Lacuna Coil is an Italian gothic metal band from Milan. Since their formation in 1994, the group has had two name changes, being previously known as Sleep of Right and Ethereal,[1] and they have recorded nine studio albums, two extended plays, two live albums, two compilation albums, one video album, and sixteen singles and music videos.
They have toured internationally and were nominated in 2006 for a MTV Europe Music Award. They won the 2012 Metal Female Voices Fest Award for the Best Album, the 2016 Metal Hammer Award for the Best International Band, and the 2018 Metal Hammer Golden Gods Award for Best Live Act. The band's 2012 release, Dark Adrenaline, peaked at number 15 on the Billboard 200. As of March 2012, Lacuna Coil have sold over two million albums worldwide.[2]
History
Formation and debut EP (1994–1998)
Vocalist Andrea Ferro and bassist/composer Marco Coti Zelati formed Sleep of Right in Milan, Italy, 1994,[citation needed] and recruited Raffaele Zagaria on guitars, and Michaelangelo Algardi on the drums. After recording a song titled "Bleeding Souls" for the Noise of Bolgia compilation in 1995, Claudio Leo became the band's second guitarist, and Leonardo Forti replaced Michaelangelo on the drums after his departure. The band asked Cristina Scabbia, a friend and girlfriend of Marco at the time, to sing background vocals briefly, which led to her officially joining the band. Soon after, the band changed their name to Ethereal, and signed to Century Media at the end of 1997. Finding that the name Ethereal was already taken by a Greek band, they changed their name to Lacuna Coil (meaning "empty spiral", which reflected the band's vision on life).[3]
Lacuna Coil released a self-titled EP through Century Media in 1998, shortly after Raffaele Zagaria, Claudio Leo, and Leonardo Forti departed. As a result, guitarist Cristiano Migliore and drummer Cristiano Mozzati were recruited officially. At this point, the band was touring with Moonspell after the release of the Lacuna Coil EP.
In a Reverie (1998–2000)
Following a second European tour, the band recorded their debut full-length album In a Reverie and added second guitarist Marco Biazzi. The band supported the album with another European tour, co-headlining with Skyclad. Allmusic rated the album 4 stars, saying it was "a fine debut by a band that bears watching." The band toured mostly around Europe, generally as a support act.
Halflife EP and Unleashed Memories (2000–2002)
Following their debut, In a Reverie, the EP Half-Life was released in 2000 with five songs: "Half Life", "Hyperfast", "Stars" (a cover of a Dubstar single), "Trance Awake" and a demo version of "Senzafine". The final version of the latter was included in the 2001 album Unleashed Memories. While the studio album contained 10 songs, later re-releases included the Halflife EP. That same year, the band toured the United States for the first time, supporting Moonspell.[4][5]
The band's breakthrough album Comalies was released in 2002.[6] A significant player on Europe's metal scene for nearly a decade at this point, the band was virtually unknown in the United States.[7] The TV series Uranium gave the band some of its earliest US exposure; over a year later, the first single from Comalies, "Heaven's a Lie", began to receive radio and media attention, pulling the band into North America's musical mainstream. They kicked off their first headlining U.S. tour in 2003, supported by Dog Fashion Disco.[8][9] Networks such as Fuse played the song's video, for example. In early 2005, "Heaven's a Lie" won in The 4th Annual Independent Music Awards for Best Hard Rock/Metal Song.[10] The beginning of this song was also used as the introduction music for the audio podcast novel The Rookie by Scott Sigler. The second single, "Swamped", was played in heavy rotation and used in the video game Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines. It also appeared on the soundtrack for the movie Resident Evil: Apocalypse. Videos were filmed for both songs and broadcast on MTV2's Headbangers Ball, which also saw the band perform an acoustic rendition of "Heaven's a Lie" live.
By 2004, Comalies had become the best-selling CD in Century Media's history. The band appeared at Ozzfest in between headlining club tours in the United States and Europe. A bonus, extended version of Comalies was released both in stores and on iTunes. This version consisted of both live and acoustic versions of the songs "Heaven's A Lie", "Swamped", "Unspoken", "Aeon" and "Senzafine" from Unleashed Memories.
Karmacode (2005–2008)
The band and label postponed the release of their follow-up to Comalies, Karmacode, to early 2006. According to the band's website, this made it possible for more time to be spent on production and to avoid the crowded summer 2005 release schedule for metal albums. On 23 December 2005 the band announced on their web site that all recording, mixing, and mastering on Karmacode had been completed. It was then announced that Karmacode would be released in the United States on 4 April 2006.[citation needed]
Lacuna Coil performing in San Diego
During their 2005 European Tour, Lacuna Coil debuted two new songs from Karmacode at selected concerts: "Our Truth" and "Fragile" under the working titles "Antonio" and "A2" respectively.[11]
Karmacode debuted at number 28 on the Billboard 200. Considered by Billboard to be "the biggest album in the history of Century Media Records",[12] it was acclaimed by music critics and magazines.[13][14][15][16] Corresponding with the release of the new album, Lacuna Coil toured with Rob Zombie throughout North America in early 2006. After their tour with Zombie, they performed main stage at Ozzfest 2006 along with System of a Down, Ozzy Osbourne, and Hatebreed, becoming the first female-fronted band to co-headline the heavy-metal festival. That summer they also played on the main stage of the Download Festival (a three-day music festival in England's Donington Park), which was headlined by Metallica, Tool, and Guns N' Roses. That December, Lacuna Coil teamed up with In Flames, The Sword and Seemless for a US tour, as well as The Blackest of the Black 2006 Tour.[citation needed]
In 2008, it was announced that Lacuna Coil's fifth studio album would be produced by Don Gilmore and would include some Arabic influences. Cristina Scabbia explained in the magazine Rock Sound: "It's different, but it's our style. We haven't done anything absolutely different from our style, because that wouldn't be natural, that would be weird - it wouldn't be us. The songs are definitely more powerful, more complete, more intense, more straight-to-the-point." Andrea Ferro said: "We've put more attention on the real meaning of the songs, so the vocals are a bit more prominent. We've worked a lot with Don Gilmore on the pronunciation of the words in English, so people really understand the meanings of the words. There are strong choruses, where people can relate and really understand what we mean."[19]
On 13 December 2008, it was revealed that the new album would be titled Shallow Life.[20] The album was released in Europe on 20 April 2009 and in the United States on 21 April 2009. It debuted at number 16 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart,[21] and became Lacuna Coil's first Top 20 album in the U.S.[22]As of September 2009[update], it has sold nearly 70,000 copies in the United States.[23]
In February and March 2009, Lacuna Coil played at the Australian music festival Soundwave alongside metal acts including DevilDriver, In Flames, Lamb of God, and Nine Inch Nails. The festival spanned five capital cities, at which they performed their single "Spellbound" from Shallow Life for the first time.[24] Early June saw them play in the UK at Download Festival. Their set was scheduled for the opening day, where they would play on the second stage just before Opeth and later Mötley Crüe. Later in July 2009, Lacuna Coil embarked on the American Spellbound Tour, alongside Kill Hannah, Seventh Void, and Dommin. This was Lacuna Coil's first U.S. headlining run in over two years and the first tour the band has been on since the Music as a Weapon Tour IV alongside Disturbed, Killswitch Engage, and Chimaira in early 2009. During Early 2010 (Jan/Feb) the band came to the United Kingdom to do a Headline "Shallow Life" tour with their support acts Dommin and Dirty Little Rabbits. They then returned to the UK again in September/October 2010 headlining the "Survive" tour, this time at more intimate/VIP venues, with the support act Slaves to Gravity.[23]
Dark Adrenaline (2011–2012)
Lacuna Coil performing live at the Costa de Fuego festival in Benicàssim in 2012
A new album that was in the works since the first quarter of 2011 was confirmed with its title later being revealed as Dark Adrenaline. Produced by Don Gilmore and mixed by Marco Barusso. On 2 September 2011, it was announced that the first single from the record, titled "Trip the Darkness", was released digitally on 17 October 2011, with the album's release following on 24 January 2012.[25] The album's third single, "End of Time", was released on 12 December 2012; the music video for the song was shot in Italy on 17 October 2012.[26]
Broken Crown Halo (2013–2015)
In September 2013, the band announced the start of recording their new album with the producer Jay Baumgardner.[27] Lacuna Coil announced the title of their upcoming album, Broken Crown Halo, due for release 1 April in North America.[28]
The first track of their new album called "Nothing Stands In Our Way" was premiered online. On 14 February 2014, the band announced via their Facebook page that their guitarist Cristiano "Pizza" Migliore and drummer Cristiano "Criz" Mozzati decided to retire from the band after 16 years, citing personal reasons. Ryan Folden (The Agony Scene, Burn Halo, Enterprise Earth, After Midnight Project) has since joined the band.
Delirium and Black Anima (2015–2022)
On 8 December 2015, it was announced that the band were recording a new album, titled Delirium,[29] produced by Marco Coti Zelati and mixed by Marco Barusso. On 8 April 2016, Lacuna Coil premiered the song "The House of Shame" and announced the release of the album on 27 May 2016.[30] On 21 July 2016, Lacuna Coil presented the album's second single "Delirium" as a music video, followed by their third single "Blood, Tears, Dust", as a music-action video on 22 March 2017, and their fourth single, "You Love Me 'Cause I Hate You" on 15 May 2017. On 9 December 2016, Lacuna Coil premiered a new Christmas-themed song titled "Naughty Christmas" as a stand-alone single.[31] On 14 January 2016, Lacuna Coil announced the amicable departure of longtime guitarist Marco Biazzi.[32] On 11 April 2016, during an Italian press tour, Cristina Scabbia and Andrea Ferro presented Diego Cavallotti as the new live guitarist for the forthcoming tour.[33] On 15 July 2019, Ryan Folden announced via social-media that he was stepping back as a full time member, adding that he did not work on Black Anima. The band has been working with drummer Richard Meiz of Genus Ordinis Dei until a permanent replacement is named[34] On 11 October 2019 the band released the album Black Anima, containing the singles "Layers of Time", "Reckless" and "Save Me".[35]
In July 2020, it was announced that Lacuna Coil had plans to stream a live show in their home city of Milan, where they were to perform their latest album Black Anima in full for the first time, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.[36]
In April 2021, the band announced the release of a new live album on 25 June 2021, to be called Live from the Apocalypse. The album included the track "Bad Things", which previously was an Amazon exclusive.[37]
Comalies XX (2022–present)
On 15 July 2022, it was announced that the band would release an LP titled Comalies XX, with "deconstructed and transported" versions of original songs from their 2002 release, Comalies.[38] It is scheduled to be released on 14 October 2022. Andrea Ferro stated that this would be considered a special project rather than their 10th studio album.[39] On 19 July 2022 the band released the first single for the LP, "Tight Rope XX" along with a video clip.[40][41] The reworked track was also played live for the first time at US music festival; INKcarceration a week prior.[42]
On 1 April 2023, the band announced their contribution of a new song titled 'Never Dawn' to 'Zombicide: White Death', the latest board game Kickstarter project by game designer Nicolas Raoult and publisher CMON. The song is featured in the game's soundtrack and is the band's first involvement in a board game project. Zombicide: White Death is a cooperative survival board game set in the Arctic in the midst of a zombie outbreak. Lacuna Coil released a full version of their single "Never Dawn" on June 2.[43]
On 19 April 2024, the band released their latest single, "In the Mean Time," featuring guest vocals by Ash Costello of New Years Day.[44] According to the band, the track's message reflects concerns about the diminishing civility evident in contemporary society: "We're navigating through a tumultuous era where many seem to have lost their way. Our world is marred by strife and sorrow, with individuals grappling with feelings of isolation, anxiety, and despair. The external pressures bear down heavily, obscuring our vision and clouding our judgment."[45][46]
The single was already available on all digital platforms before the release of the music video.[45]
The song and video are released shortly before Lacuna Coil heads out on a headline US tour with special guests New Years Day and additional support coming from Oceans Of Slumber. The band will be hitting big festival stages at Rockville, Sonic Temple, and the Milwaukee Metal Festival.[45]
Costello expressed gratitude, stating, "I am deeply honored to join Lacuna Coil on tour for the first time, to have the incredible opportunity to lend my guest vocals to a new track and appear in the music video. Working alongside the powerhouse vocalist Cristina has been a privilege, and I may be biased in saying that 'In the Mean Time' has quickly become my favorite by Lacuna Coil. Its message about embracing individuality and not conforming deeply resonates with me."[45]
On the same day, Lacuna Coil announced a tour in the United Kingdom and Ireland called "In the Meantime," scheduled from 15 October 2024 to 26 October 2024 with support from Finnish nu metal band, Blind Channel.[45]
On October 2, 2024, Lacuna Coil released their latest single, "Oxygen," which will be part of their upcoming tenth studio album, Sleepless Empire.[48] The album is set to release on February 14, 2025, through Century Media Records.
Musical style
Lacuna Coil's music has been described as being "heavy, melodic, and relentlessly melodramatic".[49] Inspired by the combination of gothic imagery and music, the members have been known, musically, for composing mid-tempo songs consisting of prominent guitar lines and contrasting dual female/male vocal harmonies to help create a melodic, detached sound. Much of the band's recent material, however, sees a heavier and more down-tuned style, featuring a more distinct bass line and a higher mixing of the guitars within the songs.[50][51]
Lacuna Coil's music is mainly regarded as gothic metal[52][53] and alternative metal.[54]AllMusic's Steve Huey said that "Lacuna Coil aren't always the doomiest of progressive goth metal bands; in fact, they sometimes sound like a heavier version of Heart".[55]AllMusic said that the band "distinguished themselves with orchestral arrangements and dual vocalists."[56] According to VH1, "Goth-spooked Italian maestros Lacuna Coil boasts the most distinctive and dynamic male-female vocal duo in contemporary hard-and-heavy music making: Andrea Ferro and Cristina Scabbia, respectively".[54]AllMusic's Mike DaRonco said, "With Ferro's tortured screams and Scabbia's ethereal range, the group attracted a devoted following that soon spread outside of Italy and throughout Europe before they broke into the U.S. market".[56]AllMusic's Andy Hinds wrote, "Rarely succumbing to heavy-handedness, Lacuna Coil escapes the stylistic straitjacket of the goth/metal formula, making them more accessible than many of their peers."[57]
Comalies marked the beginning of a shift in the band's sound, as their "early repurposing of gothic metal evolved into something bigger, heavier and more accessible, it turned them into major players".[58] According to Blabbermouth, "the band's mastery of a certain strain of highly melodic but intermittently brutal gothic metal [on Comalies] enabled them to streak ahead of their peers"[59] The band subsequently shifted to an alternative metal sound.[59]Karmacode saw the band move away from their distinctive sound in favor of a nu metal sound. Sputnikmusic staff writer Trey wrote that the album "presented a band struggling to move beyond minor league success even if it meant losing their own individuality".[60] The band's follow-up, Shallow Life, was described by AllMusic as a "deliberately commercial effort with strong pop-metal influences".[56] Following the band's more experimental recordings, Dark Adrenaline saw the band combine "elements of the traditional Lacuna Coil sound [with] the more modern elements of later years".[61]Loudwire says that some of the band's albums have displayed a hard rock sound.[62]
Cristina Adriana Chiara Scabbia is an Italian singer. She is one of the two vocalists of gothic metal band Lacuna Coil.
Comalies is the third studio album by Italian gothic metal band Lacuna Coil, released on 29 October 2002 through Century Media Records. According to lead singer Cristina Scabbia, "[During the album's recording], we had a sort of creative explosion. We were working in a coma, sort of like in a different dimension. First of all we just wanted to use the word 'coma' but there was something missing so we played with the two words coma and lies." Comalies peaked at #178 on the Billboard 200 and Peaked at #9 on the Top Heatseekers and Independent Albums charts. The outline of the shape from the cover of the band's previous album Unleashed Memories (2001) is faintly visible on top of the sunflower. The album has gone on to sell over 300,000 copies in the United States as of January 2012.
"Swamped" is a song by the Italian gothic metal band Lacuna Coil. It was released as the second and final single from their third studio album Comalies. The song features a male and female vocal track, guitar-playing and orchestral string backing. The song is featured in the video game Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, and the movie Resident Evil: Apocalypse as part of the soundtrack. "Swamped" is available as a downloadable song for Rock Band. A music video was produced for the song.
Karmacode is the fourth studio album by Italian gothic metal band Lacuna Coil, released on 31 March 2006 in several countries in Europe, 3 April in the UK and other European countries, 4 April in North America, and 5 April in several other European countries through Century Media Records. 500,000 copies of Karmacode have officially been sold worldwide. In Italy the album sold over 20,000 copies, earning the album a Silver record. In the United States, the album sold around 200,000 copies.
"A Tout le Monde" is a song by American heavy metal band Megadeth, featured on their 1994 studio album Youthanasia. It was released as a single in February 1995 through Capitol Records. The song was later remade and reissued as "À Tout le Monde ", featuring Cristina Scabbia of Lacuna Coil, on Megadeth's 2007 studio album United Abominations. The song's chorus, "à tout le monde, à tous mes amis, je vous aime, je dois partir", prompted controversy after accusations that it was pro-suicide.
Gothic metal is a fusion genre combining the aggression of heavy metal with the dark atmospheres of gothic rock. The music of gothic metal is diverse with bands known to adopt the gothic approach to different styles of heavy metal music. The genre originated during the early 1990s in the United Kingdom originally as an outgrowth of death-doom, a fusion of death metal and doom metal. Lyrics are generally dark and introspective with inspiration from gothic fiction as well as personal experiences.
Heaven's a Lie is the first single by Lacuna Coil from their album Comalies. Although frequently labeled as an anti-religion song, the song's namesake was not intended to be interpreted literally. In an interview with HighWireDaze.com, leading vocalist Cristina Scabbia explained the meaning of the song; the word "heaven" is a metaphor for a "perfect life". When the phrase "your heaven's a lie" is used, it is referring to people who try to force their opinions on others.
United Abominations is the eleventh studio album by American thrash metal band Megadeth. Released on May 15, 2007, United Abominations is the first Megadeth release distributed through Roadrunner Records and, with the exception of the band's frontman Dave Mustaine, was recorded with an all-new line-up. It is the first album since The World Needs a Hero (2001) to be recorded by a full-time line-up as the previous studio album The System Has Failed (2004) was recorded by Mustaine alongside session musicians. While touring to promote the album, guitarist Glen Drover left the band for personal reasons and was replaced by Chris Broderick, leaving this as the only Megadeth studio album to which he contributed.
Andrea Gaetano "Andy" Ferro is an Italian singer, best known as the male vocalist and one of the founding members of the gothic metal band Lacuna Coil.
"Within Me" is a song by Italian gothic metal band Lacuna Coil. It was released as the fourth and final single from their fourth studio album, Karmacode.
The discography of Italian gothic metal band Lacuna Coil consists of nine studio albums, two extended plays, two live albums, two compilation albums, one video album, sixteen singles and sixteen music videos.
"Watch Over You" is a song by American rock band Alter Bridge. Written by lead guitarist Mark Tremonti and lead vocalist Myles Kennedy, it was produced by Michael "Elvis" Baskette and featured on the band's 2007 second studio album Blackbird. The track was released as the second single from the album on January 14, 2008, peaking at number 19 on the US Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart. An alternate version of the track featuring additional vocals by Lacuna Coil singer Cristina Scabbia was also later made available as a digital download.
Visual Karma is the first live album by Italian gothic metal band Lacuna Coil, that was released in November 2008. The DVD is retrospective of all things from the band's "Karmacode" album cycle, the set features concerts filmed at Germany's Wacken Festival and at the Japanese Loudpark Festival in 2007. It includes a lot of extras like promo videos and Behind-the-scenes.
Shallow Life is the fifth studio album by Italian gothic metal band Lacuna Coil. The album was released in April 2009 in Europe and North America through Century Media Records and EMI. As of September 2009, it has sold over 75,000 copies in the U.S. and 225,000 worldwide.
Dark Adrenaline is the sixth studio album by Italian gothic metal band Lacuna Coil. The album was produced by Don Gilmore, and mixed by Marco Barusso. The album debuted at number fifteen on the Billboard 200 chart with initial sales of 20,000. It also charted in the top five on four other Billboard charts including the Rock Albums, Alternative Albums, Hard Rock Albums and the Independent Albums charts. The album was also successful throughout Europe, charting in ten countries, six of which Lacuna Coil have achieved their highest chart positions in those countries to date. This album has charted in fifteen countries.
"Fire" is a song from Lacuna Coil's sixth studio album Dark Adrenaline.
Broken Crown Halo is the seventh studio album by Italian gothic metal band Lacuna Coil. It was released through Century Media Records on March 31, 2014 in Europe, Australia and New Zealand, and on April 1 in North America. This is the last album to feature drummer Cristiano "Criz" Mozzati and guitarists Marco "Maus" Biazzi and Cristiano "Pizza" Migliore, who retired from the band in 2014, marking the end of the band's longest-standing line-up.
Delirium is the eighth studio album by Italian gothic metal band Lacuna Coil. It was released by Century Media Records on 27 May 2016. This is the first album to not feature long time drummer Cristiano "Criz" Mozzati, rhythm guitarist Cristiano "Pizza" Migliore, who retired from the band on Valentine's Day, 14 February 2014, and lead guitarist Marco "Maus" Biazzi, who left the band just before recording sessions, making it the first album since their debut to feature other band members, and the first one completely recorded and mixed in Italy.
Black Anima is the ninth studio album by Italian gothic metal band Lacuna Coil. It was released by Century Media Records on 11 October 2019. Recording took place BRX Studio in Milan, Italy. It is the first album to feature drummer Richard Meiz, also part of Italian symphonic death metal band, Genus Ordinis Dei. On 15 July 2019, previous drummer Ryan Blake Folden announced via Instagram that he did not play on Black Anima, nor would he be touring outside of the US. Richard Meiz was officially announced as the new drummer of Lacuna Coil on the Genus Ordinis Dei Facebook page.
Comalies XX is a studio album by Italian gothic metal band Lacuna Coil. The album is a rearranged re-recording of the band's 2002 album Comalies. It was released by Century Media Records on 14 October 2022.
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