Nameless Ghoul Says Ghost Have Undergone 10 Lineup Changes Since Formation
The Ghost member rumor mill has been churning lately, first with the allegation that Papa Emeritus (Tobias Forge) fired his entire band after their fall 2016 North American tour, his subsequent solo appearance at the Swedish Grammis Awards adding fuel to those rumors, then Swedish musician Martin Persner revealing he was once one of the Nameless Ghoul guitarists known as Omega.
And now it gets even juicier: in an interview with Merkur, a Nameless Ghoul (widely known to be Forge, who does all interviews dressed as a Ghoul) revealed the band has had ten different lineup shifts since their formation in 2008!
Is Forge capitalizing on the recent rumors to add even more intrigue to the mystic that always surrounds this band? Possibly. But, at the very least, his words strongly solidify his position as the band’s mastermind and main songwriter:
“[Anonymity] is actually a problem with this project. For many musicians this is not satisfactory. That is why we had many changes. Ten in the meantime. On the other hand, one can get out of one’s own artist’s role and look a little more objectively. You never see yourself as the others see you. And you always see only how you want to be. This is a problem for many.
“I’ve created the whole project. I’ve been working for six years, composing, designing stage shows, giving interviews. I feel recognized. This is more difficult for others.”
Certainly a fair point: it’s easy to understand why a) not having any creative input into a band would be frustrating, and b) doubly-so when your identity isn’t even known. From the other side of it, though, there’s no reason for Forge to do it any other way: there will surely always be plenty of capable musicians lining up to take a vacant job in Ghost. And it’s widely been speculated that the men and women under the masks weren’t permanent members.
As for who those ten members were… hopefully more decide to take the Persner route and reveal themselves! If for no other reason than simply that it’s fascinating.
[via Loudwire]
