Ghost may be in the middle of a massive world tour, but when it comes to what’s next, Tobias Forge is embracing uncertainty.
In a new interview with Adam Wallis of Canada’s Global News, the Ghost mastermind shut down speculation about a forthcoming EP — a release format the band has historically revisited between full-length albums — while also doubling down on the band’s controversial no-phones policy currently in place on the Skeletour.
Asked whether Ghost had plans to record a new EP, Forge was direct. “No. As of right now, there is no EP coming,” he said. “Besides the [North American leg of Skeletour] tour that we’re doing now, we have nothing else planned. So the future is right now very open.”
That openness extends creatively, even if it doesn’t point clearly toward a new Ghost release just yet. “Creatively, I have a lot to do. I’m actually recording currently,” Forge revealed. “But it’s not a covers EP and it’s not a new Ghost record. So, I actually do not know exactly what and when anything will happen. And that’s a good thing.”
After more than a decade of relentless momentum, he says Ghost has rarely stopped to breathe… and they really should. “For 15 years now we’ve been going at it nonstop, where cycles have basically just sort of been stitched together,” he explained. “Every time we’ve ended an album cycle, I’ve walked off stage knowing that Monday morning I will be in the studio and our next show is there.”
That constant forward motion eventually led to a reassessment. “I’ve come to a point where I’m just, like… I still have ideas, I still have dreams, I still have things that I think we have not achieved — definitely the wish list is still there — but that’s gonna be at some other point.”
Forge also revisited one of the most talked-about aspects of the current tour: Ghost‘s strict no-phones policy, which requires fans to place their devices into Yondr pouches that remain locked throughout the show.
While he expected backlash, Forge says the reality has been overwhelmingly positive. “We knew beforehand that there was gonna be chatter,” he admitted. “There were gonna be discussions, pushback, mixed emotions about it. And I believe — still now 50 plus shows in — that we did the exact right thing.”
“I absolutely believe that it was the right call,” he continued. “The people that have showed up, with a few exceptions, have been overwhelmingly positive.”
The scale and ambition of the tour also played a role in shaping those restrictions. Forge noted that the production’s size forced Ghost to skip festivals and certain territories altogether. “The production that we’re doing is big and it’s heavy. It’s hard to maneuver,” he said. “There were places on the planet that we simply couldn’t get to.”
But for Forge, that tradeoff was worth it. “It was very important that with these restrictions — that is the Yondr world where people get to actually enjoy the show and get to experience something cool — it’s important that we bring the entire thing,” he explained. “If we can’t do the whole thing, we can’t mask it as the Skeletour.”
Looking ahead, Forge says everything beyond the current run remains undefined. “As of right now, I only know that we’re doing this tour, and after that it’s a big, big, big question mark.”
What is clear is how much the phone-free environment has changed his relationship with the stage. “I think that that is the best thing that has ever happened,” Forge said. “The shows are so enjoyable for everybody, and I love being on stage when I can actually connect with the crowd.”
The challenge, he admits, is reconciling that philosophy with the realities of touring. “I don’t wanna ever go back,” he said. “But, as I said, then I have to value in which forums we’re playing in the future.”
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