Whenever we post a story about Ghost or Tobias Forge, you can almost bet your house on the idea that some try hard metal elitists will snobbishly exclaim how the band actually isn’t metal. Or they’ll talk about how bad they think they are, even though they’re wrong. Without fail, I bet someone will do the same on this post too.
But here’s the thing. Much like the old adage that “there’s no such thing as bad publicity,” Forge said during an interview with Elliot in the Morning (as transcribed by Blabbermouth) that he “doesn’t have a problem with people having a problem” with the band.
“If I wanna be the most super-positive person ever and just see everything from a half-full perspective, it’s, like, a lot of… Most things today [are] measured by activity — Spotify activity, online activity, whatever — as opposed to 30 years ago when it was sales; one record sold was one unit and that was counted. But nowadays everything is about content and activity.
“One thing that people — especially those who aren’t really chatting about how good they think we are but how bad they think we are, that adds to the activity. So it’s actually a good thing. [Laughs] So keep on talking. It’s all good. It’s all fun.”
That’s right. All of your snarky comments and online complaints about how Ghost sounds like Scooby Doo music or it’s not really metal ultimately benefits the band. It’s called online engagement, baby. Doesn’t really matter what’s said in our post-truth reality — it’s all about the mighty clicks and pageviews. Eyeballs on your content.
And honestly, who can fault Forge for his logic. Impera came out to rave reviews, “Mary on a Cross” has seen a resurgence thanks to TikTok, and Ghost is nearing the end of their tour with Mastodon and Spiritbox.
So go on and hate. You’re only helping their cause.
You can still catch Ghost on tour with Mastodon and Spiritbox. Tickets are on sale via the band’s online portal.
Mon Sep 19 – Saginaw, MI – Dow Event Center
Tue Sep 20 – Youngstown, OH – Covelli Centre
Wed Sep 21 – Peoria, IL – Peoria Civic Center Arena
Fri Sep 23 – Green Bay, WI – Resch Center**
**Ghost, Spiritbox and special guest Carcass