More than three decades into their career, Moonspell continue to evolve without allowing their history to become a limitation. Following the release of Far From God, the Portuguese gothic metal veterans are preparing for one of the most ambitious touring chapters of their career with the God Is A Vampire Tour 2027, a 40-date run across 19 countries featuring Iotunn and Todomal.
We spoke with frontman Fernando Ribeiro about transforming Far From God into a full-scale live experience, balancing 35 years of Moonspell history with the band’s present, the choices behind the tour’s diverse itinerary and supporting acts, and why authenticity remains essential as the group continues pushing its music and theatrical vision forward.
Jose Cardona: When we recently spoke about Far From God, you said that the next step for Moonspell was the stage because songs only truly come alive when they meet their audience. Now the God Is A Vampire Tour has become your most ambitious headline tour to date, with 40 shows across 19 countries. When did you realize that Far From God demanded something this extensive rather than a more conventional album tour?
Fernando Ribeiro: There is still a hunger in Moonspell, and Far From God gave us not only a strong sign but a reason to act on it. Taking it on the road means opening our once private chest to other people and finding out what our songs mean to them. That is a very important part of the process for us and it was the first tour in 1995 supporting Morbid Angel and Immortal that allowed us our very own existence as a band.
The length of the tour also comes from wanting to give this music time and space. Europe has many different audiences, and a handful of dates cannot represent our relationship with all of them sensibilities. Forty shows is a serious undertaking, but after 35 years we still want to put ourselves out there. Other than that there’s also a real-world reason to make it this long, as supporting a tour is a harder task than ever and last but not least, we need a tour to be together as a band to renew our vows with ourselves, our inner purpose as a band and of course show it to the fans attending.
Moonspell have described this tour as more than a concert, with a new stage design, powerful lighting, immersive video and a massive sound intended to transform Far From God into a complete experience. What kind of emotional or visual journey do you want the audience to go through during the show?
It’s all publicity to sell tickets and in fact we’re just bringing a cheap backdrop and hang it on the back of the stage. (laughs) But now, seriously, it’s time for us to show what we are capable off and man up to a show that has taste, investment and visual strength. The idea drawn into the show from the first moment, with enough room to experience it in their own way. There is darkness in this music, of course, but also intimacy, beauty and release. A whole evening needs those different temperatures. The quieter passages can make the heavy ones feel much more powerful.
The lighting and video will give us another language to work with. We’re going to have a led cross where videos textures will be showing and helping to the narrative, special lights, a clerical backdrop, layers like in theatre with a rock band performing. But the most interesting part will always be the people in the room. We can prepare the setting; the audience brings the emotion that makes each night different, they just need the power of suggestion to happen.
The tour also celebrates 35 years of Moonspell, yet you have been very clear that the band has no interest in living through nostalgia or simply recreating the past. How do you build a set that honors 35 years of history while still making Far From God feel like the center of the band’s present rather than another chapter surrounded by classics?
Thirty-five years gives you a lot to be grateful for, but it still a few headaches when you have to write a setlist. We understand that people have very personal stories with certain songs. They associate them with a period of their lives; someone they loved their first Moonspell concert. That deserves respect but it’s vital that this tour adds something beyond the songs: a visual narrative, some deep cuts here and there, new memories based upon a feeling along the lines of “I never saw Moonspell like that before”…
Sure thing that Far From God is where we are now, and we have to give those songs a real place in the show. The interesting thing is hearing what happens between the different eras. An older song can reveal something about the new material too, and a new song can change the mood around a familiar one. There’s a continuity we want to embrace while showcasing that link, sometimes invisible, to the crowds. A sense of celebrating 35 years while still moving forward.
Iotunn and Todomal will join you for the tour, giving the bill three very different approaches to heavy music. What attracted Moonspell to those two bands, and how important was it for you to create a complete atmosphere for the evening rather than simply choose support acts that sound similar to Moonspell?
What appealed to me is that both bands have their own musical saying in, let’s say, the darker sides of metal. There is a sense of scale and exploration in Iotunn, while Todomal brings a different weight and atmosphere. Those qualities make sense alongside Moonspell without making the evening predictable. I like a bill that gives the audience something to discover. People should be able to arrive early and experience three bands with something of their own to say. Having different approaches can also sharpen the identity of each band. By the time we go on, I hope the audience will already have been moved, challenged and surprised. And, to be honest, I’m personally tired of playing it safe for the crowds and have more of the same until the headliner arrives with their hammers and spears.
One striking aspect of the itinerary is the decision to play not only the obvious major markets, but also countries and cities that bands of your stature can sometimes bypass. After three and a half decades of touring, what makes it important for Moonspell to still go toward the audience instead of expecting the audience to come only to the largest markets?
Coming from Portugal might have something to do with that. You understand very well what seeing the tours at a distance means when you grow up away from the places where everything seems to happen. You remember what it feels like when a band finally comes to your city, and the frustration involved when they don’t. Our audience has made quite the effort for us for many years.
People travel, take time off work and spend money that is not always easy to spare. Whenever we can bring the show closer to them, there is a good reason to do it. Those places are part of Moonspell’s story, too. You can feel how much a concert matters when people have been waiting a long time for it. Also, some of the places which seem more “remote” even in an overtoured Europe is where enthusiasm is more remarkable and tickets sell faster, something which would be a mistake in all reason.
On Far From God, “Cross Your Heart” reflects on life on the road, absence, danger and the people who never made it home. You described it as one of the album’s most personal songs. Does preparing for another 40-date European journey make that song feel different to you now that its themes are becoming part of your daily reality again?
“Cross Your Heart” carries that vulnerability of danger implicit in a life that many know of but can’t really fathom. The road has given us extraordinary moments, but it also asks a lot from the people travelling. Thinking of the people who never returned makes it harder to take any of this for granted. I imagine singing it night after night will bring different emotions to the surface. Some nights you have more distance from a song; on others, every word feels close. It’s all in the miles you put in and closing your eyes in your bunk, every night, and the hope you have to have to meet the next day. In my case, without alcohol or drugs, it’s also a challenge to endure it without losing focus and losing yourself and become one of those signs on the road we sing about.
You have also spoken very strongly about authenticity in gothic metal and about resisting formulas. With such an ambitious visual production planned for this tour, how do you make sure the spectacle serves the darkness and emotional weight of Moonspell rather than becoming exactly the kind of formula you have criticized?
Please don’t mind me, I know nothing, I’m just a lost pilgrim too. First and foremost, I don’t want to gatekeep at all. My intention is not make anything great or goth again but to remind ourselves that depth is needed for Gothic music and eyeliner and a cool hat are just a means to an end, but not what will save this Gothic music has always had a strong visual imagination, and I enjoy that. The question is whether an idea helps us express something in the song. A production can be technically impressive and still leave you completely cold.
We have to be able to explain to ourselves why something belongs in the show. Sometimes a song needs movement and images; others it just needs one light and your full attention. That judgment matters more than the number of effects. And we have to deliver as musicians. Everything around us depends on that human feel and presence, on whether we actually mean what we are singing and playing. If I sing vampire, I have to look like one not because I have makeup and a designer cape. I always watched a lot of theatre live and studied this book attentively: Towards a Poor Theatre (1968), by Jerzy Grotowski. It explores theatre stripped down to its essentials. It reduces elaborate sets, costumes and technical effects, focusing on the actor’s body and voice. “Poor” refers to minimal material resources, supported by rigorous physical and emotional training. The aim is to create a direct, powerful encounter between performer and audience. This book can be a great help for low budget bands like us. (laughs)
The announcement currently focuses on Europe, but you previously said that Moonspell wanted to take Far From God around the world and allow the album to develop its own history. For readers in the United States, should the God Is A Vampire concept be understood as the beginning of a larger touring cycle that could eventually reach North America?
North America is certainly part of that desire. We had a false start as we were unable to pass petition stage for visas to support Cradle of Filth in the U.S. and Canada and had to sit this one out. Also we want to expand to some territories we never been and at least scratch them off bucket list before age catches up with us and we’re too old to rock or travel.
Somehow, we never hit it right with North America which makes it even more difficult for us but, to be honest, I don’t mind running the sports bars again and make a serious effort to play overseas to whoever needs to see us live. If we could bring production, which we won’t, I believe we could give a run for their money to other Euro bands touring over there. There is a lot that has to come together before an ambition becomes an announced tour, especially with a production of this scale. I would rather speak concretely when there is something ready to share. But the European dates reflect how much we want to invest in these songs and how far we hope to take them. To our American fans: we want to see you again and give you a show worth the wait. We just hope it can be possible. A man can dream.
(interview published October 20, 2026)
