Ghost have always been direct and deliberate in their music and lyrics. The album Skeletá is something different and alluring. The album speaks to us all.
According to Ghost frontman Tobias Forge in an interview with Rolling Stone UK, the second-to-last track on the record “Umbra” (which hasn’t been released yet) is all about fuckin’. The song was written quite late in the process, compiled and purpose-made for the dramaturgy of the record.
“There was a song that was going to end the record called ‘Excelsis,’ which ended on a bit of a low note that didn’t feel climactic,” he says. “Throughout the various concepts and themes across the record, the one thread is basically hope, and what it’s like being alive, and all these ingredients that make life what it is. One of the most important things, I think, that really speaks to one of our most primordial urges is the idea of connection—mentally, intellectually, soul-wise—and also physical contact and physical explosion together.
“I just wanted there to be a sort of climactic, coital song toward the end—about banging—because at the end of the day, that’s one of the driving forces that has, since day one of human existence, been high on the priority list. It makes most people quite happy, especially the idea of it.
“So, it’s actually quite a positive subject, and it felt like a great end scene, whereas ‘Excelsis,’ which follows, is more like a credit—That’s the song playing in the end credits, if you will. But ‘Umbra’ is like the final fight, the final flight, or the final battle on the record.”
Check out the full interview here:
Preorders for Ghost’s new record Skeletá—due out April 25—are available here. Ghost’s world tour just kicked off on April 15. Tickets are available here.
4/15 Manchester, UK AO Arena
4/16 Glasgow, UK OVO Hydro
4/19 London, UK The O2
4/20 Birmingham, UK Utilita Arena
4/22 Antwerp, BE Sportpaleis
4/23 Frankfurt, DE Festhalle Frankfurt
4/24 Munich, DE Olympiahalle
4/26 Lyon, FR LDLC Arena
4/27 Toulouse, FR Zénith Toulouse Métropole
4/29 Lisbon, PT MEO Arena
4/30 Madrid, ES Palacio Vistalegre
5/3 Zürich, CH Hallenstadion Zürich
5/4 Milan, IT Unipol Forum
5/7 Berlin, DE Uber Arena
5/8 Amsterdam, NL Ziggo Dome
5/10 Lodz, PL Atlas Arena
5/11 Prague, CZ O2 Arena
5/13 Paris, FR Accor Arena
5/14 Oberhausen, DE Rudolf Weber-ARENA
5/15 Hannover, DE ZAG Arena
5/17 Copenhagen, DK Royal Arena
5/20 Tampere, FI Nokia Arena
5/22 Linköping, SE Saab Arena
5/23 Sandviken, SE Göransson Arena
5/24 Oslo, NO Oslo Spektrum
7/9 Baltimore, MD CFG Bank Arena
7/11 Atlanta, GA State Farm Arena
7/12 Tampa, FL Amalie Arena
7/13 Miami, FL Kaseya Center
7/15 Raleigh, NC Lenovo Center
7/17 Cleveland, OH Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
7/18 Pittsburgh, PA PPG Paints Arena
7/19 Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Center
7/21 Boston, MA TD Garden
7/22 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
7/24 Detroit, MI Little Caesars Arena
7/25 Louisville, KY KFC Yum! Center
7/26 Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena
7/28 Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena
7/29 Milwaukee, WI Fiserv Forum
7/30 St. Louis, MO Enterprise Center
8/1 Rosemont, IL Allstate Arena
8/2 Saint Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center
8/3 Omaha, NE CHI Health Center
8/5 Kansas City, MO T-Mobile Center
8/7 Denver, CO Ball Arena
8/9 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden Arena
8/10 San Diego, CA Viejas Arena
8/11 Phoenix, AZ Footprint Center
8/14 Austin, TX Moody Center
8/15 Fort Worth, TX Dickies Arena
8/16 Houston, TX Toyota Center
9/24 Mexico City, MX Palacio de los Deportes
9/25 Mexico City, MX Palacio de los Deportes
Photos courtesy of Ghost
Issue 73 featuring Pinhead Gunpowder is available now!
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News: New Ghost Song ‘Umbra’ is All About Banging – New Noise Magazine
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