Ghost haters, keep on hating - Tobias Forge says it's "actually a good thing"

(Image credit: Travis Shinn)

Ghost frontman Tobias Forge has reiterated his stance on the band's inexplicably vocal online critics, noting that the furore raised by certain corners of the Metal Internet any time Ghost are brought up is "actually a good thing" for the band's progress.

Speaking to Elliot In The Morning (as transcribed by Blabbermouth), Forge is asked whether he gets angry at people trying to work out what 'area' his band belong in (some, of course, stubbornly suggest Ghost don't belong in metal at all).

"No, definitely not angry," he responds. "That is not my problem, really. I don't have a problem with people having a problem with it.

"If I wanna be the most super-positive person ever and just see everything from a half-full perspective," he adds, "it's, like, a lot of… Most things today [are] measured by activity — Spotify activity, online activity, whatever — as opposed to 30 years ago when it was sales; one record sold was one unit and that was counted. But nowadays, everything is about content and activity."

Forge goes on to acknowledge Ghost's 'haters', noting that if people are talking about his band, whether positively or negatively, it only adds to the hype.

"One thing that people — especially those who aren't really chatting about how good they think we are but how bad they think we are, that adds to the activity. So it's actually a good thing. [Laughs] So keep on talking. It's all good. It's all fun."

Ghost released critically acclaimed fifth album Impera earlier this year, and are currently touring North America with Mastodon and Spiritbox.

Merlin was promoted to Executive Editor of Louder in early 2022, following over ten years working at Metal Hammer. While there, he served as Online Editor and Deputy Editor, before being promoted to Editor in 2016. Before joining Metal Hammer, Merlin worked as Associate Editor at Terrorizer Magazine and has written for Classic Rock, Rock Sound, eFestivals and others. Across his career he has interviewed legends including Ozzy Osbourne, Lemmy, Metallica, Iron Maiden (including getting a trip on Ed Force One courtesy of Bruce Dickinson), Guns N' Roses, KISS, Slipknot, System Of A Down and Meat Loaf. He has also presented and produced the Metal Hammer Podcast, presented the Metal Hammer Radio Show and is probably responsible for 90% of all nu metal-related content making it onto the site.