SPIRITUAL FRONT: The Queen Is Not Dead

Release year: 2023
Label: Prophecy/Auerbach Tonträger

Italian “nihilist suicide pop” artist Spiritual Front (let’s just call them neofolk for the sake of brevity and ignore their musical ill fit into the genre) have already for a number of years teased their upcoming album of The Smiths covers. In fact, I don’t think it was long after the release of their previous album Amour Braque that they let out that this’d be their next album. That was in 2018, so it was a long wait.

In the meantime, the band have toured performing songs by The Smiths (and some Morrissey solo stuff, too, I think?). I saw them perform such a set about a year ago in Helsinki, Finland. And let me tell you, whatever doubts I had to whether the Italians could pull off a full-length set of The Smiths material, on stage or on record… well, they were all dissolved instantly.

The Queen Is Not Dead offers a respectable 15 tracks worth of nihilist suicide pop renditions of The Smiths. Still, I’m sure all ardent The Smiths fans will miss one or the other personal favourite. I admit I’m a bit of a hobbyist when it comes to the UK legends, so I won’t comment much on whether Spiritual Front offer a good and balanced selection of songs. Check out the tracklist and judge for yourself.

However, what they do with the songs, I like. Spiritual Front accomodate their sound perhaps even to surprisingly large degrees to sound like the UK icons, but their own identity still shines through. This is in large parts due to band leader and singer Simone Salvatori, whose charismatic voice defines the band’s sound. He too, however, does to some extent let his style follow Morrissey’s cues; in other words, within Salvatori’s range, his performance on this album leans towards the soft and tender instead of the boisterous and sensual.

The result is an album of The Smiths covers that, without beating around the bush, works. Spiritual Front honor the originals and their spirit lovingly, without sticking slavishly to The Smiths’ sound. However, ultimately, the question begs to be asked: how much new do the Italians bring to these songs? To a great many listeners, the answer might be “not enough to buy the album.” I suspect you have to be a fan of one of the bands – or even better, both – to truly get value for money. Casual listeners, try before you buy.

The version I am reviewing is the 2CD artbook, which comes with a second CD of alternative versions, some stuff left out from the album and such. This totals in 26 tracks and close to one and a half hours of music. This version is strictly fan service: for the casual listener, there’s very little of interest on the second disc. But for the fan, these alternative versions are worth at least a couple of spins.

Otherwise, the artbook looks nice, but doesn’t offer the same kind of enhanced experience as the artbook version of Amour Braque did. Frankly put, the imagery within just isn’t as titillating, provocative and intriguing. And, sadly, there’s one big downside to the artbook: the way the CD’s are housed in thick cardboard pages really risks scratching the discs. I recommend protecting the CD’s somehow.

But, all in all, this artbook version is a nice artifact for the dedicated fan. As an album, The Queen Is Not Dead is a fine tribute to a genuine icon. Still – if you want the ultimate Spiritual Front tribute to The Smiths, you simply have to see them perform these songs live. That’s where Salvatori and his boys truly get into their element, and truly breathe potency and life into these songs.

Because, seeing Spiritual Front playing these songs live is probably the best and most authentic way to experience the music of The Smiths in this day and age. Screw dinosaurs performing the songs of their youth on oversized stages for overpriced ticket prices.

Visit Spiritual Front on their official website, Bandcamp or Facebook