Erik would organise one of Repugnant’s early shows, in his hometown of Uppsala, Sweden’s fourth largest city. And while Tobias’ subsequent bands, Subvision and Magna Carta Cartel, were less to Erik’s tastes – “I never tried to hide the fact I always wanted him to go back to playing satanic death metal” – he admired the commitment evident in whatever Tobias turned his hand to, so would assist with artwork and layouts.
So, when Tobias got in touch to ask if he could use Watain’s rehearsal space for a new project, Erik immediately said yes – and not just because the room, part of a Stockholm subway station, had actually been inherited from Repugnant.
“I asked [Tobias] what the music was like,” recalls Erik. “He said it was kind of black metal style. I thought, ‘Fuck yeah,’ and went to listen.”
What Erik heard, however, was far from what he expected.
“I wasn’t all that impressed,” he admits of Ghost’s early efforts, in less developed form and minus vocals. “I remember thinking, ‘Come on, man – this sounds like Blur or something!’”
One of the songs he heard would have been Stand By Him, written in 2006 and initially featuring Swedish lyrics. It had been recorded in 2008 with Tobias’ former Repugnant bandmate, Gustaf Lindström, along with the tracks Prime Mover and Death Knell. With them came a specific thematic focus – of Satan, evil and sin – as well as the prison of religious belief.
“Linear religion is about confinement, but we’re talking about release – the opposite,” a Nameless Ghoul explained in March 2013. “We’re an inversion of what the Church does – we’re doing what the Church does but painting a moustache on it.”
Later, in the more developed recordings, complete with vocals, Erik heard the influence of heavy metal’s doomy early days and seedy ’70s psychedelia, executed with Tobias’ trademark passion, affection and skill.
“It was like when I heard the Repugnant demo tape,” says Erik. “You could tell the guy had some next-level shit going on.”
Erik’s most significant contribution to Ghost was the creation of the inverted cross embedded with a ‘G’, known as the Grucifix, which symbolises the band.
“With Watain we always had this trident [logo],” explains Erik. “So I did a take on this old Christian symbol, which Tobias loved.”
The frontman shared Ghost’s demos via Myspace on March 12, 2010 – which, tragically, was the same day his brother Sebastian died from a heart condition. In the following days and weeks, Tobias struggled with the loss of his influential older sibling, while managing the attention from prospective record labels. Lee Dorrian, frontman of cult British doom outfit Cathedral and owner of legendary underground label Rise Above Records, an impressive home for all things doomy, stoner and eccentric, was among their number.
“I remember hearing Ritual on a Friday, then playing it at least 25 to 30 times over that weekend,” recalls Lee. “It sounded like Mercyful Fate meets ABBA. I knew we had to sign them.”