Ghost recently released the album Prequelle.
's lead singer , Tobias Forge , has spoken about his legal battle with former band members.
The lawsuit, filed in the Linköping court in Sweden, alleged that Forge exclusively controlled the band's business affairs without anyone else's involvement. The four musicians further claimed that a partnership agreement existed between them and Forge, which tasked Tobias with managing the company. Tobias responded that "no legal partnership" existed between him and the other members, that they received a fixed salary for performing as his backing band, and that they were essentially stage musicians.
"There were a series of events that led to this, of course.".
Like any individual in a group with other individuals, there are times when you need to separate and times when you have to divorce, and do some cleaning up. This in itself is no different from any other band or any other social circle. Of course, it's never a joyful experience, but it was something that needed to be done.
“We got to a point where we were exhausted…I had done everything in my power to try to accommodate some of my friends, but we got to a point where I couldn’t make them happy anyway,” he continued. “It was just met with resentment and complaints and general obtuseness, and at the end of the day, you had to get to a point where, ‘Well, you don’t even need to be there. You’re free to go. I need to survive. I need to do my thing. This is my thing. None of you have been here from the beginning and you have no responsibilities except to be on stage at 8 o’clock and you’re being paid for it.’”
Forge concluded: "What you heard is simply the culmination of years and years of complaints and ingratitude, so to speak."
Ghost's new album, Prequelle , was released on June 1st.