Ghost (opens in new tab) vocalist Tobias Forge has given an indication of what we can expect from the band’s next studio album.
He reported in February that work had already begun work on the follow-up to 2018’s Prequelle (opens in new tab), telling Billboard that he had “tons of bits and pieces” written.
Now, in a new interview with Revolver (opens in new tab), Forge says that Prequelle was “a little ballad heavy” and wants their fifth album to lean more towards 2015’s Meliora (opens in new tab).
Forge says: “I want to make a different record from Prequelle (opens in new tab). I want it to feel different. If I dare to say heavier, people think that it's going to be Mercyful Fate all the way – but I definitely have a darker, heavier record in mind.”
But he cautions: “I have always pushed myself to write the songs that we don't have instead of going back. It maybe would've been a smart move to just try to replicate Opus Eponymous.
“I can regurgitate. I grew up with metal. It's in my DNA, so I can formulate death-metal lyrics easily. But I try not to repeat myself on that.
“I like to make the Metallica (opens in new tab) comparison – where Kill 'Em All is a little bit more crude, on Ride The Lightning they started writing about more real things. It had more depth.
He adds: “I’m not going change everything and just talk about politics, but I believe that if you have people's attention, you have responsibility to weigh with your words a little. Sometimes that's hard. I find that harder than the musical challenges.”
Ghost are currently on tour with Metallica across Europe (opens in new tab).
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