Ghost mastermind Tobias Forge has revealed that the horror movie-referencing metal band will begin recording a new album early next year. But its subsequent release may be delayed until after the 2020 United States presidential election, since "peoples' minds are focused on other things" around that time, the bandleader told Overdrive in an interview ahead of Ghost's June 8 Slane Castle gig with Metallica.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding a release date, Forge confirmed that Ghost will enter the studio in January 2020 to start the album in earnest. (The band's fifth full-length effort, it will follow 2018's Prequelle.) Before that, however, the Swedish rockers are due to embark on a North American tour with Nothing More this fall.

"I am indeed going into the studio where I will be beginning the work in January," Forge said. "We're doing another American tour in September/October and then we're gonna come back to Europe and that is gonna take us right up until Christmas basically. So, after New Year's we are gonna have maybe one or two small things at the beginning of the year and then it's gonna be all about the new album."

He continued, "People need to understand that I spend about five to six months in the studio. … I also try to work 'normal' hours because I have a family also so, I try to work traditional hours, you know. I like to come in on Monday morning at about 9 AM/10 AM and then I do normal stuff like have lunch and think about what’s going on, and then I wrap up for the day and head home and see my family."

The studio timeline affixed, Forge further detailed the tentative schedule surrounding his band's next album release. By this time next year, the frontman anticipated the new Ghost record should be in the can.

"In order to make that record, it's gonna take me about six months and then that's gonna take me to the summer, which we've already decided we're gonna take a break a let the dust settle, and then hopefully by the end of the summer the record will be finished," he said.

But a fall 2020 release would see Ghost's new album colliding with election season in the States, so the singer suggested he may delay the album drop when asked if "next year or 2021" would see new Ghost music.

"Unfortunately or fortunately, depends on how you see it, the U.S. elections are happening, so bearing that in mind, it's not the best time to release new material when peoples' minds are focused on other things," said the singer. "I just want to make sure that when we release this new album, we have peoples' attention."

The Ghost figurehead previously got fans' attention when he described the upcoming album as both "darker" and "heavier" than Prequelle. Notwithstanding, Forge's stage persona Cardinal Copia will still be present.

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