Ghost mastermind Tobias Forge had a tumultuous 2017, as his identity was exposed by former members of the band who sued him for what they claim is their fair share of earnings from touring. Tobias matained that the band was essentially a solo project of his and they were hired as session musicians.
The court case got a lot of publicity, and may have created a bit of ill will towards Ghost. But, it seems the band is as big as ever after the release of the singles "Rats" and "Dance Macabre." In a new interview with NME, Forge says that ultimately the lawsuit was the best thing to happen to the band:
“All things considered, a year down the line, having been through so much turmoil,” says Tobias, with acceptance that he now only has to pretend to be an actual ghoul onstage, not off it, “I’ve come to realise that what happened needed to happen. Also, I’m a big fan of rock, of rock history, and I’ve read every classic rock biography of every band I’m a fan of. You know what? The same shit takes place in every single one. A friend of mine, a very successful songwriter, said to me, ‘you’re not really in the game until you’ve been sued, so welcome in!’ and I think he’s got a point. I’ve been in lots of situations in my life where I’ve managed to turn pain into growing pains. Really, what happened was a receipt that things are going well.”
