Ghost frontman Tobias Forge discussed his early misconceptions about the music industry in an interview with Qobuz.
“Metallica was a huge band for me. And that is when they obviously became this huge band for everyone,” Forge said. “It felt like they were omnipresent, became this huge band for everyone. And all of a sudden, like, kids in school knew who they were and girls liked them.”
“The videos that came out, ‘A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica’ 1 and 2, came out a year after. And I got them for Christmas 1992. And I’ve seen those films 200 times each,” he continued. “As much as ‘Live After Death’ was a sort of a absolutely, it was a film, but it was a record that I could sort of read and make things up how I thought it was. You know, I was interpreting it. Whereas those films, number one, the first part was about making the Black record. So I was like, ‘Okay, so that’s how you make a record.'”
“Little did I know that it was like a crazy expensive record on a band that had all the support in the world and all the momentum in the world,” Forge explained. “But that was like, that’s how you make a record. That’s how you break it, basically. That’s where you start. That’s the starting point.”
“And then in the second part, that’s how they tour. For me, that was like, ‘That’s how you tour!’ That’s how you tour a record. 300 shows. On that level! With that momentum, which you know, you can, you can laugh at,” he added. “But it was funny how I thought of those two films as like, that’s a tutorial. The ABC of how to make it in rock.”
“And have ever since, I had that as sort of in the back. I learned so much from watching them,” Forge concluded. “I knew about things that I knew about things that I shouldn’t have known. And I’m not talking about the dirt stuff in that, but of just routines like ‘Oh, meet and greet.’ ‘Oh, backstage passes.’ ‘Oh, you have to go get backstage passes.'”
The statement reveals Forge’s misconception about using Metallica’s peak-era success as a blueprint for starting a music career. He failed to recognize the exceptional nature of their position in the industry at that time.
His journey with Metallica’s influence began long before Ghost’s formation. Research from Headbangerz Club revealed that Forge’s older brother introduced him to the band’s music during his childhood. This early exposure shaped his future musical aspirations.
The influence extended beyond casual fandom. A report from Blabbermouth highlighted how Metallica’s ‘The Thing That Should Not Be’ inspired Forge for over three decades. This song significantly influenced his musical direction.
Forge eventually carved his own path to success despite his early misunderstandings. Coverage from Ultimate Guitar documented Ghost’s commercial achievements. The band found success by blending heavy metal with theatrical elements, distinguishing themselves from Metallica’s traditional metal approach.
Ghost’s cover of ‘Enter Sandman’ for ‘The Metallica Blacklist’ tribute album marked a significant milestone. This collaboration transformed Forge’s role from an inspired fan to a respected peer in the metal community.
