This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The intervening nine months between Ghost's headlining show at The Complex in Salt Lake City last October and its opening set for Iron Maiden on Friday at West Valley's Usana Amphitheatre have been filled with more drama than is usual even for a theatrical, masked and costumed band that performs faux odes to Satan.
First came the wholesale housecleaning of the supporting lineup. Then came the lawsuit filed by four former members.
Nevertheless …
"I am currently extremely positive," a Nameless Ghoul — interested parties can typically figure out which one — told The Tribune in a phone interview.
And extremely busy, too. At the time, Ghost was set to begin of a run of 35 concerts in 44 nights, some with Maiden, many more standalone shows squeezed in between. It's a taxing stretch, but ultimately integral to what he's determined to achieve.
"I very much would like to think that I love touring and I love the entertainment sphere so much that I would love to do it even though I wasn't under monetary need to do it. I really hope that that is the case, even 30 years from now," the Nameless Ghoul said. "I don't want to look that far into the future, but I know now that in order to achieve the goals I have on paper right now, we still have to play a lot — not only to sustain and maintain the momentum that we have, but also to catapult it up to the next level. And if you wanna do what I have in mind, you cannot kick back and think you're there."
Most of what he has in mind is upward trajectory.
It wasn't always so. When formed late in the last decade, Ghost was originally content merely to haunt its hometown of Linköping, a city of about 150,000 in southern Sweden. ("Everybody has to understand that Ghost was started with the intention of maybe having a thousand fans in total," the Nameless Ghoul told The Tribune last October. "It wasn't meant to be this big.")
Its over-the-top proclivities came about simply because the Ghoul had a few tunes he could not reconcile with a traditional approach.
"Well, there was a handful of songs that triggered the image. In the beginning, it just started with three songs, basically: 'Stand By Him,' 'Death Knell' and 'Prime Mover.' And especially a song like 'Death Knell' — I was just like, 'This is not a song that I can see a group of dudes in T-shirts playing that,' " he said. "It wouldn't translate very well, in my mind. … I just wanted it to be a little bit more theatrical and a little bit more eventful."
More theatrical and more eventful is as apt a summary of Ghost's subsequent ascension as any.
And so, the Nameless Ghoul's initially modest ambitions have given way to grander ones.
Part of his aim includes the melodic metal band's continued sonic enhancement, a goal he will turn his attention to in August when he intends to record the group's fourth studio album, which he said "will have a little more serious, more reflecting undertone, reflecting on mortality," while its thematic focus will revolve around "the return of God, God's wrath, apocalypse thrown into the face of mankind."
Even that, though, is to some degree merely a means to bigger ends.
Because while going from headlining the 2,500-capacity Rockwell room at The Complex to playing for 20,000-plus at Usana as Maiden's opener represents progress, becoming the headliner at 20,000-plus venues would, obviously, be better yet.
"There's still downright aesthetic things that I want to achieve, from a recording basis. As a music writer and a musician, you always have a perfect record in mind, you always wanna make something that is a little bit better than you did before. I might naively think, and I do think so, that the greatest moment is still ahead. And if you don't think that, why bother?" the Nameless Ghoul said. "So there's a lot of … motivation going into making a new record. But also, on the back of that record is also a touring cycle next year, and the year after that, that I hope will bring us to a level where we can bring forth the show that I've always had in mind for Ghost, which is definitely a little more in line with what we're doing now. So, to be a little bit more complete, I guess, is to say that we need to take this band into the arenas. That's basically where, I believe, our show belongs, that's what I had in mind, so that's the goal. And if we get there, I have no idea. But we're well on our way. So, you can't give up now — I've swam out a little bit too far."
And so, drama or not, he has zero intention of trying to turn back.
"This is my calling, this is what I wanted to do for my whole life. I wanted to tour, I wanted to be in a touring band ever since I was, like, 4 years old. In my mind, when I look myself in the mirror … that's my calling, that's what I do. And I know so, because I love it so much being out there," he said. "And obviously, you have days when you're tired and you want to go home and you want to do this and that and the other, but at the end of the day, there's profound love of smoke machines now, and colored lights, and the sound of cheers and loud rock music. That's why most of us are here. That's what we love doing. And if you don't like it, if you don't like it with your whole being, then go do something else. There's a whole lot of other jobs."
Twitter: @esotericwalden —
Iron Maiden with Ghost
When • Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Where • Usana Amphitheatre, 5150 Upper Ridge Road, West Valley City
Tickets • $34.50-$99.50; Smith's Tix