UPDATE 17/12/15 5.50pm: Soundwave 2016 has been officially cancelled.

They’ve been Soundwave 2016 lineup hopefuls for a while, but now satanical Swedes Ghost have said they will tour Australia early next year.

One of Ghost’s Nameless Ghouls spoke to FasterLouder recently, and shed some light — well, some cryptic clues — on when the band plan to next tour Australia.

With US and European tours locked in for the rest of 2015, the Nameless Ghoul said, “We’re not gonna do it this year.” That being said, the band are reportedly deciding on how to spend the first few months of 2016.

Cheekily referencing Soundwave, the Nameless Ghoul said, “Are we doing the big festival? Are we not doing the big festival?”

It appears that Ghost would prefer to play their own headline shows the next time they’re in Australia. “Australia is one of our favourite places and we’ve always wanted to come back — a third time now — doing our real show, not a festival,” the Nameless Ghoul said.

Ghost accept, however, that getting their entire crew down under is easier on a festival tour. “It’s hard to move 13 people all over the globe, so you need the right setup,” the Nameless Ghoul said.

In closing, the Nameless Ghoul said Ghost will be on Aussie shores “sometime in January, February, or March”, and it appears that the dates will either be for Soundwave 2016 or their own headline tour.

Soundwave promoter AJ Maddah has long-slated Ghost as a possible inclusion on the Soundwave 2016 lineup, saying in March that they were a “maybe” for the festival.

Last month, Maddah said that Ghost are not on the lineup “atm”, suggesting that they could still be a chance for the bill.

Ghost performed as part of Soundwave 2013, before returning for Big Day Out in 2014. The band’s third album, Meliora, is slated for release in Australia on 21st August.

Earlier this year, the band unveiled their pious third leader, Papa Emeritus III, who is more than likely the exact same guy as I and II. The rest of the band are simply known as the Nameless Ghouls, leaving their faces and identities eternally shrouded in mystery.

In saying that, one such Nameless Ghoul hinted recently that it’s entirely possible that Foo Fighters’ frontman Dave Grohl has crossed over to the dark side, and could have once covertly operated as a secret member of Ghost. Trippy.

Since sharing a creepy first taste of the record in the form of new track Cirice, Ghost have unveiled fellow album cut Majesty, which can be streamed in full, below.

For all the latest Soundwave 2016 lineup rumours and festival information, visit the Soundwave 2016 Lineup Rumours & Info page.

Listen: Ghost – Majesty

Watch: Ghost – If You Have Ghosts (Live at Music Feeds Studio)

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