GHOST WON'T BE CAUGHT DEAD WITHOUT COSTUMES
Vice: Why are you so secretive about your identities?
Nameless ghoul: We want people to regard Ghost as something more than just a rock or metal band. We’re somewhere in the twilight zone between rock’n’roll and theatre.
Maybe it’s easier to perform behind a mask?
Sure, it gets a lot easier to get into character that way. As opposed to what some people have suggested, we do not suffer from stage fright and we are not ashamed of what we’re doing. We’re simply dressing up for the experience, to become more intense, for us as performers and for the audience, and because the sect demands it, of course.
Is your image worth all the extra effort? Wouldn’t it be nice to just be able to be yourselves?
If our intentions were to get laid, sure, but that’s not the case.
Isn’t wearing Vatican robes when you’re a black metal band a bit of a contradiction?
Not really, everybody associates the Vatican with power and holiness, as something to fear. If a Christian pope can scare you, then what about a satanic pope? We were sent by the devil to collect souls through popular music.
Is your image some kind of retribution or gag on the Christian metalheads trying to convert the metal scene by playing BM?
Actually, we stole our look from Zlad’s video “I Am The Anti-Pope”.
Zlad are incredible. Those new robes we checked out at the tailor’s earlier all have individual signs. Is it to give us a wink about the true identities of the members?
No, we were simply given these symbols by the elders of our cult. We do whatever our sect demands of us. That is our purpose.
The elders of your cult? So it’s not just the members of Ghost involved in the sect?
No, it is a huge worldwide movement, with members from different layers of society collectively working for the end of the world as we know it.
OK... Don’t you think you come off as a bit pretentious with all these costumes and props?
There’s nothing more pretentious than deliberately trying not to be. The music press loves bands that sound and act like they accidentally woke up in a rehearsal room with a record deal. Like, “They don’t even want to become stars— and that is why we want them to be”. Is that not the result of pretentiousness?
It depends on how you look at it.
The metal scene has always been about who has the biggest cock, whereas the indie scene is competing about who has the smallest. You could say we’re a metal band claiming to have really small dicks or that we’re an indie rock band with enormous, throbbing poles. Either way, YES, we are pretentious as hell.
Another revolutionary thing about you is how the Swedish Radio P3 put you—a BM band—on high rotation.
Really? We were not aware of that, we don’t listen to the radio much. As you can imagine, we’re very busy with our sect when we’re not doing stuff with Ghost. Within our cult there are many mundane chores that fill a purpose, like hysteric consumption and being individualistic egoists with self- flattering aspirations.
Right. How do you feel about Swedish metalheads getting all wound up about how hyped Ghost has become?
We’ve been extremely clear about our commercial aspiration from the get-go, we’re here to take over. All the money we make is put back into the show, on costumes and props. So if people think we’re sell-outs, they’re being ridiculous. We’re on Rise Above Records for crying out loud, the most honest independent label in the world.
I guess your audience is the most jealous and discrediting type of crowds. There are also discussions about where you’ve drawn your influences from.
Most die-hard metal fans would probably convulse if they knew our ghost-writer’s influences. For example, if you’d listen to a Gyllene Tider record from 1980 and a Hanoi Rocks record from the same year, you’d be surprised by how similar they sound. You can argue that one of the bands has soul and so on, but sound and energy-wise, they’re basically the same. It’s funny what a difference the packaging makes. People might take offence if they knew we’re more influenced by the Beach Boys than Witchfinder General.
But everybody likes the Beach Boys!
Exactly.
Ghost’s album Opus Eponymous is out now on Rise Above Records.
TEXT & PHOTOS BY KRISTIAN BENGTSSON
Spirit of Quorthon
April 05, 2011 01:57pm
WRONG! I HATE THE BEACH BOYS. GHOST rule though
lemonly
April 05, 2011 08:25pm
this is the most ridonkulous outfit i have ever seen. he looks like the lovechild of slayer, the KKK and the pope.
Bud
April 05, 2011 09:22pm
How is it they're not being sued by the Japanese band (or maybe they are?) who have recorded under the name Ghost for the past two decades? I'm annoyed by that enough to never bother listening to this band. Yeah, I'm that petty...
Dave
April 05, 2011 09:42pm
Not black metal...
JunkFoodGhoul
April 06, 2011 07:12am
band sucks
Okay okay
April 06, 2011 04:36pm
First off, this IS black metal - albeit FIRST WAVE of. Secondly, so fucking WHAT if there is a band calld Ghost in Japan? There are many more Ghosts too, you retard. Third, this band kills, get over it. May your soul burn in hell for the allegations made against a group of namless ghouls etc.
zipperz
April 06, 2011 07:46pm
Lots of respect for this quote: "There’s nothing more pretentious than deliberately trying not to be. The music press loves bands that sound and act like they accidentally woke up in a rehearsal room with a record deal. Like, “They don’t even want to become stars— and that is why we want them to be”. Is that not the result of pretentiousness?" And minus tons of respect for this quote: "I guess your audience is the most jealous and discrediting type of crowds." because that honor goes to American suburban nihilists.
Gunslinger
April 06, 2011 08:45pm
This band is awful.. he fails to mention that his band is a total ripp off of Mercyful fate... and that this whole character thing was already done by the KING himself... get over yourself "Ghost" .. you gonna be caught slipping with out your makeup on and then what are you gonna say?? SHIT... aint gonna say SHIT... just go on stage and take off that silly make up and play your damn music...
Gunslinger
April 06, 2011 08:45pm
This band is awful.. he fails to mention that his band is a total ripp off of Mercyful fate... and that this whole character thing was already done by the KING himself... get over yourself "Ghost" .. you gonna be caught slipping with out your makeup on and then what are you gonna say?? SHIT... aint gonna say SHIT... just go on stage and take off that silly make up and play your damn music...
Foreskin
April 06, 2011 08:50pm
What a shitty band.. sad vice.. sad
Von Schlegel
April 07, 2011 01:52pm
"How is it they're not being sued by the Japanese band" The same way there are about 14 different bands called "Disgorge." I suppose it's more common in death metal and some black metal that there are sometimes a ton of bands with the same names. Most bands are quite poor, so they can't go around suing every jackass in another country for having the same name. Band rules, fools can't appreciate.
Putridity
April 07, 2011 03:09pm
I fucking hate it when Vice tries to comment on black metal... It makes me laugh every time I see these hipster faggots commenting on a movement they clearly know nothing about. Credit where credit's due, I do enjoy their articles, but come the fuck on "Black metal has become stale." Where do they come off claiming somethign like that?! Perhaps if you've exhausted the local record stores "Extreme Metal" bin you'd be sick of what you've heard, but for fuck sake, we're in a time now seeing the dawn of the "tr00" 3rd wave. Shitty (read:amazing) bands like Evisc, Wormgod, Wolfshade - all bringing out new shit that's more dank than the 2nd wave could have predicted. Think before you write, Vice. Oh, and the doco on Gaahl was so bad that it was actually embarrassing to watch, I actually felt sorry for the poor guy who was clearly being interviewed by a bunch of cocksmokers who'd maybe heard a few kvlt albums and went with it.
@ PUTRIDITY et al
April 07, 2011 07:19pm
Let's clear upa few things here. This is Vice Style, their fashion site, not a music site, so take your opinions about black metal elsewhere. Next up, this IS black metal. FACT. Black metal is an overly stale genre due to how easy it is to replicate the gods of the second wave of black metal. There is no supposed thrd wave either, yes, its been heralded for many years, but it is no different to in 93. Stick on some 'trve' corpse paint, turn your gain up to 'kvlt' and you have what 10000 othe rbands do. As for their already being a band called Ghost, come on, don't show your retardedness on an open forum please, and all hail the ghouls at the chapel of ritual...
Putridity
April 08, 2011 05:55am
I wasn't saying that there weren't heaps of clone bands out there, all I was saying that there is enough of a stylistic revolution within the UG black metal/ depressive black metal scene that it's not stale at all. By your logic, there's no precious metals left on earth seeing as it's so easy to go out side and pick up a worthless rock.
Jones
April 09, 2011 12:27am
Jones
April 09, 2011 12:53am
Seems this band is target for anxious allegations powered by people who at all costs need sort out whether or not Ghost are a true and original type of orchestra, and more so - to point out every little possible stolen imagery, influence etc. Who fucking needs to care of what kind of thoughts and affection those behind Ghost might have had throughout the years? What a load of shit: at first appearance Ghost drew BM and HM fans alike to concerts. Then came the hype; seems all those true BM and HM fans suddenly stopped listening to the music and, very much like the anxious little item-collecting hamsters they are, started to take serious notion of who else listened to this band, what those people might have had for breakfast and if that black t-shirt worn by the guy in the ghost-merch line before you is really black or just dark blue(?) as if the band's music and imagery was in fact altered with the hype. All in all - come a hype and you'll see the true metal over-patched hordes losing their balance and, as always, leaving their now guilty pleasure tunes behind. Staying underground for the sake of it. Consumers at worst. Fooled. Get some fuckin self esteem instead the latest Black super death poster.
evlwomn
April 09, 2011 07:48am
Ghost. Black metal vs. Heavy metal. Mercyful fate vs. Blue Oyster Cult. It is what it is...haunting, dark, evil, sexy...awesome.
Cronos
April 13, 2011 04:19pm
Black metal was 'invented' by Venom, do they sound anyhting like the fucking lame-asses wandering around forests with rented spears and leather capes with make up on in Estonia? No, and neither do Ghost, but they are more black metal than any of your corpse painted Warcraft fans
n8r
May 13, 2011 05:37pm
I think that the Japanese and Swedish Ghost's are differentiated by capitalization. Thus, Ghost from Japan is spelled like the common noun, whereas GHOST from Sweden is capitalized, as if to suggest it's an acronym.
vlzvl
July 19, 2011 07:31am
come on, there is so much "black" in this band(?) than 10 deicide like bands. Whatelse you think black is? black lyrics, not "grrrowwls", go dig immortal and all those loljesus bands. This band has ..something, like the KISS's bone, anyone that denies that is hypocrite. What do you fear? big, bloody horns in your head after you hear this album?
Theburred2
August 11, 2011 06:17pm
I could listen to him sing forever :) Perfecto.
nikki necrophiliac
January 20, 2012 11:50am
This isn't BM, this is melodic heavy metal with satanic lyrics or some shit. Which is fucking amazin
Sathanas
January 24, 2012 10:39pm
Ghost rules. They are far from Black Metal. IMO they are a mixture of Blue Oyster Cult meets the Beach Boys and a touch of Mercyful Fate. I saw them live a few days ago and they killed. I cant wait for album number 2 which should be out soon!