Johan Koleberg helps Tobias Forge prep drum kit for new project

Johan Koleberg said he was helping Tobias Forge get a drum kit ready for an upcoming new project, and that is the kind of backstage detail drummers tend to notice first. A kit does not get tuned and sorted for no reason; it usually means someone is already making decisions about feel, setup, and sound before the project has even been named.

The update landed with strong engagement on Ghost’s fan and news channel, which fits the moment around Forge. Ghost’s Skeletá is out now and still being promoted on the band’s official site, but Forge has also been talking like a man who wants to step back, breathe, and reset. In recent interviews, he said he wanted more time with his wife and children, plus room to get new inspiration for other musical projects after Ghost’s 2026 touring cycle. He also said he did not yet know exactly what would happen next for Ghost.

Koleberg is not some anonymous road hand making a casual comment. His official website identifies him as a drummer, and his biography credits him with work in Therion from 2008 to 2016, along with HammerFall, Zan Clan, and drum tracking for Randy Piper’s Animal. Paiste says he started playing drums in 1976, when he was 8. Wincent Drumsticks also notes his work on the long-awaited comeback album by ex-W.A.S.P. guitarist Randy Piper’s Animal. That background makes his involvement in Forge’s kit prep feel less like idle chatter and more like a real signal from inside the drum world.

The practical read is simple: Forge may be heading into something that needs a drummer’s ear before it needs a public announcement. Koleberg’s note does not prove Ghost is done, or even that a new project is imminent in the fan-facing sense. It does suggest Forge is already in the phase where hardware, tuning, and the physical shape of the kit matter, which is usually when a project starts feeling real to players long before it gets a name.