‘People In General Do Not Know Who I Am’

The enigmatic veil surrounding Tobias Forge, the mastermind behind the theatrical metal juggernaut GHOST, was dramatically lifted in 2017. A lawsuit filed by former band members not only brought his identity into the public eye but also inadvertently peeled back a carefully constructed layer of mystique. In a recent conversation with Aziz Bentot of Dealer 2 Metal, Forge candidly discussed the complex emotions he navigated when his anonymity was unexpectedly stripped away, offering a rare glimpse into the personal impact of this pivotal moment in GHOST‘s history.

“I came to, at a certain point, even though there was, obviously, a literal process that sort of forced me to put my name on to my work, which is itself is kind of not very strange, I felt for a long time that it kind of defeats the purpose,” Forge offered (as transcribed by Blabbermouth). “It’s a paradox working actively towards making your band bigger and more popular whilst remaining less known.

“So for a long time it really felt like this paradoxical, like, ‘What are we doing? Why are we doing this?’ I mean, maybe not so much now, but in the past. Obviously, one of the greatest examples here in France is DAFT PUNK. But people know who they are. Everybody knows who they are. If you’re interested in DAFT PUNK, you know who they are. And another band that people have often referred to when they were talking about us was THE RESIDENTS… But only f**king record collectors listen to THE RESIDENTS. I have their records. I like THE RESIDENTS, but people in general don’t know what the f**k they are. So that’s easy. It’s easy to remain anonymous if you’re like this really small niche band. And I’m sure there are a lot of RESIDENTS fans who know exactly who they are, because that’s what fans do. So I sort of gave that up.”

He continued: “I think that a lot of fans and a lot of people around me were way more upset or more anxious about those things remaining or how to maintain that than I was, because I felt… I never felt really anonymous before, because in a micro format, I was, to a certain degree, known within a really, really, really niche little group of people who liked old-school death metal, who knew who I was. And that group stays together. They all talk. So as soon as GHOST happened, all of them knew who was in GHOST. And so I never felt as, ‘Oh, before the spring of 2017, I was completely unknown. And then I became a really known person.’ I’m not a known person. Maybe a lot of people know about GHOST, but people in general do not know who I am.”

GHOST released their new album, Skeletá, on April 25 through Loma Vista Recordings.

GHOST kicked off their European leg of its 2025 World Tour on April 15 in Manchester, United Kingdom, and is set to conclude on May 24 in Oslo, Norway. The North American leg of the tour will kick off on July 9 in Baltimore, Maryland, and finish on August 16 in Houston, Texas.

Rest of Ghost‘s tour dates are as follows:

May 07, 2025 – Berlin, GER – Uber Arena
May 08, 2025 – Amsterdam, NET – Ziggo Dome
May 10, 2025 – Lodz, POL – Atlas Arena
May 11, 2025 – Prague, CE – O2 Arena
May 13, 2025 – Paris, FRA – Accor Arena
May 14, 2025 – Oberhausen, GER – Rudolf Weber-ARENA
May 15, 2025 – Hannover, GER – ZAG Arena
May 17, 2025 – Copenhagen, DEN – Royal Arena
May 20, 2025 – Tampere, FIN – Nokia Arena
May 22, 2025 – Linköping, SWE – Saab Arena
May 23, 2025 – Sandviken, SWE – Göransson Arena
May 24, 2025 – Oslo, NOR – Oslo Spektrum
July 09, 2025 – Baltimore, MD – CFG Bank Arena
July 11, 2025 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena
July 12, 2025 – Tampa, FL – Amalie Arena
July 13, 2025 – Miami, FL – Kaseya Center
July 15, 2025 – Raleigh, NC – Lenovo Center
July 17, 2025 – Cleveland, OH – Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
July 18, 2025 – Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena
July 19, 2025 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
July 21, 2025 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
July 22, 2025 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
July 24, 2025 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
July 25, 2025 – Louisville, KY – KFC Yum! Center
July 26, 2025 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
July 28, 2025 – Grand Rapids, MI – Van Andel Arena
July 29, 2025 – Milwaukee, WI – Fiserv Forum
July 30, 2025 – St. Louis, MO – Enterprise Center
August 01, 2025 – Rosemont, IL – Allstate Arena
August 02, 2025 – Saint Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center
August 03, 2025 – Omaha, NE – CHI Health Center
August 05, 2025 – Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center
August 07, 2025 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena
August 09, 2025 – Las Vegas, NV – MGM Grand Garden Arena
August 10, 2025 – San Diego, CA – Viejas Arena
August 11, 2025 – Phoenix, AZ – Footprint Center
August 14, 2025 – Austin, TX – Moody Center
August 15, 2025 – Fort Worth, TX – Dickies Arena
August 16, 2025 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center
September 24, 2025 – Mexico City, MEX – Palacio de los Deportes