Ghost mastermind Tobias Forge — the musician behind the band's succession of mysterious frontmen such as Cardinal Copia and Papa Emeritus — is determined to record the metal outfit's upcoming album almost completely by himself. That means none of Forge's live band, otherwise known as the Nameless Ghouls, will make an appearance on the eventual follow-up to Prequelle.

That shouldn't come as much of a shock to listeners familiar with Forge's modus operandi. Although the Ghost bandleader plans to use a couple session musicians to fill out the forthcoming effort, the group's live players will get an extended break from the act. "If I'm not asking everyone, then I don't want to ask anyone," Forge explained. Listen to the full interview down toward the bottom of this post.

When asked if he'll employ the Nameless Ghouls in the studio for Ghost's next album — which Forge recently revealed will be led by Papa Emeritus IV — he accounted for the reasons he would not.

"No, actually not," Forge told the "Talking Metal" podcast last week (Oct. 1), "and that is for a few very simple reasons. I have never in the history of Ghost ever had... There was never any demands or expectancies for the people touring to play on the records for several reasons."

He continued, "One is that I've always had a favorite drummer that I always wanted to play on the records who's never been in the band. He's never been in the touring band. He and I work very well together. He's perfect for the studio requirements — he does that really well — and I have a favorite keyboard player, who is extremely good at translating the things that I want him to play. During the writing, I always play everything anyways."

Elsewhere in the interview, Forge delves into the reasons why Ghost will be doing "absolutely zero" touring in 2020. After all, the musician plans to spend the first half of the year holed up in secluded writing sessions near his home base in Stockholm, Sweden. During that time, in addition to the subsequent album recording, Ghost's Nameless Ghouls will have plenty of time to focus on their own projects, as the frontman laid out.

"If you start involving people — which I have done from time to time, just to be nice, basically, just because I wanted to give them an incentive — you end up in a situation where you have to tell them to exactly replicate what I just did, just symbolically," Forge added, as transcribed by Blabbermouth. "In my efforts to try to be nice to people, that has also turned out to be not so cool. I've learned a lot from that. Besides, if I'm not going to ask everyone to do their part, then what's the point? I don't to segregate people. I don't want to favor people. If I'm not asking everyone, then I don't want to ask anyone."

At present, the Ghost leader has "one song demoed" for the band's next full-length. That came from the around 50 song ideas he's currently sitting on. Fans can expect a new Ghost album to arrive sometime in 2021. Catch them in concert while you can at their remaining 2019 tour dates.