GHOST frontman Tobias Forge is ready to step away from the road after years of touring, saying he needs time to figure out what comes next for the band.
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In a new cover story with U.K. music magazine Kerrang!, Forge discussed his decision to take a hiatus following the completion of the band’s Skeletour, which supported its 2025 album, Skeletá.
The tour wrapped in February 2026 after 70 performances across Europe, North America and Mexico. Rather than immediately beginning work on another album, Forge said he wants to spend time at home and pursue projects outside of GHOST.
“I’m exhausted,” Forge said when reflecting on the tour.
The musician explained that touring carries a responsibility not only to the people working with the band but also to the fans who purchase tickets. While that pressure has generally motivated him throughout his career, he said it has become more difficult without a clear vision for the band’s next chapter.
“There’s a lot of people depending on you, let alone all these people buying tickets,” Forge said. “But now, with a lack of a clear direction of where to go, I don’t want to have that responsibility on my shoulder.”
Forge also described the end of Skeletour as a satisfying stopping point. He compared completing the run to finishing a major life event, suggesting there is no reason to immediately repeat it.
“When you’re done with the big wedding, you’re not gonna get married again immediately after,” he said.
Forge said he is particularly pleased with what GHOST accomplished during the tour, including the band’s performances and its repertoire.
“I feel like, ‘If this is it, I’m pretty pleased. This is a fucking great repertoire, great band, they sound phenomenal,’” he said.
The hiatus also gives Forge an opportunity to break away from the routine that has defined much of GHOST’s career: recording an album, touring to support it and then returning to the studio.
He said he does not want to begin another record simply because the touring cycle has ended.
“I’m not gonna just go back to make an album or force myself to make an album for no reason,” Forge said. “I need to want to make a record. I need to have something to say.”
Forge emphasized that previous GHOST albums were driven by specific ideas and creative motivation. This time, he said, he simply does not have another record in mind.
“I just want to do other things and it doesn’t really mean anything other than that,” he said.
For now, Forge said GHOST has nothing scheduled, describing the situation plainly: “It’s just a normal hiatus.”