Ghost‘s Tobias Forge recently spoke to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch about the songwriting process for the band’s new album Impera.
“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,” Forge says. “And I am a dictator and control freak. But I can work with people.”
For the band’s fifth album, they’re working with producer Klas Åhlund and Swedish co-writers Salem Al Fakir and Vincent Pontare. Forge also brought in Opeth‘s Fredrik Åkesson for guitar. About the collaborations, Forge says, “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.”
Ghost’s album Impera is set for release on March 11 via Loma Vista/Concord. Impera follows 2018’s Prequelle. The band also kicked off their co-headlining tour with Volbeat on Jan. 25 at the Reno Events Center in Reno, Nevada. The tour will conclude March 3 in Anaheim, California.
