UPDATE: Ghost have released the official music video for "Rats" — watch it here.
Theatrical Swedish occult-metal band Ghost are gearing up to release their highly anticipated fourth album. They recently revealed their new frontman, Cardinal Copia, and now a clip of a new song, "Rats," has hit the internet. According to the group's mastermind Tobias Forge, the single is designed to rock stadiums.
"When we made 'Square Hammer,' we needed a big opening track," Forge recently told Loudwire. "It was inspired by various explosive opening tracks and records. Specifically, when I was a kid, there was a concert called the Moscow Peace Festival. It was broadcast on TV. It's one of those moments that I remember so clearly, I was eight years old. Ozzy Osbourne opened with 'I Don't Know,' and it's such a fucking great opening track. This was in front of, like, 80,000 people, who went nuts. I wanted to have that feel with 'Rats.' It's supposed to feel like that sort of opening track. A song that could get 80,000 people to jump. If you ever want to play bigger places, you need to have records that sound like you're playing in big places."
In a recent interview with Revolver, Ghost mastermind Tobias Forge revealed some details about the new album. "It's a themed album around medieval times, but it's definitely clinging onto a lot of very current things," Forge said. "The Black Death [plague] is a great example of a turning point for a whole civilization. Complete villages were annihilated. Most people knew very little, so all of it was God or the Devil — and about their faith being questioned: Why are we being stricken down by this great scourge? It must be because of our not fearing God enough and all this superstitious bullshit."
Ghost are set to kick off their Rats! On the Road tour in May — see full dates here. A release date for the band's new album has yet to be announced.
