Doomed Confessionary: Francesco Zarini (Circle Of Rhinos)
Photos by Gianluca Giannasso
Circle Of Rhinos is an instrumental stoner/heavy blues rock band based in Rome, Italy.
Circle Of Rhinos was founded by Alessandro Santori (mastermind of doomdelic instrumental space rock band L’Ira del Baccano) and Francesco Zarini (guitar addict and blues lover) in the pandemic era, soon joined by Roberto Gatti on bass. All animated by the same passion for heavy tones and inspired by classic masterpieces (such as Black Sabbath, Kiss, Thin Lizzy, ZZ Top, Blue Cheer) and more desert and stoner oriented bands (such as Red Fang, Karma To Burn, The Atomic Bitchwax) as well.
On April 21, 2021, they released their first EP, »Crossroads Breed«, whose title recalls the numerous influences within it. After some lineup changes on drums they started working on their first full-lenght album, »Hellevator«, which was just released on October 30th, 2025. An instinctive game (playing), a powerful sound and obsessive riffs… this is the formula of Circle Of Rhinos.
Circle Of Rhinos are Francesco Zarini (lead and rhythm guitar), Alessandro Santori (rhythm guitar), Roberto Gatti (bass) and Pierluigi De Angelis (drums).
Can you please say a few words about your band?
The band started almost as a joke. I met Sandro many years ago, when he was already leading his creation the doomdelic instrumental space prog rock band L’Ira del Baccano, and it was during a recording session with a band I was playing in at the time, Sando is an excellent producer, and we’re lucky to have him on board! Anyway, we immediately bonded over our sense of humor, musical tastes, and so on. A few years later, I moved into the same neighborhood, so we’d often meet at my house to drink some beer (a bit more actually), chat, listen to music, and play together! Guitars in hand, we’d have fun jamming, and so, night after night, the idea began to take shape in our minds… Initially, we wanted to create a studio project, but we were immediately fascinated by the idea of a real band, which is the only way to bring the right energy and vigor to music: from my point of view, I like reality. We reached out to some friends and that’s how we started the band: Sandro and I are authors of the tracks in Circle Of Rhinos and in 2021 we released our firs EP »Crossroads Breed« to finally release our first album »HELLEVATOR« just a few days ago.
What was the biggest challenge for the band?
To create original music is always a challenge that personally I never had before! What more… We choose the instrumental way and it’s much more challenging and I love it!
Because of the role of Sandro as leader of L’Ira del Baccano the path was that it was mainly me to write the music for the band and so here I am! I learn through the mistakes but it’s always special when a track is exactly as you were thinking about.
What can you be most proud of so far?
Sandro and I are the creators of Circle Of Rhinos. The work to realise the tracks It’s a long process every time, we’re very demanding of ourselves and the band members, and we’re probably never truly satisfied! But we try to give our best every time, and I think we can be proud of this consistent attitude. Also, »Crossroads Breed« is our first “child”, so I can say we love it, and it’s given us plenty of opportunities to make ourselves known in the underground scene.
What was your biggest regret?
To be honest, I have no regrets, I never have, I trust my instincts. Maybe we wasted some time in the past as a band; we’re slow animals! Anyway, we play what we love, and that “wasted” time isn’t so wasted after all! We’ve achieved a tone as a band that I think is our trademark and this can happen only by spending time rehearsing like we usually do and like we’ve always done since the beginning… it’s a long road to the top if you want to play rock ‘n’ roll!
What was the best concert/tour so far and why?
As a band, we’ve spent a lot of time in the studio rehearsing and producing our songs, and we haven’t focused on live performances, but that will be our focus for next year! Last spring, however, we had the pleasure of participating in a festival with other bands from the Italian underground scene, and it was a fantastic experience, as well as a wonderful live debut for us, in front of a welcoming and warm audience. If you mean a concert I’ve attended, well… I’ve loved ZZ Top since I was a kid, and I saw them in 2010: one of the best concerts ever, for sure!!! But I’ve seen so many over the years… that’s the advantage of age!
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
When I first heard Pink Floyd’s »The Wall« and AC/DC’s »Back In Black«, I was truly shocked and mesmerized by the sounds! I was a kid back then! And that’s why I started playing guitar, or at least making some noise with it!
Many years later I remember I was really impressed by Alice In Chains.
What is currently in your heavy musical rotation?
I always listen to a lot of music, it’s a daily need, I can’t live without it! Karma To Burn, The Atomic Bitchwax, Corrosion Of Conformity, Eyehategod, Danzig, Red Fang, Down, Pantera, The Obsessed, Black Label Society, Black Sabbath of course… and many others, too many great bands out there.
What was the best advice you’ve ever been given as a musician?
I’ve received a lot of advice… which I’ve always ignored!!! Just a joke… but it’s not true!!!! Practice, practice, practice… this is the main advice I’ve received since the beginning, and practice is obviously necessary, but I’m not very interested in technical skills. I think music begins in the head, and what I try to do is translate ideas into music, and Sandro is a great partner in this! He has excellent taste in music, and his contribution to the arrangement of songs is invaluable. However, I think everyone has their own method for learning. I learn every day mainly from my mistakes and in my own way.
What are your guilty pleasures?
Ohhh… I’m a sinner!!! Unfortunately, I’m a cigar smoker, a beer drinker, a whiskey lover, and a coffee addict…
Can you say something more about the current music scene in Rome?
Well, in general there is a very interesting scene, especially regarding the underground scene, a lot of great bands that spread great music wherever they can… unfortunately there are not many venues dedicated to rock and heavy music in general.
Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
Let’s hope so, wherever possible!!!! In Italy, obviously, starting in 2026, and then we’ll see what happens.
What are your plans for the future as a band?
We never stop, we’re already working on songs for a new album and we hope to be ready for the recording sessions in a few months.
How can people best support your band?
The best way to support the band is to listen to and share our music! Of course, we have a Bandcamp page where you can purchase Circle Of Rhinos’ digital releases and our exclusive Rhinos t-shirt… guaranteed Italian fashion.
Do you have any message for your listeners?
Yes of course! The message I want to give you is: thank you from the bottom of my heart! Every listener is very important to us… so thank you all, thanks so much indeed!
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well