When the identity of Ghost’s various frontmen was revealed by way of the 2017 royalties dispute, Forge went on the record to describe exactly how he saw the band. Though genres as diverse as doom metal, hard rock, prog rock, arena rock, and psychedelic rock have been used to describe Ghost, their sound is rooted in black metal, with Forge adding that they are influenced by “everything ranging from classic rock to the extreme underground metal bands of the 80s to film scores to the grandeur of emotional harmonic music.” The live band is not the same as the studio one Though Forge’s main influence was the black metal of King Diamond and Mercyful Fate, you might be surprised to hear a far more prominent pop and AOR influence in Ghost’s music. What you see is not necessarily what you get, musically speaking. Forge looked up to his brother, who was 13 years older, and introduced him to many of the artists that would later influence Ghost. Little did Forge know that, as he uploaded the songs, his brother, Sebastian, would succumb to heart disease later that day. Those songs were later posted onto MySpace on Maand would attract immediate attention from record labels and managers wanting to sign the group. Forge’s brother died the day Ghost came aliveįurther to “Stand By Him,” Forge penned the tracks “Prime Mover” and “Death Knell,” and in 2008 entered a recording studio with former Repugnant bandmate Gustaf Lindström to lay them down. Instead, he created the concept and characters of Ghost as a vehicle for his new musical project. In 2006 he came up with a riff that he described as “probably the heaviest metal riff that has ever existed.” To accompany it, he penned a chorus that “haunted my dreams.” The song developed into “Stand By Him” from Ghost’s debut album, Opus Eponymous, but Forge knew that he couldn’t carry off such a dark sound with his clean-cut looks. Prior to forming Ghost, Tobias Forge was in the death metal band Repugnant, and sleaze metal band Crashdïet. His backing band retain their anonymity and maintain their mystery at record store signings by stamping their ascribed alchemical symbols for fire, water, air, earth, and ether. Forge was forced to give up his identity in 2017 when former bandmates sued him over royalties. These are likely to be Ghost mastermind Tobias Forge, who also portrayed each of the Papa characters and is currently serving as Cardinal Copia. ![]() The various frontmen never gave interviews, instead press duties were handled by the Nameless Ghouls. Since the band’s inception, in 2006, Ghost has maintained a strictly anonymous existence. Then are the musicians: fronted by a satanic priest-like figure in papal regalia who possesses a voice with an unexpectedly enticing charm and vulnerability, backed by a group of cardinals known as the “Nameless Ghouls.” The idea is to present music as salvation, with the live show playing the role of a religious service. Their stage set during live concerts is dressed as a church. But Ghost takes the construct to the next level. ![]() Religious imagery and satanism have forever been intertwined with heavy metal music genre pioneers Black Sabbath were masters of marrying the two. Listen to the best of Ghost on Apple Music and Spotify. Here, then, are ten facts that uncover the mystery behind the Swedish heavy metal band Ghost. Their very existence comes with a concept, backstory, and elaborate visuals, with these embellishments being as inherent to the band’s performances as guitars or drums. Few bands today, however, push the envelope to the point where their theatrics are as important as their music. Image goes hand in hand with music, whether it’s the skinny black jeans and white hi-tops of thrash metalin the 80s, the flannel and combats of grunge in the 90s, or the comic-book space demons of KISS.
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