Crash Diet vs. Crashdïet: The Forgotten Beginnings of Tobias Forge

Long before Tobias Forge became a global name fronting Ghost, he spent time carving his way through Sweden’s underground rock and metal scene. Among his lesser-known early projects was his role as the lead guitarist for Crash Diet, a sleaze hard rock band active from 2000 to 2002 — not to be confused with the later incarnation, Crashdïet, that would help launch the modern sleaze – glam revival of the 2000s.

Crash Diet (2000–2002): The Original Band

The original Crash Diet formed around Dave Lepard (vocals), Tobias Forge (guitar, performing under the alias Mary Goore), Gustaf Lindström (bass, also known as Mace Kelly), and Gurra (drums, later moving to bass). Drummer Thomas Daun (aka Tom Bones) later joined the group. Unlike the sleaeze/glam-oriented Crashdïet that would emerge some years later, this version of Crash Diet leaned into sleaze hard rock but was rooted in the heavier influences of its members, many of whom came from extreme metal backgrounds.

It is interesting to name that Tobias not only played guitar but also contributed significantly to the band’s visual identity, designing the original Crash Diet logo and participating in early photo shoots that captured their gritty aesthetic.

According to available sources online, this version of the band recorded three unreleased demo CDs:

• Demo 1: Miss Pain*, California White*, Crazy Nights*, Cancer Dancer
• Demo 2: Gimme What I Need*, Queen Obscene*, Wishes and Dreams, Riot Youth*
• Demo 3 (“Fusion Is for Suckers”): Diamonds in the Rough*, Tracy (recorded May 2002)

Although these demos were never officially released, they circulated privately among friends and local fans.

Plans were even underway for a debut album titled “Beyond the Valley of Dolls”, though it was ultimately shelved following the band’s split.

The Breakup and Diverging Paths

By late 2002, tensions within Crash Diet came to a head. According to drummer Tom Bones, Dave Lepard’s concerns about internal band issues — and perhaps image insecurities — led to fracturing within the lineup. Tobias Forge, Gurra, and Tom Bones decided to leave the group rather than proceed without stability. They went on to form Subvision, a poppier, more eclectic project that allowed Forge to experiment further with songwriting and stage persona, paving the way toward the theatricality he would later fully realize with Ghost.

Meanwhile, Dave Lepard continued alone, relaunching the band in 2003 as “Crashdïet” (one word). He retained the name but started fresh with new members Martin Sweet, Peter London and Eric Young. What is really important to note is that, both Tobias and Dave viewed these two iterations as distinct bands. Forge himself confirmed years later that Crash Diet and Crashdïet should not be confused as the same entity.

Crashdïet, with Dave Lepard behind the mics and ryhtm guitar, went on to release “Rest In Sleaze” (2005) — a landmark record that would define the new wave of sleaze glam rock in the 2000s, influencing countless bands across Europe and beyond. This album is to this day considered to be Appetite For Destruction of the new generation of sleaze/glam, hair metal bands from 2000s. Tragically, Dave Lepard passed away in 2006 by committing suicide, but the band he resurrected lived on, continuing to tour and release music. Until today Crashdïet releeased six album and are currently working on the new one.

Legacy and Artifacts

Today, artifacts from the early Crash Diet years — including demo recordings, early flyers, and limited edition merchandise (like the famous gold glitter tank top) — are prized by fans of Tobias Forge and the early 2000s Swedish rock scene. Some collectors even own shirts designed by Forge himself, under his now-defunct design company “Lättja Designs” (Swedish for “sloth”).

Despite being a relatively brief chapter in Forge’s career, his tenure in Crash Diet remains a fascinating look into the formative years of one of modern rock’s most enigmatic figures. Both fans of Ghost and the sleaze/glam followers of the Crashdïet, are reluctant to engage in conversations about what exactly happened, which is why we decided to write this short text as a guide.

Crash Diet: Left to Right – Mary Goore (Tobias Forge), Tom Bones, Dave Leppard. Down – Mace Kelly

More Interesting Facts

• For some reason, fans who own Crashdïet demo recordings don’t want to share them with others or upload them online.

• Tom Bones once said that Dave Lepard was quite chaotic.

• The drummer also mentioned that he was invited to the photoshoot because of his good looks (the famous photoshoot from the picture).

• Crash Diet even had their own website, which looked like this.

• Dave Lepard was a big fan of the infamous GG Allin.

• Around 10 T-shirts were made featuring a picture of the whole band from the photoshoot, with the caption Scumfuc Tradition, which is also a reference to GG Allin.

• In 2004, there was a show where the newly formed Crashdïet (Dave Lepard, Martin Sweet, Peter London, and Eric Young) and Subvision, founded by Tobias Forge, Gurra, and Tom Bones after leaving Crash Diet, played on the same night. Since this was their first performance together after the split, Gurra confirmed that the bands exchanged demo CDs that night (containing recordings made without each other). Gurra gave Dave the Killing Floor EP, and Dave gave him a rare seven-inch recording of the song Riot In Everyone, which would later become Crashdïet’s biggest hit. Crashdïet were the headliners of that night.

• Crash Diet played their first show on February 9th 2002 at Tree Backar (according to some sources). The flyer for the show was designed by Mary Goore (Tobias Forge) showing heroin needle planes crashing into twin towers.

• Crash Diet got the name from the unreleased Guns N’ Roses song. The song is allegedly about the death of Hanoi Rocks drummer Razzle in a car accident involving Vince Neil. According to the story, Dave Leppard called Tobias one night and said: “The band will be called Crash Diet”, and hung up. The rest of the band agreed. Umlauts are added over a letter I as a homage to a band Voivod. Interestingly, same song Crash Diet was later released on a Asphalt Ballet album Pigs from 1993. Asphalt Ballet was a hard rock/hair metal band from San Diego.

• Crashdïet guitarist Martin Sweet who took over the leading role of the band after Dave’s death, can be seen wearing Ghost t-shirts numerous times live on stage trough the years. Just like in this February 2025 concert with Crazy Lixx.

• A lot of the songs from the Crash Diet ere of the band including Tobias Forge were alter released as demos under the Crashdïet name (see the list at the beginning of the article, marked with *). Most notable of the listed songs is Queen Obscene which is released officially on the Rest In Sleaze (2005) album. Other songs like Miss Pain, California Nights and others, can be found on the Crashdïet demo release from 2003, The Unreleased Demos (2004) and Illegal Rarities Vol 1. and Vol 2. (2014).

• Now if you are a Crashdïet fan as we on Junkyard are, you probably noticed two very interesting things. One of the old songs from “Tobias Forge” era of the band is called Diamonds In The Rough, which is exactly the chorus of the Crashdïet’s song Rust from the album In The Maze from 2019. (check the video below). Coincidence or not? The second one is the song Riot Youth which probably had something to do with the band’s biggest hit Riot In Everyone which defined the new generation of sleaze glam fans from the 2000s era. This is just a speculation. Maybe one day these owners of the demos decide to break the silence and put those songs out in the world.

• If you want to know more about Crashdïet – we have a lots of articles here

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