Swedish rock juggernaut Ghost took home the top honor in the “Best Hard Rock/Metal” category at the 2026 Swedish Grammis awards. The ceremony, widely considered the Swedish equivalent of the Grammy Awards, took place on Wednesday night, April 29, at the Annexet arena in Stockholm.
Frontman and creative mastermind Tobias Forge accepted the prestigious award alongside his core songwriting team of Max Grahn, Vincent Pontare, and Salem Al Fakir. The group earned the trophy for their massively successful 2025 studio album, Skeletá, winning out over a strong field of nominees that included Sabaton (Legends), Sarcator (Swarming Angels & Flies), The Haunted (Songs Of Last Resort), and The Hellacopters (Overdrive).
During his time at the podium, Tobias Forge expressed deep appreciation for the team behind the album. In his acceptance speech, he stated he was “incredibly grateful” to everyone involved in the making of Skeletá, jokingly adding, “hopefully, even after I’ve stood here rambling through this speech without notes, people will keep loving this record into eternity”.
The award was presented to the band by Joey Tempest, lead singer of fellow Swedish hard rock veterans Europe. Following the event, the vocalist took to social media to congratulate the winners and hint at a recent studio collaboration.
“Huge congratulations to Ghost for winning the Swedish Grammis! It was an absolute honour to present you with the award!,” Joey shared. “And thanks for joining us to have some fun during the recording of our upcoming album.”
Skeletá was heavily favored going into the night, earning Ghost a total of six nominations at this year’s ceremony. Alongside the hard rock category, the band was up for “Artist Of The Year” and “Album Of The Year.” Furthermore, Tobias Forge, Max Grahn, Vincent Pontare, and Salem Al Fakir received combined nods for “Producer,” “Songwriter,” and “Lyricist” for their contributions to the record.
Ghost is no stranger to the Swedish Grammis. The group had previously secured the “Hard Rock & Metal” award four times for their past releases: Infestissumam, Meliora, the Popestar EP, and Impera.
Released in April 25, 2025, Skeletá was a massive commercial triumph. The record debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, moving 86,000 equivalent album units in its first week. Billboard reported that 89% of that total (77,000 units) came from traditional album sales, largely driven by over 44,000 vinyl copies sold. The release marked the first hard rock album to top the Billboard 200 since AC/DC released Power Up in 2020.
The achievement also marked Ghost‘s ninth appearance on the chart and their fifth Top 10 record, successfully surpassing the No. 2 peak of their 2022 album, Impera.
