Tobias Forge, the Ghost mastermind, is currently wrapping the North American leg of the Skeletour, a globe-spanning run launched in support of Skeletá. But once the final curtain drops, Forge says he’s ready to take a “step away” from touring.

He explains:

“I’ve had two kids waiting at home with my wife for 15 years, and maybe that says something about me that it wasn’t a pushing enough factor during those years. Believe me, I felt bad, but I’ve definitely come to a point where I feel, physically and mentally. I need to be home. [My kids are] 17; they’re not gonna be around for an eon.”

After 15 years of treating Ghost as paramount, Forge no longer feels chained to momentum. “Over the years I’ve been very worried about momentum and just keeping it going… I don’t want to lose speed,” he said. “I came to a point where I’m actually fine if the momentum is not there. It’s cool. I’m good… If I lose it, OK.”

Even the band’s elaborate mythology may have a shelf life. As he told NME last year: “I think that there might be an end to the storytelling because it’s not productive to have this endless soap opera. If fans need the lore in order to like the band, then that element will probably be over quite soon.”

Creatively, he insists he’s not slowing down, just shifting focus. “The only way for me to come up with a new idea and get some new inspiration is to just step away. It is as simple as that,” he explained. “But it doesn’t mean that I’m not doing anything. I have two film projects that I’m working on.”

He also revealed he was “recording another album with another thing” before heading out on tour, with “tons of stuff lined up [for] the coming years,” plus hobbies long sidelined by Ghost’s relentless schedule.

What fans shouldn’t expect is more Ghost in the immediate future. Speaking recently to Global News, Forge shut down talk of a companion EP to Skeletá. “There is no EP coming. Besides the tour that we’re doing now, we have nothing else planned. So the future is right now very open.” He added that his current studio work is “not a covers EP and not a new Ghost record.”

For now, the Skeletour closes tonight, Feb 23, in Los Angeles. After that, Forge is choosing stillness over spectacle, at least for a while.