Product Description
2. Life’s too long
3. Martha
4. Eternally yours
5. Veronika
6. The only Sin
7. Dies Iræ
8. No Forgiveness
9. Erwig
10. I just can’t have Nothing
11. Lacrimosa
12. I believe I was yours
13. Franz
14. Choose death
15. Each Man kills the Thing he loves
Sam writes: We might have my (non-Projekt) album of the year here! This is the best Spiritual Front album since Armageddon Gigolo, yet it’s very different because it’s not rock. Just piano, strings + voice. If you like Marc Almond’s non-mainstream work, or Human Drama, then you need this one. seriously. Also available on vinyl
German Import – Black Hearts in Black Suits: A collaboration born of a long separation. Seven years after the highly acclaimed Armageddon Gigolo, Simone Salavatori and Stefano Puri once again find their paths crossing. Black Hearts in Black Suits is the result of three years of work, composed by Stefano Puri specifically for Spiritual Front, with Simone Salvatori lending his voice and interpretation (as intense and charismatic as ever) to the composer’s music. The poems of Reiner Werner Fassbinder are given new light as they materialize into musical form as Stefano Puri sits at the piano and joins Simone Salvatori on a voyage of no return. The Symposium Ensemble and the Black Hearts Choir round out the endeavor. The composer’s writing – in one moment minimal and introspective, in the next dark and theatrical – follows ancestral pathways along which the singers voice moves between intimacy and majesty, between heavy chords and light harmonies, between airy string passages and obscure choral harmonies.
A concept album more akin to an opera than to the traditional LP, Black Hearts in Black Suits is a fascinating symphonic journey that takes us through the darkest nihilistic sides of both the composer and the icon of “Suicide Pop”. From Franz Schubert to Nick Cave, Michael Nyman to David Tibet, from Arvo Pärt to Marc Almond… with no way back!
Reviews Editor –
From Intravenous
Italy’s Spiritual Front have been around in the neofolk scene for over a decade now, and have honed their suicidal folk-pop formula with great effort. With several full-length albums under their belt, including the acclaimed Armageddon Gigolo (2006), they have proven again to be one of the more interesting modern neofolk acts. Long-time fans will no doubt be rejoicing that the band’s latest effort sees former member Stefano Puri back on song writing duty for the first time since 2006.
The new album, based on the poems of Rainer Werner Fassbinder focusses on the dichotomy of the light and dark sides of the bands musical sound. The album augments the band’s established sound of blending neofolk, neoclassical and post-punk with a bleak decadence evoking old Europe. The tracks constantly shift from light airy pieces to darker, more complex pieces, with occasional dabbling with ecclesiastical majesty. The result is almost akin to the drunken death rattle of imperial Europe presented as a theatrical revue.
Musically and vocally the band take their cues from the likes of Franz Schubert, Nick Cave, David Tibet, and Marc Almond. With songs such as , ‘Life’s Too Long’, ‘The Only Sin’, ‘I Just Can’t Have Nothing’, ‘I Believe I Was Yours’ and ‘Each Man Kills The Thing He Loves’ balance a melancholic pop edge with a deeply intimate and confessional approach.
The use of ecclesiastical interludes on ‘Requiem Æternam’, ‘Dies Iræ’ and ‘Lacrimosa’ breaks up what is quite a long track listing into more bitesize chapters and adds a little more gravitas to the sombre and minimalistic piano-led arrangements.
Black Hearts In Black Suits is a pretty heavy going album. It’s long and melancholic, designed to wrench at the listeners heart via their ears. The fifteen tracks and penchant towards simple piano pieces won’t be to everyone’s liking. However, the song writing though, is exquisite, and the production is simple, but effective. Vocally Simone Salvatori has never sounded better. Ultimately this will prove to be another standout album in the Spiritual Front catalogue. -Sean Palfrey