Tobia Forge has revealed that negative comments about Ghost have a positive impact on the band. In an interview with Metal Hammer, the singer thanked the haters that increase the repercussions of the musicians.
Tobias Forge said:
“I’ve noticed it. I noticed it in the beginning. I think it’s the same old discussion: ‘Is Ghost a metal band?’ and ‘Are we a clone of Mercyful Fate?’ It’s the same old thing. But now these people are saying Prequelle isn’t as good because it’s not as much of a clone of Mercyful Fate!”
When asked why there are people who hate the band, he said:
“Because we are ever-present. We are being shoved into people’s faces and we’re rubbing it in. They wouldn’t talk about us had we not been successful.”
“Does it worry me? Not really. If they’re talking shit about me, that’s one thing, especially if it’s someone I know. That can hurt me deeply.”
“When you’re at the beginning of your career, especially nowadays, you spend a lot of time surveying what’s going on, because you need to feed off anything that’s happening to the band. So I noticed there was a lot of ‘controversy’ and a lot of mixed opinions.”
“It’s surprising they don’t understand that the more they talk about us, the more traffic there is about our band. More than we would have had had they not spoken!”
“A few months ago, based on metadata alone, a website made a list of the biggest bands in metal. We were number four – and that’s thanks to these people that keep on fucking hating.“
“So I have nothing but great feelings for them. That’s how all these bands made their careers. You think Lars Ulrich would shy away every time people would talk shit about Metallica? Fuck that?”