death ss album cover<\/span><\/p> “Death SS was an influence on Ghost. It still is,” Forge said. “I’m still a fan and my image of what they were, and maybe also what I sometimes envisioned that they could be, was a little bit of a lead motive when it came to my idea of what Ghost was going to be when I was writing the first record.”<\/p>\n He continued: “When I spoke about Ghost to others, I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m writing these songs that are … metal, but it’s supposed to be, imagine Demon or Angel Witch<\/a>, that sort of New Wave of British Heavy Metal, but with sort of grown man AOR vocals. It’s a little bit of divorce rock, but with evil undertones.’ But I wanted the band to look like Death SS.”<\/p>\n READ MORE: Ghost Might Stop the Lore, Tobias Forge Explains Why<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Forge\u00a0explained that Death SS’s influence on Ghost was partly aspirational.\u00a0“So basically, I wanted it to sound the way I was hoping that Death SS was gonna sound,” he said. “When you listen to a lot of the Death SS records, it has way more of almost a thrashy feel. They’re not as melodic and operatic and grandiose as I think I want them to sound.”<\/p>\n The\u00a0frontman also cited\u00a0Italian-Slovenian art-rock band Devil Doll when\u00a0describing the musical and aesthetic hybrid he envisioned for Ghost.\u00a0“In my head, I’ve always wanted a band looking like Death SS, [but] I want them to sound like Devil Doll,” he said. “That’s one of my other favorite Italian horror rock bands. So I wanted there to be a mix. So Death SS, really cool band. Really cool image. Been around forever. And Steve Sylvester, the singer there, is a wonderful, wonderful guy.”<\/p>\n Forge has played a lot of different styles over the years.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Joe DiVita<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nDeath SS, “Heavy Demons”<\/h3>\n
Watch Tobias Forge Discuss Death SS and More Influences on Ghost<\/h3>\n
5 Other Bands Ghost’s Tobias Forge Has Been In<\/h2>\n