houston, Texas.

This past May, "Skeletá" landed at position No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart with 86,000 equivalent album units earned in the United States in the LP's first week of release. According to Billboard, 89% of that figure (77,000) consisted of traditional album sales, with vinyl purchases accounting for over 44,000 copies. Notably, "Skeletá" was the first hard rock album to reach the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 since AC/DC's "Power Up" in 2020.

The music video for the LP's first single, "Satanized", introduced the new character who is fronting GHOST for its 2025 touring cycle: Papa V Perpetua.