GHOST’s TOBIAS FORGE Admits He’s A ‘Dictator’ And ‘Control Freak’, But Claims He ‘Can Work With People’

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Swedish occult rockers GHOST will release their fifth album, "Impera", on March 11 via Loma Vista/Concord. The band's leader, Tobias Forge, worked on the follow-up to 2018's "Prequelle" with producer Klas Åhlund and Swedish co-writers Salem Al Fakir and Vincent Pontare, whose credits include Madonna and Lady Gaga. Forge discussed the "Impera" songwriting process in a new interview with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He said: "In every band I've ever had, every song I've ever written, I was always called a dictator, a control freak who couldn't work with anyone else. And I am a dictator and control freak. But I can work with people." Regarding his collaboration with Åhlund, Al Fakir and Pontare, as well as OPETH's Fredrik Åkesson who was brought in to sharpen the album's guitar attack, Forge said: "I found that I can work really well with someone I respect, who is always pushing for the best. They make me want to write better, to get my game up a little." Back in 2017, Forge was sued by four former members of the band after being dismissed by the group's founder the previous December. They accused the singer of cheating them out of their rightful share of the profits from the band's album releases and world tours. The lawsuit was filed in the district court of Linköping, Sweden, where GHOST was originally based. It claimed that a partnership agreement existed between Forge and the four former members, all of whom performed anonymously in the band as Nameless Ghouls. As a result of the lawsuit, Forge was forced to reveal his identity after years of performing in a mask as Papa Emeritus. He has maintained that "no legal partnership" ever existed between him and the other members. GHOST kicked off its co-headlining tour with VOLBEAT on January 25 at the Reno Events Center in Reno, Nevada. The 26-date trek, which includes special guests TWIN TEMPLE, will conclude on March 3 in Anaheim, California. The official music video for "Impera"'s latest single, "Call Me Little Sunshine", was lensed by iconic director Matt Mahurin and stars Ruby Modine. In March 2020, at final show of GHOST's "Prequelle" tour in Mexico City, Mexico, the band officially introduced Papa Emeritus IV, the new character who will front the act for its next LP phase. Forge performed as a "new" Papa Emeritus on each of the band's first three LPs, with each version of Papa replacing the one that came before it. Papa Emeritus III was retired in favor of Cardinal Copia before the release of "Prequelle".