Interview: Lacuna Coil

Italian metal band Lacuna Coil recently played The Great Indian Octoberfest at Palace Grounds, Bangalore. We managed to catch up with lead singer Cristina Scabbia and gutarist Cristiano Migilore backstage, right before the band hit the main stage. In this interview the band talks about their new album Shallow Life, working with Don Gilmore and their favorite football club.

Tell us about Shallow Life? What are the different ideas that circulated within the band during the recording sessions?
Cristina: Shallow Life is a record about all things superficial and non-superficial. There is no plot as such. As a band we are not conveying a message or anything . Some songs on Shallow Life are about things like television and media that effect the mindset of people and some are about the very basic things in life like having fun with your friends. We are trying to show both sides of life in this record. Hence Shallow Life.

There is a lot of talk about how the sound of Lacuna Coil have changed from gothic metal to alternative metal in the new album – is that true ?
Cristina: No. We have managed to retain the same sound. Infact this album has more elements of rock than any other genre. There are some middle-eastern sounds as well but the vibe of the album is mainly rock.  The whole alternative metal talk comes from the kind of imagery we have been using to promote this record. All the photo sessions about duality of life. That might be the reason why such ideas are surfacing.

So, your sound hasn’t changed ?
Cristiano: Nope. It’s more like goth modern rock. (laughs)

How was it working with Don Gilmore? What kind of an impact did he have on the band?
Cristina: Don Gilmore was great. Having worked with some of the biggest names in modern rock he has an amazing portfolio. This is our first time with an American producer and we would love to work with him again. He has a great ear which makes the songs sound better. He works on potential.

Cristiano: When we entered the studio to record Shallow Life most of the tracks were almost ready but he helped us find the right balance. That’s something he is really good at. Finding the right balance. He didn’t force the band to change anything .

Is metal big in Italy?
Cristiano: Not really. It’s just another underground movement. We’re a rare example of a band that was managed to break through. Big international acts do come and play but there is no support from mainstream media. No radio, no labels. That was one of the reasons why we decided to sign up with a foreign label at the time of our first record deal. There are good metal bands back home like Extrema and Node. Metal bands with potential. Specially Extrema because they have been around for so long without any kind of support. It’s quite hard to make it big as a metal band in Italy. Harder to find the next big band.

Karmacode is considered by many to be your best work yet – do you feel the same?
Cristina: Well our breakthrough record has to be Comalies because it features ‘Heaven’s a Lie’. That’s the song that got us radiotime in the US and once you capture the attention of the audience there you will always have people waiting to hear what you release next. But as a band maybe Karmacode was our best work at that point of time. All this best work talk is very time specific. It’s only best at that point. It’s all about the musical direction of the band at a certain point. Like right now Shallow Life is our best work.

This is your first time in India – what kind of an audience are you expecting?
Cristina: A crazy one. We are aware that people here like movies and are fun loving. We will be displaying  a lot of videos in sync with our songs during our performance. We want to give our fans here a show they will remember. Expect a lot of energy.

Are you guys big on your football?
Both: We support Milan AC. (laughs)

Lacuna Coil headlined day three of The Great Indian Octoberfest. Check out some behind-the-scenes pics before the band went on stage, courtesy Prateek Biswas.

Lacuna Coil pose for Indiecision @ Palace Grounds, Bangalore