Tobias Forge Reveals The Upside Of Ghost’s Non-Traditional Structure

Ghost mastermind Tobias Forge recently elaborated on the operational dynamics of his band, highlighting what he sees as a significant advantage to its non-traditional structure. In a new interview with France’s Oüi FM, Forge explained that creating albums and films largely on his own prevents the interpersonal friction often experienced by conventional bands, allowing the touring members to reunite with fresh energy.

While discussing the band’s return to touring after releasing the album Skeletá and the concert film “Rite Here Rite Now“, Forge reflected on Ghost‘s unique setup, where he acts as the primary creative force.

“Even though I’m sure that there might be individuals feeling that it would be great for us to work a little bit more like a traditional band… Going through a whole album production and simultaneously making a film and then being able to come back into the group setting and not having worn each other out is a magical upside,” Forge explained.

He contrasted this with the potential pitfalls of collaborative recording processes in other groups. “Because that means that once the touring starts, we start anew,” he continued. “We haven’t been fighting for a year. We haven’t been at each other’s throats. There are a lot of bands that go through that. Making records is hard. And once they go out on tour, they don’t talk, they don’t wanna be together, whereas the novelty of being on tour and being together again is usually quite invigorating.”

This dynamic was evident when the touring band reconvened for rehearsals late last year after a long separation. “We had a few weeks in December where we had the band together, and we were rehearsing,” Forge revealed. “And that felt also good because we hadn’t really seen each other for quite some time… we hadn’t really been together for almost a year.”

Forge, who has previously referred to Ghost as essentially a solo project he started in 2006, acknowledged the trade-offs of this approach. He admitted sometimes longing for the shared creative spark found in legendary groups.

“Personally I do miss sometimes the the idea of being one out of four people in Led Zeppelin or even Beatles, being in a group where everything you do together just feels magical just because you have a sound together,” he reflected. “But I will never really have that, so that’s fine. I have a lot of other things.”

The structure of Ghost was notably contested in a 2017 lawsuit filed by four former members (Simon Söderberg, Mauro Rubino, Henrik Palm, and Martin Hjertstedt), who argued a partnership existed. Forge maintained that the musicians were hired performers executing his vision, a position ultimately upheld when the case was dismissed in 2018. Forge had commented in 2017 regarding lineup changes, “People have a tendency to want to feel that they’re very important for something, and if it’s not crucial that they’re there, there will also be a little bit of a friction there.” His recent comments underscore how the current structure helps circumvent such potential friction during the demanding creative phases.