Ghost have become one of metal's biggest bands with glam arena rock anthems about death, destruction and the devil. 2018's 'Prequelle' was a bubonic concept album about plagues, and 2022's 'Impera' explored the rise and fall of empires. New album 'Skeletá' remains obsessed with death but, like great sequels, takes a more personal approach.

"It's probably some sort of midlife crisis," says Ghost's Tobias Forge. "It's also a reflection of the world and everything that's happening in it." Despite the success of 'Impera', which launched the band's first global arena tour, he had no interest in making a part two. "I don't think our fans needed an album about how poorly mentally equipped certain leaders are. We all know that already." Instead, 'Skeletá' is an album of love.

Tobias was inspired by "being alive and feeling a lot of contradicting emotions" for this open-hearted record. "It's something most of us have experienced at some point. So many songs have been written about it before, but it's something that's still compelling and baffling."

Don't worry; every sickly-sweet adoring anthem is delivered through the horror-infused lens that Ghost has cultivated over the past 15 years. Lead single 'Satanized' is a song about "being consumed by the feeling of being in love." So far, so romantic. "It's also about mistaking that feeling for being possessed by a demon from another world who's eating your soul," adds Tobias. Then there's the thundering 'Missilia Amori'. "I wanted to paint a picture of how close love and hate actually are, but also the feeling of wanting to possess someone else."

And in typical Ghost fashion, there's still the ever-present threat of death across 'Skeletá', which ends with the creeping 'Excelsis' – a dreamy anthem about how we're all going to die.

"This record is about focusing on the things that unite us, and one of those is our fear of looking into eternity," he says. "I am just as unbeknownst to what is on the other side as anybody else. I know there are plenty of people who claim to know what happens [after we die], but they're either crazy or they're lying. The overall message with that song is that we already know that life will end. But if you're listening to that song, it's a clear sign that you're still alive. And once you're done listening, you should continue to live and do joyous things."

Tobias cut his teeth in Sweden's DIY punk scene, exploring extreme metal as a teenager. He formed Ghost in 2006 as a way to bring his love for traditional rock bands The Doors, Pink Floyd and The Rolling Stones into the mix, as well as his fondness for musical theatre. A three-track demo was shared on MySpace in March 2010, and days later, their inbox was filled with offers from record labels. Recorded in a basement studio in his hometown of Linköping, debut album 'Opus Eponymous' was released later that year.

Their first live show was something of a disaster, though. The mysterious masked metal group were booked to open Germany's Hammer Of Doom festival, but technical issues meant their 45-minute set was cut in half, and the fans of doom bands Solitude Aeturnus and Iron Man weren't all that impressed by Ghost's pop-infused anthems and fancy dress. "The scepticism in the room was pretty evident," Ghost's now unmasked leader Tobias tells Dork, describing the gig as an "unpleasant, uphill battle". After all that online buzz, it was a harsh comedown.

However, the next day, the fledgling band flew to London for a sold-out headline show at London's Camden Underworld. "The response couldn't have been more different," says Tobias a couple of days after returning to the venue to watch Tribulation. "I don't think I've ever gone on stage and had such an overwhelming response to playing my songs," he continues. "I figured if I can move these 400 people with my music, there must be a few more out there that can appreciate it. I didn't know where this band was going to go, but it was clearly going to go somewhere."

15 years later, Ghost are now one of the biggest modern metal bands around. A chunk of their fanbase is invested in the sprawling lore that sees the band recruit a new fictional frontman each album cycle (this time out, it's Papa V Perpetua), while others are here for the steadily growing back catalogue of arena rock bangers.

Not content with playing things safe, Tobias wanted to do something different with 'Skeletá'. Every other Ghost record has instrumental segues and preludes dotted throughout but this one is ten full songs with lyrics. "It's a challenge to make 40-plus minutes of cohesive, understandable and preferably entertaining music where you have five previous records. You want it to feel like a full, 10-course meal." To do this, he allowed each song to be as long as it needed to. "I wasn't searching for hits, which has been part of the playbook on previous albums. I didn't care what the radio team would think about it; I just wanted to make a great record."

And all that singing has resulted in a far more revealing, intimate set of songs. Was Tobias, who kept his identity hidden for the first chapter of Ghost's career, nervous about taking off the mask even further? The short answer is, "Yes, of course."

Every record has had that worry of, should we really go here? Should I really say that? "This album is all about the idea of being alive and being a human being. That concept hasn't been a thematic thing before, but there have been songs on every record, even going back to the occult fever dream first album, that were meant to deal with the more humane aspects and the struggles of being a person."

Still, Tobias isn't planning on following in Kiss' footsteps and launching an "unmasked" era. "I have no desire to do anything like that. Sure, Papa Perpetua is the singer of Ghost so if I choose to be a guitar player in another band, that's two different things," he explains. "But I don't think anybody needs a stripped-down, 'Lick It Up' version of Ghost. It's completely uncalled for."

Ghost traded in sweaty basement clubs for bigger venues long ago but there's still a snotty subversive attitude dancing through Ghost's arena rock. "That's a touchy subject for the metal puritans," Tobias grins. "I could make life very easy for myself and say I play very mainstream, radio-friendly soft rock but I still feel in opposition to that. There is a rebel streak there."

"I don't know if it's important to be constantly going against the grain, but I carry that tradition with me," he continues, coming from a scene where the natural way to express yourself is to make art that's designed to cause a reaction. "I make stuff that looks a certain way and does contain a lot of provocative elements, but I also go on tour and try to create this family event for people from all walks of life to come in, and feel joyous about being there. It's all a bit contradictory. It's supposed to be dangerous and cool and awful, but it's actually quite nice. It's grown into this real festival of humanity."

It's why Ghost have always been welcomed at places where metal doesn't typically get a platform. 2023's festival run saw them return to heavy haunts like Download and Grasspop but also saw them embraced at Primavera, where they performed before Halsey, Blur and New Order. As well as crossover hits 'Mary On A Cross', 'Square Hammer' and 'Call Me Little Sunshine', there was also a playful cover of Genesis' 'Jesus He Knows Me'. Released the same year, their 'Phantomime' EP saw them rework songs by Iron Maiden, The Stranglers and Tina Turner.

The past few years have seen heavier music re-embraced by the mainstream. Olivia Rodrigo became one of the biggest pop stars in the world while taking influence from 90s alternative, and this summer, Bring Me The Horizon will headline Reading & Leeds alongside Chappell Roan, Hozier and Travis Scott. Spiritbox have appeared on the cover of Dork and Sleep Token's comeback track 'Emergence' recently crashed into the Top 20 of the UK singles chart.

Kiss were the first band that Tobias properly fell in love with, but his obsession with rock started even earlier. "I heard Twisted Sister's 'I Wanna Rock' when I was maybe three years old. It was just rebellion. I wasn't in school, but that video was all about sticking it to whatever man there is. It was just this power grab that I couldn't resist."

Horror is also a big influence on Ghost. The oft-underrated genre is getting its dues thanks to films such as Longlegs, Nosferatu and the award-winning The Substance. "If you want to see the glass half-full, piss-poor regimes usually spawn a lot of good culture," says Tobias. "I do think it has to do with our willingness to interpret what's going on and our eagerness to hope."

One thing has changed a little on this record, though. "For the past 15 years, I've constantly worked at just looking forward." Saying yes to appearing at a festival so Ghost could come back to the same city a few months later and play a headline gig, or immediately looking at the next biggest-ever venue after selling out the current one. "It's a war of inches, and you keep doing that until you have as large an empire as possible."

It's a few weeks before Ghost kick-off another massive arena tour and despite only releasing one single from 'Skeletá', Tobias knows there's a lot of enthusiasm about the new chapter. "But who knows how many more times that will happen?" he asks, embracing the wide-eyed, open-hearted determination of his own music. "I don't want to waste my precious time thinking about what comes next. I want to cherish this now because you never know when it'll end."