
LACUNA COIL's CRISTINA SCABBIA Discusses How Being A 'Workaholic' Inspired New 'Sleepless Empire' Album
January 16, 2025By David E. Gehlke
LACUNA COIL's career-altering 2002 "Comalies" studio album received the re-recording treatment in 2022 upon its 20th anniversary. For the Italians, "Comalies" was the album that brought them in front of an international audience, particularly Stateside, where the "Heaven Is A Lie" video was on regular rotation on MTV2's "Headbanger's Ball" to go along with repeated trips across the pond. While LACUNA COIL's updated rendition of "Comalies" was intended to introduce it to a new generation of fans, it helped serve as the starting point for the band's latest studio foray and first in six years, "Sleepless Empire".
Arguably the most cohesive and enjoyable LACUNA COIL since the aforementioned "Comalies", Sleepless Empire" finds the band bringing back some of the atmospheric elements that were so pivotal to their late 1990s/early 2000s work, in addition to guest vocals from LAMB OF GOD's Randy Blythe and NEW YEARS DAY's "Ash Costello. Furthermore, the record tackles an all-too-familiar topic: The need for humankind to always be connected (see: phones) while feeling even more disconnected. Here to wax on "Sleepless Empire" and other topics with BLABBERMOUTH.NET is frontwoman Cristina Scabbia.
Blabbermouth: How much did the "Comalies" re-recording inspire the direction of "Sleepless Empire"?
Cristina: "When we did 'Comalies XX', it was our way to celebrate a record that means a lot to us in a proper way. 'Comalies' is the record that made us take a step ahead in our career and it's a cult record for all the fans. We didn't want to do a simple remastering with a new cover. We asked ourselves, 'What's the best way to celebrate and do something special?' Then we started wondering, 'Why don't we re-write it in the way we write today, with the knowledge, experience, technology we have today?' Also, our tastes have changed over the years. At first, it was kind of weird since so many fans were attached to the record. We weren't sure whether the fans liked or didn't like the results, but in the end, they liked it more. This is a sign that our fans grew with us. The new ones were approaching it at the same time because the sound was more modern. They got in touch with a record that is 20 years old. It was an interesting project and was the first time we started working on music again, considering the pandemic. So, it was not the genesis. It was the start, but it sparked our love of music again after the depression of the pandemic where everything stopped and we weren't inspired at all."
Blabbermouth: You indeed weren't alone in that department. Many of your peers reacted the same way.
Cristina: "Some bands and artists reacted in different ways. Some people decided to write even more because they had time off. For me, it was the other way around. To write music, we need to be together in the same room, exchanging ideas. For us, it's really important to get inspiration from the outside world. Not being able to tour and not being able to meet each other was devastating. I was like, 'Okay. Let's do something else to get out of our heads. We'll come back to music when it's the right time.'"
Blabbermouth: Did that give you the opportunity to think about what things were like 20 years ago? It was a much different world back then.
Cristina: "Yeah and when I think about what it was like back then, everything was different — the fact we were doing things without the internet, computers and smartphones. There was no Spotify and no way to connect as quickly as we do now. It was everything through expensive phone calls. Fax. We got the first proposal, the contract proposals, by fax, then called Germany on the phone. It cost a paycheck for the whole month. [Laughs] It was super-expensive. It was also very different in music; even recording a few songs required your presence in a studio. You couldn't do it at home. Now, you can literally grab your phone and use an app and write a song, even if it's not professionally done. You can still do it. You can still put down your ideas. Back then, this was not happening. I think there was an even bigger selection between bands because the ones that were doing it were doing it because they really wanted to do it. They loved what they were doing. They were spending money and lots of time touring around the world. Now, some people are doing it for the love of it, but there are a lot of people who are doing it, 'Okay, let's see what happens.' Or, 'Let's see if I can become famous or rich.' Maybe the mentality has changed."
Blabbermouth: That ties into the theme of "Sleepless Empire". For you, as a public figure, where do you draw the line with your phone and being connected?
Cristina: "It's not hard. I'm very realistic. I'm always kind of able to look at things from the outside, so I put myself in the 'Sleepless Empire' as well. I am like that as well. I feel I always need to do stuff. I always feel that I have to be productive, not for others. I think it's something that kind of belongs to me. I'm a workaholic. It's really hard for me to take breaks. The 'Sleepless Empire' gives us the impression of a generation that never sleeps. You have to do so many things. You have so many connections through the computer and phone, but at the same time, you're very disconnected. I try to find time in my schedule to be, 'Okay. I'm going to go out. I'm going to leave the phone at home.' But, realistically, I wake up in the morning and the first thing I do is grab the phone to see who sent me a message. I am anxious if I am unable to answer them all in a few minutes. I think we were all in this, pretty much. I don't want to say, 'Oh, you guys are doing this.' I put myself into it as well. This should be a common realization and a common moment to realize that it is okay to do stuff. It is okay to be connected. Some connections are amazing. Now we're here, having a great conversation and using the instrument properly because I'm unable to come to your house in five minutes. At the same time, we don't need to forget that there is a real world out there. It's important as well. We should take a look at it as well from time to time."
Blabbermouth: There was an element of patience before all of this. You don't necessarily have that nowadays.
Cristina: "Oh yeah. Now, it's like, 'Oh my god. I sent a message. You didn't reply in the last 20 minutes. He's dead!' Back then, I remember my parents were like, 'Go out and play.' I would go back home for lunch. Then, I would go out again and come back for dinner. Nobody was worried that something happened to me. Now, it's the opposite."
Blabbermouth: You've picked a timely topic. It's not like any of this is going away soon.
Cristina: "It's not a criticism because the album talks about other topics. We liked it as a title and thought it represented what we wanted to say and the mood behind the record. It also inspired the artwork of the record. It was created perfectly. We are still lovers of a full record instead of singles. Maybe this is an old-school thing. I still love to hear a full record. It's like a soundtrack, like watching a movie."
Blabbermouth: "Sleepless Empire" has a little of the old LACUNA COIL style mixed with the new. Has the songwriting dynamic between you, Marco [Coti Zelati, bass], and Andrea [Ferro, male vocals] evolved and played a role in that?
Cristina: "It's pretty much the same. The difference here is that Maki [Zelati] switched houses. He didn't have a studio in this new house, so we rented another place. For him, it was a little bit difficult at first. For many years, he wrote in the basement at his place. It was comfortable; he had this place that was literally home, but it was not there anymore. We found another place and it took a while for him to arrange and feel like it was home again. This was a little bit challenging at first. Once we got comfortable, we started to go there and exchange ideas. Maki was always responsible for the majority of the music, even with the previous records, going all the way back to the first records. We are comfortable, Andrea and I, and we trust him completely. I mean, not only do we love what he does, we call him 'Captain'. He was the one who gave us deadlines. He really is the leader. If not, we're procrastinating. He's like, 'We're going to meet here. We need lyrics.' You need a person like this in a group. I love the fact that whatever he does, he's always really objective. If there is something he thinks that is not good, he's the first to say, 'This sucks.' He never falls in love with what he does, which is something peculiar. Usually, an artist is like, 'Ah, I love this vocal part! I would love to keep it.' Maybe you don't explore other chances that could be even better than what you did. He's constantly changing and trying to improve, which is something I admire. I tend to fall in love with my ideas. When I do something I love, I want to keep it. It's just like, 'No.' 'What do you mean?' 'You can do better.' He's always pushing me to give my best. This is something I like very much."
Blabbermouth: Every good band needs a guy like Maki.
Cristina: "I think we've reached the perfect balance because Maki is responsible for the music and all the musical parts, like mixing, mastering, taking care of all these details. Andrea is more on the commercial side. He's the one who talks to the manager. That takes care of that stuff that Maki and I don't want to take care of. Andrea loves it. His organization is amazing. And I am the creative in another way. I'm the one who takes care of socials and finds new ideas. I'm a people person. I'm always out and talking to people, and Andrea and I write the lyrics and vocal lines. We've reached the perfect balance. Richard [Meiz], our drummer, is amazing. We love him dearly. Daniele [Salomone], the guitar player who just entered, is awesome, too. I think there is a great balance in the band where everyone is doing something for the band. That's how it should be. It's like a company. A band, when it becomes work, when it becomes a job, it has to be a company, in which everybody has to work."
Blabbermouth: We can jump to this now: Are you in a good place with the lineup? Changing members is never fun.
Cristina: "You never want to do it. Of course, it's cool to have the same people around you and be happy forever. There are some times, as I said, throughout the years, we changed the lineup for many reasons. Some members wanted to change their lives completely; they weren't comfortable on the road. Some members moved, like our ex-guitar player who went to the States. Our ex-drummer was American, so it was always a problem to come back and forth. Sometimes, it happens that a member doesn't give one hundred percent. That one hundred percent is necessary for the band because the band is much more than the single elements, the members of the band. It's something bigger, especially when it's a business. Taking the romanticism away, the fact that we work with the band allows us to keep on writing music and bringing it around the world. Everything has to work. And if you're not dedicated, it's better to stay out."
Blabbermouth: LACUNA COIL hasn't gone the guest vocalist route too much in the past, although getting Randy from LAMB OF GOD is a nice touch. How did that come together?
Cristina: "We love his voice and LAMB OF GOD. We toured together years ago and clicked immediately. They're great people. Randy is such a character. He's not only iconic and legendary for his status, but he really is one-of-a-kind. We love him dearly. Every time he's in Milan, we go out together. Every time we cross paths at a festival, it's always a party and we're all happy. So it happened we wrote 'Hosting The Shadow'. We immediately thought of his voice. We said, 'Why don't we ask him if he wants to be part of the song?' We asked really respectfully. We didn't want to take advantage of our friendship because we understood his status. So we said, 'Please feel free to say no. We will understand. There will be zero problem.' Instead, he was super-excited. He was like, 'Yes! I love this. I love the song.' He killed it. I didn't have doubt, but when I heard the final version, it was awesome."
Blabbermouth: You will be returning to the States soon. Why do you think LACUNA COIL resonated over here? You were almost an underdog in a way at the beginning.
Cristina: "I would say we were more than an underdog; we were doing something different because our sound was very European. It caught more attention because of that. Then there was 'Heaven Is A Lie'. It was a little controversial for many people who thought it was a religious song. We did a tour with P.O.D. and fans were coming to the merch table, saying, 'I love your music, but you're singing 'Heaven is a lie', so I can't support it.' We didn't think about this; we weren't expecting success from that song! But, the funny thing is that being young and so much time has passed since then, but I don't know if it's music or the type of career we have, time passed differently. It doesn't feel like so many years have gone by. It's like I condensed everything in my head, and I remember what happened. It's deluded. It's so concentrated that it's almost weird. We still have the excitement. It's not that we're doing it because, 'Oh, what would we do if we didn't put out a new record?' We're seriously excited to write new music, be on the road and play concerts. That hasn't changed. We're even more excited."