by EvAl

Photos by EvAl

I had the opportunity to sit down with Cristina Scabbia during Lacuna Coil’s stop on their American Spellbound Tour. Tour manager Gus joked with me later on in the day that everybody wants to interview the hot chick (guilty as charged) but, as hot as she is, Cristina is no metal diva.  I showed up for my interview and, a few hours before the band was set to take the stage, found Cristina and other band members hanging out with  eager fans outside their tour bus. Despite feeling a little guilty about breaking up the ultimate Lacuna Coil fan experience, I followed Cristina onto the tour bus where, after apologizing for the smell (if there was one it must have been me because I didn’t smell anything), she ushered me into the rear lounge for a chat.

I must admit this was my first time on a tour bus and, between the Xbox, LCD TV and ice maker, I thought it was pretty plush.  Only later did I find out from a crew member that they have twelve people traveling on that bus and only one bathroom that no one is allowed to shit in (for obvious reasons).  So much for the glamour of being a touring band!
We talked about the latest release (Shallow Life, April 2009) which was recorded with new producer Don Gilmore.  Cristina explained that they were particularly careful in selecting Don to produce the record and went so far as to fly Don to Italy to get to know him and test compatibility with the band.  As for the music itself, the band went for a more straight-forward approach to their sound and paid particular attention to making the lyrics, which are all written in English, more straight forward so that the audience could more easily identify with the message.  With four songs from Shallow Life on their current set list, she feels that the new music is going over very well with fans during their performances.
In addition to her vocal work with Lacuna Coil, Cristina has collaborated with Apocalyptica, Megadeth and Alter Bridge.  She explained that those collaborations typically come through as requests from friends and that they offer new challenges such as in the case with Apocalyptica where she had to adapt her vocal range to work with the recording she was sent which already contained

Although Lacuna Coil has been together for more than a decade, their U.S. breakthrough started with Comalie’s Heaven's a Lie.  Since then, between headlining runs and supporting slots for a who’s-who of metal giants, Lacuna Coil has toured the U.S. relentlessly.  While Cristina admits that Lacuna Coil’s melodic style hasn’t necessarily meshed well with all of the bands that they’ve toured with over the years, she politely declined to mention any names.  Regardless, she sees that while the band has maintained its gothic roots, their audience demographic has broadened considerably.

After wrapping up the American Spellbound Tour, it’s off to Europe where they’ll be playing several shows including an appearance at the Wacken Open Air Festival in Germany before returning to the states yet again in August.  So what then for Lacuna Coil?  According to Cristina, a few months of much-needed rest.

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