Ghost has exactly one show slated for the entirety of 2020 so that vocalist and main songwriter Tobias Forge can work on a brand new album. The new album will feature Papa Emeritus IV, a cycle that was broken on the Prequelle album with the addition of Cardinal Copia.
In a recent interview with Talking Metal, Forge discusses his studio process and why he doesn't ask any of his live musicians to play on the records. Basically Forge feels like if he's not going to ask the entire live band to play on an album, then he's not going to ask anyone. As for the studio lineup, Forge says he usually employs drummer Ludvig Kennberg and keyboardist Salem Al-Fakir.
"No, actually not and that is for a few very simple reasons: I have never, in the history of Ghost had any demands or expectancy for the people touring to play on the records. For several reasons: One is that I've always had a favourite drummer (Ludvig Kennberg) that I always want to play on the records, who's never been in the band, never been in the touring band. He and I work very well together. He is perfect for the studio requirements, he does that really well. I have a favourite keyboard player (Salem Al-Fakir) who is extremely good at translating the things that I want him to play.
During the writing I always play everything anyways so if you start involving people, which I have done from time to time, just to be nice basically because I wanted to give them an incentive. You're in a situation where you have to tell them to exactly replicate what I just did, just symbolically and it's like in my efforts to try to be nice to people, that's also turned out to be not so cool, so I've learned from that. Besides, if I'm not going to ask everyone to do their part, then what's the point? I'm not going to segregate people. I don't want to favour people. So if I'm not going to ask everyone, then I don't want to ask anyone. It's easier to let people do their thing. Basically all of the people that are in my band are doing other things: They have solo careers, they have other bands, so I want to give them time off, or time away from Ghost to do their things because I know come 2021 when the new record comes out and there's just 18 months of touring coming up they will come back having gotten their rocks off. They'll be ready to do my thing, whereas a lot of other bands where you have that demand of people in the studio and half the band just sits around waiting for the record to be done.
You end up having a lot of maybe not so good feelings when you start a tour. The touring becomes way more heavy because you're already tired of each other and you're already at odds about this, that or the other. Things's didn't come out the way he or she wanted it or you just fuel a lot of potential negativity into touring. I'm very determined to make records, I don't need other people to make those records except for the ones that I choose myself and I am very determined toward artists and I want the tour to be very good as well, so that's the short answer."
Don't forget to check out Ghost's more recent EP Seven Inches Of Satanic Panic, which Forge says is not at all indicative of the band's future direction.
Ghost are currently touring the country. Get your tickets here.
[via Ultimate Guitar]
