Zimone gave an interview to russian Nikolaї Kondrakov on vk (source : https://vk.ru/@e_dark_folk-intervu-s-simone-salvatori-spiritual-front)
Below is the full english translation
Nikolai. Today we’re in Rome, and we have a wonderful opportunity to talk to Zimone Salvatori, the frontman of Spiritual Front. Hi Zimone, thanks for finding the time!
Zimone. Hi! Thanks for inviting me.
Nikolai. Let’s start with something current. Tell me, the latest SF release so far, the track Heavy Discipline — is it a single from a new album, or just a standalone track?
Zimone. Heavy Discipline is just a standalone track; we decided to treat our listeners. At the time of the release, we had no plans to include it on an album. But new material is on the way. We’re currently in the final stages before recording. We’re working again with Stefano Puri, with whom we made Black Hearts in Black Suits. There’s still a lot ahead of us, but things are moving forward. We even already have a title and an album cover!
Nikolai. That’s wonderful news! And Heavy Discipline really made a lot of people happy.
Zimone. Thanks! It turned out to be a good track.
Nikolai. Let’s move on to concerts, specifically concerts in Russia. Our mutual acquaintance, the leader of the Russian neofolk band Moon Far Away, Alexey Sheptunov — who also sends his regards — recently told me about your plans to come to Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and even Arkhangelsk with concerts. How would you comment on that?
Zimone. I once played a concert in Arkhangelsk. And it was wonderful! It made me see Russia in a completely different way. You know, Moscow and Saint Petersburg are megacities, but Arkhangelsk is something unique — the true Russian North. And I really want to return to Russia with concerts, to play both in big cities and in smaller ones, and in different regions. I love Russia and want to explore different sides of life in this amazing country. Arkhangelsk served as a great aperitif, so to speak. So as soon as the global situation improves, I’ll come!
Nikolai. I assure you, you’re always a welcome guest here! Tell us more about your impressions of the Russian cities you’ve visited.
Zimone. We often played in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, and I love these cities — I miss them and really want to come back! What I liked most, of course, were the people we communicated with — passionate, deeply involved; I felt we were on the same wavelength. We’re still in touch with many of them.
Nikolai. And what didn’t you like?
Zimone. Hard to say — probably the chaos and the pace of life. You know, Moscow is a very big city. But it didn’t spoil the overall impression.
Nikolai. Tell us some memorable story from those trips.
Zimone. I remember my first impression of Russia. I grew up on Hollywood propaganda and sincerely believed that rough, harsh people lived in Russia who hated Europeans. When I first came to Russia, everything turned out to be completely the opposite: people were polite and hospitable, the food was amazing, and the cities were strikingly beautiful. Ever since then, I’ve wanted to return again and again. You probably know that I received a lot of criticism for my attitude toward Russia. Some concerts in European cities were canceled, and people wrote all kinds of nonsense to me on social media. But all that is temporary — it will end. My impression, though, is forever.
Nikolai. I remember the concert in Moscow when you first performed the song Vladimir Central. The song was later released as a single and then appeared on the album Amour Braque in 2018. Many people here think it’s a cover or even a remake of Mikhail Krug’s song Vladimirsky Central. Is that true?
Zimone. I like Mikhail Krug, but when I wrote my Vladimir Central, I wasn’t yet familiar with his work. My song is inspired by the culture of Russian prison tattoos. I was deeply immersed in that topic and generally studying various criminal subcultures. Stories about Vladimir Central surprised me, and I wrote this song.
Nikolai. Don’t you think that the simultaneous rise of interest in criminal subcultures in Italy and Russia in the 20th century (the Italian mafia in pop culture and Russia’s “blatnaya” counterculture) is a sign of the closeness of the two countries and a kind of shared historical destiny — since both Italy and Russia went through a series of upheavals?
Zimone. Listen, that’s a very complex and very interesting question — I need to think about it. If you look closely, I think that in both Russia and Italy criminal subcultures were a kind of rebellion against the system. In reality, all of it was tragic and brutal, but in Italian culture today there’s an obvious romanticization of it — just as, it seems to me, there is in Russian culture. So as for closeness — definitely yes. As for historical destiny — that requires more thought.
Nikolai. Let’s talk about your early albums Songs for the Will (1999) and Nihilist Cocktails for Calypso Inferno (2001). Some songs were reissued in 2013 on the album Open Wounds, and some you even still perform occasionally at concerts. But most of the compositions seem completely forgotten. And yet there were masterpieces there: Solipsism, Secret Light of Lovers, and others. Why is that?
Zimone. You know, when I listen to them now, I feel uncomfortable for several reasons. Back then I didn’t know how to record and present them properly; they turned out raw, even though they were sincere. I like the concept, especially of the 2001 album, but the way it was recorded — better not to remember. And my life at that time was far from bright: lots of alcohol and drugs, experiments on myself, total confusion — I felt lost and didn’t know how to find myself. So yes, better not to revisit it. Many people asked me to re-record those things, and I reworked part of the material on Open Wounds. That’s why the album is called that — for me, it’s all open wounds.
Nikolai. Don’t you want to re-record other old tracks?
Zimone. No, that’s all in the past. And the only good thing about that story is that you can learn from your mistakes.
Nikolai. Let’s talk about another old album — the split you recorded with Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio, Satyriasis – Somewhere Between Equilibrium and Nihilism (2005). It became a cult release. How do you personally feel about it? Would you like to work with Tomas again?
Zimone. Actually, I would! We’ve talked about the possibility of releasing a second edition. Tomas and I are good friends. So why not? But it all comes down to being busy and having no time. Working on that album was interesting. I love those songs. But there was also an unpleasant story. The publisher screwed me over, and I didn’t receive any money for that release. It’s not that money was important to me — it’s more a question of decency. Overall, ORE is one of the best bands in the genre, and working with them is a great prospect.
Nikolai. Who else would you single out from the so-called dark folk scene? Who do you listen to, who do you respect?
Zimone. In the beginning, many bands were interesting; now it’s deadly boring! ORE are great, King Dude is pleasing, even though he swore he wouldn’t release new material, Moon Far Away do an excellent job combining tradition and modernity — I respect them a lot. They have a new album coming out on Prophecy soon, if I’m not mistaken?
Nikolai. Yes!
Zimone. I also like Irfan. They have an interesting concept. In many ways they’re similar to Dead Can Dance. But all that Of the Crap [Wand] and the Moon stuff, or that stinking Rome — I can’t stand them lately. Deadly boring — all the same, with tons of pretension and pathos.
Nikolai. What are your musical tastes in general?
Zimone. I listen to a lot of different things. I love Franz Ferdinand, of course I love Morrissey. I love a lot of ’80s music, soul music… I love a lot of metal — I’m a big thrash metal fan. Black metal doesn’t really do it for me, though it was interesting in the beginning.
Nikolai. You actually started your musical career in a metal band.
Zimone. Yes, that’s true. That’s why I still like heavy music.
Nikolai. Can those recordings be found anywhere?
Zimone. Oh, I hope you never find them [laughs]. They’re even more embarrassing than Songs for the Will. Anyway, if you ever come to my place, you’ll see a huge record collection there. The only thing I don’t really like is rap, probably.
Nikolai. Have you ever thought about returning to metal?
Zimone. Actually, not long ago we from Spiritual Front worked with the project Neromega and recorded an EP. It turned out to be a solid doom-stoner release. I’ll send you the link.
[https://youtu.be/ATOV9cxZejU?si=ZAQU5Or0y-10pQAD]
Nikolai. Let’s talk about literature. Do you read often? What do you like? Maybe you could name a top list of books that influenced you?
Zimone. I like reading, and lately I’ve been reading a lot of historical nonfiction. I’m generally interested in history and politics.
Nikolai. How do you feel about Russian literature?
Zimone. I read a lot when I was a student. I remember Dostoevsky affected me the most. I should reread him. Let me think and send you a list of books that influenced me.
Nikolai. Great! And if it’s not too much trouble, also write about albums that left a mark on you.
Zimone. I’d be happy to!
Nikolai. Deal! Thank you very much for this conversation.
Zimone. I hope I didn’t disappoint. Thank you!
