It is early December when I join Lacuna Coil founder and singer Andrea Ferra at the start of his first round of interviews for the band’s new album, Sleepless Empire. He is in his home city of Milan, where Lacuna Coil started out in 1994. Having been given an advance digital copy of the album, which has been on constant rotation, I start by congratulating Andrea on the new release and laugh about adding it to my best of 2024 music lists.
Anyone who saw Lacuna Coil on their autumn run of shows will attest to how impressive the band were, something I remark upon to Andrea. Having seen the band in many venues across the UK in the past 15 years or more, their show in Bristol, the last night of that tour, was phenomenal. How did Andrea feel the tour went?
“I feel it was great,” Andrea says, “because we did even better numbers than we normally do in the UK, which has always been a pretty good market for us. So we’ve grown in terms of audience, and that’s something that is not easy to achieve once you’re a certain number of years into your career. So, we were very happy. We had not been to the UK in a while.”
Andrea is keen to point out that the band are likely to be back in the UK in 2025. We know they are confirmed for Bloodstock. “Obviously, there will be some more shows later in the tour cycle, but it was great to be back. I think it’s a good starting point to face the new cycle, you know, because we must adjust. We tried some new stuff as well.
“Visually, we have a new guitar guy [Daniele Salmone] on the tour, and so there were a few things that we needed to try and a few new songs as well. Obviously, the set list is gonna evolve, but obviously it was important to put the machine in motion towards the new cycle.
“It’s been very, very useful, and it’s always a pleasure to tour in the UK because there’s always been a very positive reaction to our records and to our tours, so we know we’re gonna have a good time.”
One of the things I noticed from the Bristol show was a change in the audience. Whilst some of the band’s audience has obviously evolved with Lacuna Coil, there were a lot of younger fans who clearly were not born when In A Reverie or even Karmacode were released.
Has Andrea noticed a change in the band’s fanbase? “Yes, we’re lucky that we also have a new generation of fans. We haven’t lost many of the older fans as well, so it’s a great situation. One thing we’re noticing, especially after the pandemic, is there is also a new category of people, not only the fans our age or a little younger who found out about the band with Karmacode but also older fans.
“There is a new generation of people aged 60+, which we didn’t have before. I was talking to some of them because I was curious how come all of a sudden we have this, even in America. We have this new generation of older people who did not follow us in the beginning. They told me that they found out about the band through the pandemic by browsing Spotify or Apple Music. If you like these guys, you might like those. Hello guys!”
Andrea Ferra is talking about the type of person who, before, did not go to many shows. “But they said once I’m at the show, I’m no longer 65 or 70. I’m just one of the crowd when the lights turn off. I can scream, I can dance, I can move just as much as anybody, and nobody cares because I’m just one of the guys. There are no limits once the lights are off. You’re just one of the guys. You can do whatever you like, and that’s great.”
It’s a discussion we continue for a few minutes, exploring what draws fans to certain bands and that unifying hour or 90 minutes where you can forget the world and focus on the music. It’s a unifying thing that we must treasure.
“I think it’s a great thing,” Andrea says, “because it’s not something that was happening before, and it is one of the few good things about the pandemic. People just want to go out and have fun, you know, they want to enjoy it.”
If you read the book that the band brought out called Nothing Stands In Our Way, it is evident that Andrea has always been active, with photos of him skateboarding and other sports. We discussed how important it was to stay active during the pandemic, especially in Italy, where the lockdown was intense.
“I’ve always done a little bit of sports,” he says. “I always did a little bit of martial arts when I was a kid, then skateboarding and football with friends or charity events. I still go to the gym even now when I can. Obviously, I don’t have the time to go constantly, but if I can, I go two or three times a week just to keep myself active.
“So, when I was home, I did a lot of exercising, like following some online lessons. I did a lot of guitar playing. Many hours of guitar playing. In the beginning, it was more like video games and TV series, but then I felt I could use my time better. Obviously, I still play video games and watch TV, but I also try to have a little exercise routine. I think it’s the best way, especially for depression.
“Physical exercise, as much as you would not connect it to your mental well-being, is helpful. I felt a little bit of anxiety and mild depression when I was not working when I was home, and I couldn’t find a job.
“I think a lot of people felt like that, especially when I was young. It helps you clear your mind, so you do not always focus on your unlucky moment or your negative moment, and you just don’t think about it. Not only can chemicals in your body react better to your life, but also your mind. It’s much easier to keep it out of the misery.”
The other thing that is evident from the book, but also evident in what you see from the band, is what a tight-knit unit Andrea, Marco (Coti Zelati) and Cristina (Scabbia) are in terms of the heart of the band.
Lacuna Coil have been together close to 30 years, so clearly, there is some glue holding them together. I asked Andrea about the way the relationship works. “Obviously, we do have disagreements because there’s so many things that need to be taken care of with the band,” he says. “Not only the songwriting but there’s also the touring, the logistics, the economical/financial situation, talking with the press.
“We try to separate roles inside the band in a way that we don’t clash too much on the same topic. And we don’t waste energy with everybody focusing on the same thing.”
Andrea explains that it took time to put the ego to one side to make things work. “We try to see who’s better at doing what,” he says, “and let him do it. Marco is better at songwriting and creating the artistic side of things. I am better with lyrics, the topics, and I’m better at logistics, financial control and speaking to the management, booking agents and that part of the job.
“Christina is obviously much better on the PR side. Keeping the people entertained and the more outgoing things and keeping contact with the fan base and new possibilities.
“There have been moments of misunderstanding, but the fact that we were friends even before the band, I think, helped. Now that it’s the three of us making all the decisions, it’s better than before when we were six people. Obviously, everybody contributed then, and it was great to be in the band with these guys, but it’s easier to make decisions with three heads rather than six.
“Sometimes you must learn how to let other people do their thing because they are obviously better at doing that than you are. And so, once you understand that, then everything works. Everybody has a talent, but not necessarily the same talent. So, it’s important that you understand what you’re good at and you do what you’re good at.
“It’s much more useful for the band. It’s much better than trying to always be involved in everything. I suppose that has evolved over time, from those early days to now.”
We continue the discussion about how everything is now quicker and easier. Andrea reassures me that there are still times when they disagree but states that it’s a normal situation, as it would be in every relationship in every walk of life. As he says, you can’t always be happy, but this is a band who are happy with what they do. They are always learning, he says, and are focused on more precision and accuracy in everything they do.
Andrea mentions that Cristina does most of the social media and PR, which leads us neatly into the subject matter of Sleepless Empire, which revolves around the explosion of digital development and people being locked in it into a kind of zombified state.
I ask Andrea about it and wonder if it is a subject that he had wanted to explore for some time. I explain that I live very close to a high school where all the children are glued to their phones as they walk to school.
“Exactly. Sleepless Empire is not a concept album in the way that it was conceived in the ’70s, so there’s not one story that develops along with all the lyrics or all the songs. It’s one topic that is a common theme. Things that unify the graphic, the way we’re gonna look live, the scenography, the music, the lyrics.
“There is a common theme, but it’s not only one story, so not all the songs talk about these topics. The title track is very obvious. I think the fact that we’re not so young anymore has allowed us to leave the analogue world and go to the digital revolution.”
It’s a fascinating discussion, and for people of Andrea and my age, a seismic shift in a short period of time. We chat about seeing kids glued to their phones, not that many adults are much better these days, of course, and how the advent of the Internet has changed our lives so dramatically.
As Andrea says, “When we were kids, the Internet wasn’t important at all because there was no Internet.”
We reminisce about those golden years. “If nobody could reach you all day because you were outside playing football with your friends, nobody was worried and they just see you coming back at night. If they can’t reach you on the phone, they call you next time. So, it wasn’t a big deal. Nowadays, if you don’t reach somebody within one hour, then you’ll call the police! I mean, I’m exaggerating, but it is a situation like this.”
Andrea leads back into the album’s themes. “I think that what we described in Sleepless Empire is the fact that our life has really taken algorithm more than the rhythm and wherever the Internet takes us, we go.
“I’m not excluding us, or we are maybe more aware of this than some other people. The fact that there’s so much offering, but there’s also instant gratification because everything is just a click away. But sometimes it gives you too many inputs, and sometimes there are too many releases.
“Every day, I go to Spotify, and I check the new releases. There are so many bands it confuses you. There are too many that don’t put the right attention on the product, because there’s always something new coming out the next day, the next morning, and everything is so fast.
“But on the other hand, we are so confused that we feel that we are not sleeping anymore because we have all these inputs that don’t enrich us as they should. They don’t inspire us sometimes as they should.
“That’s why we say you praise false gods. Sometimes it would be easier to go out and do something. But it is what it is. You know, I’m not saying it’s better or worse.”
It’s a hugely interesting observation in an album that gets better on every play. We moved on to explore something else that was interesting to me. The presence of two guest singers in Randy Blythe (Lamb of God) and Ash Costello (New Year’s Day). For a band that has two singers to get a guest singer in, well, let’s just say it made me double-take.
“That’s something we thought about,” Andrea says. “That’s why we didn’t want to put too many collaborations in. We had a couple more in mind. They didn’t happen because there were some conflicting schedules.
“Collaborations are not so easy to do, but I think in the end, it’s probably better this way. We can use it later. I think two is good enough. As you say, we already have two singers, so there’s no point in doing too many of these. But we wanted to shake things up a little bit and do something we haven’t really done so much in the past.
“Randy was an obvious choice because we have known each other since 2004 when we did Ozzfest together and toured in different places of the world together. We also hang out when he comes here to Milan with his partner. We walk around and go to see some photo exhibition. He loves to take pictures or try some food. We are friends beyond music. We’ve always loved his band and his way of singing, so it was quite natural and an obvious choice for us.
“We wanted to have a different female voice in the record, and we wanted somebody that has more of a raspy voice, not such an operatic or clean voice. And Ash was one of the candidates, and she was happy about it immediately. She did really well with her voice.
“You must try things, and sometimes they work great; sometimes they just work okay. We thought it was a good choice, and I think, in the end, it turned out to be something interesting. It’s also something new for us, so maybe in the future, it will be even more interesting, I don’t know”.
Anyone who has followed Lacuna Coil over the years will have noted that Andrea has returned to a harsher style in recent years. We discuss whether he needs to take any special steps to support his vocals with such a style. He’s quick to point out that this is a normal style of delivery and that this is a question he is often asked.
“I have always done it. I didn’t use it because the music wasn’t going in that direction. Since we changed the classic lineup into a younger generation of musicians in the band, that has brought us to more of the double bass riffing.
“Cristina’s voice is brought out even more on the new album, so obviously, there’s much more contrast now than before. We follow the direction of the music. I’m not excluding in the future to go back to some more melodic parts, if the music goes there.
“I do some lessons, but the lessons are the generic lessons that you can take for any kind of singing, like the breathing technique, the use of the diaphragm to sustain the voice that doesn’t involve the throat too much.
“Also, the typical things you would do for anything healthy, stay in shape as much as you can. Touring is tiring, and you don’t sleep well. You can easily get sick because of the bacteria in a bus full of people.
“But we are also trained to do this, to do long tours, and to use the voice a lot. For Cristina, even if she doesn’t sing harsh, she still must hit a lot of high notes every night. So it’s tiring for her for different reasons.
“We have a certain stamina because we’ve been doing it for a long time, but now that we’re getting older, we also need to keep in good shape, so it’s a combination of using a technique and doing the smart thing. Don’t get wasted every night. Don’t smoke, try to rest, don’t talk.
“One of the worst things is to go out after the show and talk to the people because you are tired, and then you’re going to scream because you’re in a noisy place with a lot of people talking to you. You scream, and you don’t even realise you’re screaming. Even if you don’t drink too much or smoke, you still get really tired talking too loud in a loud environment.”
As our time ended, I checked the Lacuna Coil tour listing for 2025 with Andrea. Alongside a huge US tour and summer festivals, Andrea reveals that “We already have more shows that we haven’t announced.”
The great news for those of use who love Lacuna Coil is that this will include more shows in Europe, as well as several dates in South America. “There’s going to be a time very soon when we’re going to announce the whole year. We already have the year completely booked.”
With possibly their strongest album ever and more tour dates to come, 2025 should be an immense year for Lacuna Coil, a band who remain one of the most exciting in Heavy Metal over 30 years since they formed.
Lacuna Coil – Sleepless Empire is out 14 February 2025 via Century Media Records. Pre-orders are available from here.
