It's hardly a secret that Ghost mastermind Tobias Forge draws inspiration from classic rock and from the imagery of heavy metal. Thought in an interview with Metal Hammer, Forge said it's difficult to try and compare what Ghost's goals are to classic bands like Metallica and Iron Maiden considering how different the industry is now.
Instead, Forge said he sees Rammstein as more of a guiding light for what he wants Ghost to be. Forge points out that Rammstein is similar to Ghost in that they're both fictional to an extent (more so Ghost) with huge stage shows, and both have/currently are climbing the ladder from small shows to arenas and stadiums.
"If there's a comparison to make, it's better for us to compare ourselves to more contemporary bands rather than my idols. All those 60s bands, it feels like they were 100 years ago now, with a completely different set of rules and a different world. But even talking about AC/DC, Metallica or Iron Maiden, it was a different time and age.
"But if I compare us to a band that's at least a little bit closer to me, generationally, it would be Rammstein. I have no intention of sounding like them, but as a visionary, it's motivating for me to see how a band that were doing arenas up until a couple of years ago now play stadiums. Remember that it's one thing to play arenas, and it's another thing to sell out arenas. They're also a fictional sort of band, highly themed, and they put on a show, as opposed to Pearl Jam, who go up in normal street-wear and play on a carpet, and who seem like your down-to-earth, well-educated bros. Ha ha! So I'd see Rammstein as the sort of guidepost that I'm working towards."
When asked in a recent interview with if there's any end destination in mind for Ghost, Forge said it's a pretty long way off and that the band still has a lot of work to do. He then revealed he has a plan for Ghost up to 2025 and already knows what the next record will sound like, and what it'll be called.
"We’re still in the position where a new record [will inform] the overall impression of the band. If they didn’t want to, the Rolling Stones wouldn’t have released a new record in the last 50 years. People would still worship them. We’re still at a point where the record means something and that’s not going to be forever. At some point, you’ll turn into a nostalgia band and that’s fine.
"Right now, we have a plan up until 2025. I already know what I want to do, what I want to make and how I want the next record to sound. I know the title of the next record. I know what the cover’s gonna be. I know what we’re gonna change and what we’re gonna do live. I have a plan but it’s not the endgame."
