IMPERIOUS

GHOST HAVE JUST RELEASED THEIR NEW ALBUM IMPERA', AND IT IS NOTHING SHORT OF SENSATIONAL. A DENSE, DRAMATIC AND DECADENT LOOK AT THE IMPERIAL EMPIRE, AND THE HEROES AND VILLAINS THAT INHABITED IT, THROUGH TOBIAS FORGE'S UNIQUE AND UNDENIABLE LENS, IT'S A COLLECTION OF SONGS THAT NOT ONLY CEMENTS GHOST AS ONE OF METAL'S MOST FASCINATING AND FANTASTICAL ASSETS, BUT ALSO AN ALBUM FOR THE AGES. ONE THAT DESERVES TO BE PLAYED LOUD, PROUD AND AS FREQUENTLY AS POSSIBLE. AHEAD OF THEIR UK TOUR, WE HAD A SIT DOWN WITH TOBIAS TO TALK ABOUT THE RECORD'S INCEPTION, WHETHER THE EVENTS OF THE MODERN-DAY HAVE AFFECTED HIS VIEW OF THE SONGS, AND WHERE THEY ULTIMATELY FIT INTO GHOST'S LIVE SHOW...

- JACK ROGERS

How does it feel to be at this point with Ghost where you have a new album out in the world, but you can also get back to what you love the most, which is touring?

"It feels incredible, to be honest. We are just trying to rock. That's what we do. And being back on tour, this one we have just done in America specifically, is extraordinary. But even up to the day of it kicking off, we were still in the position of, 'We may not be able to do this'. It felt like there were too many roadblocks. We left a trail of people as we went, crew testing positive to COVID and having to stay in hotels at the very beginning. But as the tour progressed, those numbers went down to just about nothing. That allowed us to get the shows back to the level we wanted them to be. It feels like Spring is in the air now! And with the album out, it feels really nice."

In terms of the stories you tell and the commentary you deliver on this album, was this always a part of the long-term journey of Ghost, or is it something that built itself around the times that we found ourselves in?