Ghost frontman Tobias Forge has spoken about his unreleased solo album Passiflora, which leaked earlier this year.
Forge – best known for his work as a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist in Ghost, as well as for his masked appearances as the band’s various “Papa” frontmen – recorded his solo effort in 2008, two years before his now-band’s debut. However, it went unreleased and became a highly sought-after collector’s item, to the point a bootleg on Discogs sold for $5,434 (£4,210).
Now, two months after Passiflora leaked onto YouTube, Forge explains why he shelved its release in a new interview with Chaoszine.
“I remember that when I wrote the songs and I had recorded them, I was a little bit irritated that I had not written them in a key that was ideal for my singing,” he says (via Blabbermouth). “It’s amateur mistakes. There are some songs on Opus [Ghost’s debut album Opus Eponymous] that are like that. I should have written them in another key. I should have detuned them to more fully… And it’s not too late; I can do that.”
He continues: “I think Passiflora was definitely… it’s a super-ambitious record. I was so filled with emotions and creativity. I had a real vision for that record. I had a real vision for that band. It literally really didn't go anywhere. So when that happens… If you write a love letter and that just disappears into the void, you would just try to distance yourself from it as soon as possible and, and that's what I felt.”
Ghost will release their sixth studio album Skeletá via Loma Vista on April 25. The lead single Satanized is currently streaming. The band will start a six-month world tour to promote the record in Manchester, UK, on April 15. The gig will mark the debut of Ghost’s ‘new’ frontman, Papa V Perpetua.
Ghost are the cover stars on the new issue of Metal Hammer. In an extensive interview about Skeletá, Forge admits that he doesn’t know much about Papa V Perpetua yet, and that it will take playing live for the character’s personality to emerge.
“I’ve always felt that it was a scary thing,” he said. “On one hand, I’m trying to make the ‘product’ that is Ghost an entertaining thing for our fans. On the other, I try to do that as pleasantly as is possible for myself as well.
“When I decided to introduce Cardinal Copia into the mix [for 2018 album Prequelle], it felt very uncomfortable because he was going to be thrown out there as someone who hadn’t become [a Papa Emeritus] yet: ‘Wow, this is going to be a little different.’ But what I did know was that I didn’t have to go through the process of introducing a new character for the next album. Now, I do!”
The new Hammer is currently sold-out online, but is stocked in the UK in WH Smith, Tesco and more. The Louder webstore also has an exclusive bundle that includes a version of the latest Hammer with a cover you can’t get anywhere else, plus a vinyl variant of Skeletá unavailable in the shops.
