Interview with Vittorio Sabelli of Notturno

April 14, 2025

Interview with Vittorio Sabelli of Notturno

By Mick Michaels

COSMICK VIEW: Hello! Welcome to The Cosmick View. Thank you for taking some time out of your day to chat with me, it's greatly appreciated.

CV: Do you feel Heavy Metal music in general is viewed differently by fans in Europe compared to fans elsewhere, especially in America, and if so why?

Vittorio Sabelli: In my opinion the concept of music is very simple and it is common to every artistic creation: if it gives us an emotion or a shock or makes us cry (and we should not be ashamed of this) then it means that we have found what we expect from music. I see a universal language and perception, that's all.

CV: What do you feel makes Heavy Metal music so alluring to the fans? What is it about the music that personally resonates so strongly with you?

Vittorio Sabelli: It's something that comes from our deepest side and I think this is different from person to person: from the need to look for a refuge in music, something that the 'real' world doesn't give us. Extreme music is a way to get out of this world and allow us to live it with a different approach.

CV: Has Metal splintered into too many sub-genres in your opinion, thus, making it harder for newer bands to actually classify themselves as one style over another? Is it confusing for fans as well?

Vittorio Sabelli: I don't see it as a negative thing when genres are clearly distinct in a natural way (just think of Heavy Metal, Thrash Metal, Black Metal as well as Classical Music, Jazz or Blues). The problem arises when bands go outside these canons even for simple creative needs that lead them to other areas. From this point it seems that there is almost the need to describe this mix of genres with an adjective at all costs. This is not good for music, but I think it’s always our taste that leads us to listen to one band rather than another.

CV: What do you feel makes your band and its particular approach to songwriting work? What keeps the band together and making music?

Vittorio Sabelli: Basically in my projects (Notturno, INCANTVM, Dawn of a Dark Age and A.M.E.N.) I take care of the whole creative process and I avail myself of the collaborations of many musicians that I feel most akin to the various projects. I don't have a way to create music, I wake up in the morning and start working on these projects, then little by little as they start to take shape I dedicate more or less time to one rather than another. It's a physical and expressive need that makes me feel alive to be able to create music that others will listen to and many tune in hoping to give those emotions I spoke about at the beginning.

CV: On a more global view, how do you see your band’s music and songwriting separating itself from just being another Heavy Metal act?

Vittorio Sabelli: I come from classical music and jazz and in my way of writing songs I like to put my experiences into my projects, so I don't put any barriers but only an expressive need that from time to time I take in one direction rather than another, keeping in mind that extreme music is always part of my projects.

CV: Can an artist truly be unique? Some would argue there is no such thing as being unique; that it’s nothing more than a compounding of influences making an artist who or what they are. Would this then say that artists today are destined to be just copies of those who have already come to pass?

Vittorio Sabelli: I don't believe in this, rather I believe in the difficulty that many listeners have in receiving new things, especially in extreme music there is a very clear gap between listeners. This process means that all those who try to do new things in music are seen with a 'crossed eye' but only because we have to commit ourselves to receiving these new elements in a music we are used to. There are many bands and artists who are still unique today but they just need to be discovered with curiosity. Curiosity has always moved the world and if we don't use it in art we will always live inside a comfortable bubble of things that we have known for decades.

CV: Are there life lessons to learn being in a Heavy Metal band that you feel cannot be taught elsewhere? If so, what are they?

Vittorio Sabelli: In general mutual respect and division of tasks. A band is like an office where everyone plays their role but with the substantial difference that you work to try to create emotions. I think this makes music unique and that it should be spread as much as possible, especially for today's generation. Bringing young people closer to music and uniting them in a band is something that would make them feel free and would detach them from smartphones and that virtual world that unfortunately we have been living in for several years.

CV: What do you feel makes someone a “rock star”? Does being a rock star automatically make one iconic or are the two completely different in your opinion?

Vittorio Sabelli: Good question! I would separate the real rock stars from the fake ones, there are characters who are icons for us (I could think of James Hetfield for me) and others created by the record companies to be money machines. What makes the difference is the charisma of those who get on stage, and you can't create that, you either have it or you don't. If you're lying on stage, the person on the other side doesn't have eyes and ears and wants to be fooled.

CV: What's next for you? What can fans expect to see coming from the band?

Vittorio Sabelli: We need to study, read, make ourselves mentally thoughtful and free. Otherwise we would be absorbed by everything that surrounds us, by social media, by virtual friendships, by everything that we would never want to take over real life. Music is one of the portals that allows us to get out of this vortex at any time, especially the darkest ones.

CV: Thank you again for spending some time talking and sharing with our readers. It was a pleasure. I wish you all the best and continued success.

Vittorio Sabelli: I thank you and hope to hear from you again in the future.

Check out Notturno at:

https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Notturno/3540504418

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My name is Mick Michaels...I'm an artist, music fan, songwriter, producer, show host, dreamer and guitarist for the traditional Heavy Metal band Corners of Sanctuary. Writing has always been a creative outlet for me; what I couldn't say in speech, I was able to do with the written word. Writing has given me a voice and a way for me to create on a multitude of platforms including music and song, articles, independent screenplays, books and now, artist interviews. The Cosmick View is an opportunity to raise the bar and showcase artists in a positive and inspirational light. For me, it's another out-of-this-world adventure.