Swedish rockers Ghost are set to release their fifth album, “Impera,” on March 11. In a new interview with Kerrang! magazine, frontman Tobias Forge said the band’s new yet-to-be-released song, “Grift Wood,” takes aim at former U.S. vice president Mike Pence. “That song’s about him and anyone like him who’s willing to soil everything they’ve worked for,” Forge said. “They definitely qualify for a front-row ticket to Hell. Which is so ironic, because that’s what they believe in. (People like that) completely demean themselves, and just eat sh*t out of someone’s *ss in order to achieve whatever they’re trying to achieve.”
Forge said Pence stands as a symbol for people of all times, but his message is hypocritical. “He’s known as this sort of Bible thumper, believing that he has strong faith, and he’s just this awful, awful person in any way. He tries to tell the world that he serves God, that he’s part of the good side. Whereas at the end of the day, the only thing he wants is power. But it doesn’t have to necessarily be all about him. It’s about people like him: a lot of politicians, lot of preachers, a lot of clergymen throughout the history of time.”
Forge said Ghost’s religious imagery is rooted in his childhood. “As a very imaginative kid and grown-up, I just have a natural sort of gravity towards history and religion and stories. The same way that I’m interested in ‘Star Wars’, I found The Bible compelling. My mom is and has always been very interested in art, so where she has never really been religious, she is extremely liberal, and there was no censorship at home in terms of culture … She always used to work in art, and she was always very keen on taking me to church — not for mass, but for art. She was interested in the artifacts. I think it’s from spending a lot of time in cathedrals and churches.”
Ghost recently released a video for the record’s latest single, “Call Me Little Sunshine.” In March of 2020, Ghost introduced Papa Emeritus IV, the character that fronts the band for “Impera.” Forge performed as a new Papa Emeritus on each of Ghost’s first three albums. The 12-song album was produced by Klas Åhlund and mixed by Andy Wallace, and Ghost heads out on a U.S. arena tour with Volbeat from late January to early March.
