Five Predictions for Ghost’s Next Album
When I interviewed Ghost’s Tobias Forge this past January for the recent Metal Hammer cover feature, one of the many bombs that he dropped was that he already knew what his band’s next album — their sixth — would be about and even what colour scheme he envisioned for it. A stunning revelation at first blush, but upon further consideration, it made perfect sense. Forge is, after all, a bona fide mastermind at what he does — conceiving and composing exhilarating hard rock albums that weave together not only multiple musical genres but that synthesize an array of visual and theatrical elements as well.
Impera, Ghost’s fifth and latest album, is arguably the band’s finest work yet; no small feat, considering the riff-powered majesty and stirring emotional depth of 2018’s Prequelle. As critics and fans continue to absorb the luscious intricacies of Impera, I thought it might be fun to look ahead and to predict what we might expect with album number six.
Factoring in a two-year album cycle, and considering that Forge already has some musical and thematic ideas percolating, I’d estimate that Ghost will release their sixth album in late-2024, but no later than spring, 2025. I’m leaning toward the earlier side of the scale. That said, here are my predictions for the next Ghost album:
Odds: 500:1
Album Title: Victorium
Theme: The Crusades
Inherent in every Ghost album is the idea of conflict, both physical and ideological. Taking place roughly between 1100 and 1300, the Crusades were a series of hyper-violent religious wars initiated by the Roman Church, with its pope playing the divine shot-caller. Apart from the whole “We’ll Torture And Kill You If You Don’t Believe In The Eternal Love of Jesus Christ” thing, the Crusades were nothing more than a craven grab for land, money and power. The net result was that millions of people died and entire political systems were dismantled and realigned. What better concept for a Ghost album? Violence and politics always make good music. Throw in Forge’s withering view of organised religion and this concept offers endless deltas of inspiration. Bonus for unveiling a Medieval Age Papa Emeritus.
Odds: 300:1
Album Title: Nativitas
Theme: The Dawn of Man
The track Twenties, on Impera, is about a maniacal jungle cult leader — with some decidedly overt parallels to the United States’ citrus-coiffed 45th President — who rails against science, education and the social mores of society. With its symphonic grandeur and highly-dramatic lyrics, it’s easy to conceive an entire album expanding on this vibe. Nativitas (“Birth”), would concern the Dawn of Man both from a Biblical perspective and from a scientific perspective. Think about it — you’ve got a fascinating company of characters like Adam, Eve, the Snake, Satan, Cain, Abel and of course, God. There’s theology, sex, murder and temptation all with just the first four people! Throw in the first fish to slither out of the ocean, turning the entire Old Testament over on its head, and you’ve got a dynamic theme for a killer album with heavy Broadway overtones.
Odds: 150:1
Album Title: Libertas
Theme: The Seventies
There’s a great saying that goes something like, “Punks are good people who pretend to be bad and hippies are bad people who pretend to be good.” This album would centre around the latter half of that wonderful sentiment. Forge’s absolute mastery of Seventies hard rock, a la Blue Öyster Cult ,is uncontested, but that decade also gave us some of Broadway’s most enduring musicals, such as Jesus Christ Superstar, Chicago, Hair and The Wiz. Factor in the growing social unrest and paranoia in the wake of the Watergate scandal, the Vietnam War and the IRA’s violent stronghold over Britain and there’s no shortage of fodder for a dark and emotionally-wrought concept album. Sonically, this might be the least ambitious of the concepts, considering that Forge has already explored late-Seventies AOR so expansively but were he to push the sound further into the realm of showtunes, it could be an utter smash.
Odds: 50:1
Album Title: Bellum
Theme: World War II
The grim ravages of the Great War have been exhaustively mined by metal bands throughout the decades. From the historical intricacies of Sabaton to the sweat-drenched mayhem of Slayer, all the way through to the cartoonish Nazi vampires of Stuka Squadron, WWII has offered a reliable source of inspiration for those inclined to singing about violence, destruction and the depravity of man. But what about a sprawling rock opera that placed Papa Emeritus front and centre, examining the dubious role of the Vatican during that war? Though it overtly adopted a position of neutrality, recently-unsealed archives have suggested that Pope Pius XII knew about the holocaust as early as 1942 and yet remained silent. The hypocrisy of religious and political power brokers has long drawn Forge’s ire and this aspect alone could yield some truly massive hits. And obviously, the atrocities of war and the erosion of faith in humanity fall squarely in Ghost’s creative remit. Too obvious a choice? Nope - count on Forge to come up with a vital and provocative new perspective on an age-old subject.
Odds: 10:1
Album Title: Cupiditas
Theme: The 80s
When Forge first told me that he already had the concept and colour scheme figured out for the next Ghost album, I immediately thought, This is the one. He’s already sprinkled a breadcrumb path across the last couple of albums, from the synth-powered bliss of Miasma to the multiple hair metal references throughout Impera, Tobias Forge is a child of the 80s and it is there where his most fiery passions foment. I think the biggest draw for this one is that this theme would involve a fairly dramatic step forward from Ghost’s past couple of albums, and Forge is the type of innovator who stridently seeks to push himself creatively and to confound the expectations aof others. Plus, the 80s come with their own colour scheme! Think about the neon pink and futuristic blues of Miami Vice and all of the other day glo colours that dominated that decade. The title is of course a play on Gordon Gekko’s infamous line from 1987’s Wall Street, where he says, “Greed is good.” It’s just the sort of corrosive societal view that Forge would love to skewer in ten different ways. Expect this one. It will be full of disco-drenched synth rock, some massive glam metal anthems and elaborate choral compositions that would see the album easily translated to a full-blown West End show.
I had some other ideas but I think these are the most likely. Odds that one of these is correct? 70:1.
