Tobias Forge

Tobias Forge (born March 3, 1981) is a Swedish singer, musician and songwriter. He is the vocalist and guitarist of the death metal band Repugnant under the stage name Mary Goore and vocalist of the masked heavy metal band Ghost. His identity as Ghost frontman Papa Emeritus was only confirmed in 2017, following a lawsuit by former members of the band.

Repugnant

Forge has fronted the Stockholm-based death metal band Repugnant since 1998, under the stage name Mary Goore. They recorded their only studio album Epitome of Darkness in 2002, but it was left unreleased when the band was put on hold in 2004, only being published in 2006. Between 2000 and 2002, Goore was also a guitarist for glam metal band Crashdïet. Repugnant reunited for the Hell's Pleasure festival in 2010.

Ghost

Forge has been the vocalist, songwriter and business leader of the heavy metal band Ghost since 2006.^[2] Within the band, he performs under the stage name Papa Emeritus, a demonic "anti-pope." Ghost released their debut album Opus Eponymous in 2010. During a concert in the band's hometown of Linköping, Sweden in 2012, Papa Emeritus was "retired", and the band's "new" vocalist, Papa Emeritus II (which was really just Forge in another costume), was introduced.^[3] The band's second album Infestissumam was released in 2013. Due to a legal dispute over the band's name, they were forced to release the album as Ghost B.C. in the United States. ^[4] For this album as well as the subsequent EP If You Have Ghost (2013) Forge performed as Papa Emeritus II. In 2015, Papa Emeritus III was introduced to coincide with the release of Meliora. ^[5]

Despite anonymity being one of Ghost's biggest themes, Forge's identity as Papa Emeritus III was revealed following a lawsuit in April 2017 by former Ghost members over a royalties dispute.^[6] They also claimed he is trying to transform Ghost "from a band into a solo project with hired musicians" in an "underhanded and shameless way."^[7] Something Forge disagrees with, having stated that Ghost "was always sort of… I guess a Bathory sort of band, where there was people playing live, and the people playing live [were] not necessarily the same that played on the records."^[1] Forge claimed that "no legal partnership" ever existed between the other members and himself; they were paid a fixed salary to perform and execute the band's image as he instructed as "musicians for hire."^[2]

Discography

Forge in his Papa Emeritus persona, 2012.

Superior

• Metamorphis (Demo, 1996)

Repugnant

• Spawn of Pure Malevolence (Demo, 1999)
• Hecatomb (EP, 1999)
• Draped in Cerecloth (Demo, 2001)
• Dunkel Besatthet (Split, 2002)
• Premature Burial (EP, 2004)
• Kaamos / Repugnant (Split, 2004)
• Epitome of Darkness (2006)

Crashdïet

• Demo 1 (Demo, 2000)
• Demo 2 (Demo, 2000)
• Demo 3 (Demo, 2001)

Subvision

• Pearls For Pigsnawps (EP, 2003)
• The Killing Floor E.P. (EP, 2004)
• So Far So Noir (2006)

Magna Carta Cartel

• Valiant Visions Dawn (EP, 2008)
• Goodmorning Restrained (2009)

Ghost

References

1. 1 2 "TOBIAS FORGE (a.k.a. PAPA EMERITUS): 'GHOST Was Never Formed As A Band'". Blabbermouth.net. April 22, 2017. Retrieved May 19, 2017. 
2. 1 2 "Ghost Frontman’s Response Claims ‘No Legal Partnership’ Existed With Bandmates". Loudwire. June 8, 2017. Retrieved July 3, 2017. 
3. ↑ "Ghost Introduce “New” Papa Emeritus During Hometown Show… Wait, What?". Metal Insider. 2012-12-17. Retrieved 2017-05-17. 
4. ↑ "Ghost B.C. Unveil ‘Infestissumam’ Release Date + 2013 North American Tour With Ides of Gemini". Loudwire.com. Retrieved 2017-05-17. 
5. ↑ "Ghost Unveil 'New' Leader Papa Emeritus III". Loudwire.com. Retrieved 2017-05-17. 
6. ↑ "Four Former Members of Ghost Reveal Identities, Speak Out About Lawsuit Against Tobias Forge ("Papa Emeritus")". MetalSucks. 2017-04-06. Retrieved 2017-05-17. 
7. ↑ "Former GHOST Members Accuse Singer Of Trying To 'Shamelessly' Turn 'Band' Into 'Solo Project'". April 6, 2017. Retrieved April 6, 2017.