Hubble bubble coil and trouble
Italian goth rockers Lacuna Coil may not have shared the success of contemporaries HIM and (imitators) Evanescence, but with sell-out tours and a new album out soon, this could all be about to change. The Oxford Student caught up with them on tour. Although Lacuna Coil remain relatively unknown in England, the PVC and leather-clad queue waiting patiently in the rain three hours before the band are due on stage are testament to their ever-increasing popularity.
Formed in 1996 under the name Ethereal the band underwent signifi - cant line up (and name) changes, including the addition of the captivating Cristina Scabbia on vocals. Despite comparisons with Evanescence, the band are keen to distance themselves from the ‘pop goth’ phenomenon. “The music these bands are playing today are more pop-oriented than metal… we don’t really feel like we belong to this kind of thing,” claims guitarist Cris Migliore.
So how would you describe your sound? “We’re coming from the scene which everybody calls goth metal but we’ve moved a little bit from that and we mix the goth part with the rock and metal part and there is a lot of groove now in our stuff,” says Andrea. Fans have yet to hear this new ‘groove’ however: the band has not released an album since the smash hit Comalies back in 2002. Their next one, Karmacode, is due out in March 2006.
Of Karmacode, Andrea says to expect “more of a groove and a bigger sound from the guitar and the choruses…it’s heavier but not in a death metal way.” How appropriate. Because Lacuna Coil aren’t your typical ‘goths’, cutting through the moody stereotypes usually associated with the genre. “We’re not depressed 90% of the day,” Andrea points out. “Although everyone has a moment when they want to be refl ective or intimate.
Cris adds, “Being Italian we always have this kind of happy attitude all the time and some people are actually surprised.” Despite the fact that they sing in English and have spent a lot of time away from home, both assert they wouldn’t leave Italy. Friendly and family-orientated, Lacuna Coil aren’t your typical ‘metal-heads’ either. After the gig, I bump into lead guitarist, Marco Biazzi, and make a wry comment about the band’s rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle.
Marco confesses sadly that while he’s not a fan of Jack Daniels, he would defi nitely never leave Italy without some home-ground coffee.
10th Nov 2005