Don’t Worry, Ghost Haters — Tobias Forge Says There’s an End to This “Endless Soap Opera”

For many Ghost fans, one of the fun parts about the band (aside from the music, obviously) is the “lore” that surrounds Papa Emeritus and the Ghouls. Remember, there was once a time when people didn’t know that Tobias Forge was the man behind the mask, so there was all this mystique and fun infused in the band.

Now that the veil’s been lifted for the last few years, there are parts of Ghost that feel almost like a soap opera or WWE storyline. We all know it’s fake, of course, but for many Ghost fans, the stories of Papa, Sister Imperator, Mr. Psaltarian, Papa Nihil, and the others are part and parcel of the whole thing. And while it’s been fun, Tobias Forge admitted in a recent interview with NME that there’s an end point to all the extra stuff.

“I think that there might be an end to the storytelling because it’s not productive to have this endless soap opera. If fans need the lore in order to like the band, then that element will probably be over quite soon.

“If there is a way where the music can be enough and remains enjoyable, though, I am just as needy as any other artist in the sense of milestones that I want to achieve. There are still places that I want to play and still things I want to do that will be another feather in my hat. I am very lucky that I’ve been able to achieve many of those things, but there are still levels of success that I want.”

Though there will always be religious zealots that see Ghost’s image and think it’s evil or bad for kids or whatever, Forge said the band’s more a celebration of the good in life.

“I can’t really make a profile description of who he is just yet, [but with Ghost] we have our real band story, and then we have our lore. The lore serves as a humoristic commentary, but it also follows the subjects presented on the records. As opposed to the public misunderstanding that it is all about Satan, it’s actually all about being alive. It’s a very simple but hugely broad concept… I think the characters are just searching for a sense of purpose.”

Skeletá will be released on April 25 via Loma Vista Recordings, but you can pre-order or pre-save your copy today. Ghost will also be heading out on tour next month for the ‘Skeletour World Tour’. You can find the dates for that below.

SKELETOUR WORLD TOUR 2025

04/15/25 – Manchester, UK – AO Arena
04/16/25 – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro
04/19/25 – London, UK – The O2
04/20/25 – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena
04/22/25 – Antwerp, BE – Sportpaleis
04/23/25 – Frankfurt, DE – Festhalle Frankfurt
04/24/25 – Munich, DE – Olympiahalle
04/26/25 – Lyon, FR – LDLC Arena
04/27/25 – Toulouse, FR – Zénith Toulouse Métropole
04/29/25 – Lisbon, PT – MEO Arena
04/30/25 – Madrid, ES – Palacio Vistalegre
05/03/25 – Zürich, CH – Hallenstadion Zürich
05/04/25 – Milan, IT – Unipol Forum
05/07/25 – Berlin, DE – Uber Arena
05/08/25 – Amsterdam, NL – Ziggo Dome
05/10/25 – Lodz, PL – Atlas Arena
05/11/25 – Prague, CZ – O2 Arena
05/13/25 – Paris, FR – Accor Arena
05/14/25 – Oberhausen, DE – Rudolf Weber-ARENA
05/15/25 – Hannover, DE – ZAG Arena
05/17/25 – Copenhagen, DK – Royal Arena
05/20/25 – Tampere, FI – Nokia Arena
05/22/25 – Linköping, SE – Saab Arena
05/23/25 – Sandviken, SE – Göransson Arena
05/24/25 – Oslo, NO – Oslo Spektrum
07/05/25 – Birmingham, UK – Back to the Beginning
07/09/25 – Baltimore, MD – CFG Bank Arena
07/11/25 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena
07/12/25 – Tampa, FL – Amalie Arena
07/13/25 – Miami, FL – Kaseya Center
07/15/25 – Raleigh, NC – Lenovo Center
07/17/25 – Cleveland, OH – Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
07/18/25 – Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena
07/19/25 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
07/21/25 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
07/22/25 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
07/24/25 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
07/25/25 – Louisville, KY – KFC Yum! Center
07/26/25 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
07/28/25 – Grand Rapids, MI – Van Andel Arena
07/29/25 – Milwaukee, WI – Fiserv Forum
07/30/25 – St. Louis, MO – Enterprise Center
08/01/25 – Rosemont, IL – Allstate Arena
08/02/25 – Saint Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center
08/03/25 – Omaha, NE – CHI Health Center
08/05/25 – Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center
08/07/25 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena
08/09/25 – Las Vegas, NV – MGM Grand Garden Arena
08/10/25 – San Diego, CA – Viejas Arena
08/11/25 – Phoenix, AZ – Footprint Center
08/14/25 – Austin, TX – Moody Center
08/15/25 – Fort Worth, TX – Dickies Arena
08/16/25 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center
09/24/25 – Mexico City, MX – Palacio de los Deportes
09/25/25 – Mexico City, MX – Palacio de los Deportes

SKELETÁ Track List

1. Peacefield
2. Lachryma
3. Satanized
4. Guiding Lights
5. De Profundis Borealis
6. Cenotaph
7. Missilia Amori
8. Marks Of The Evil One
9. Umbra
10. Excelsis