CRISTINA SCABBIA: Why LACUNA COIL Isn't Working On New Music During Pandemic

LACUNA COIL singer Cristina Scabbia was a guest on the The Pit's podcast "Last Words". Asked if she and her bandmates have used the coronavirus downtime to work on new music, she said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "No. To be honest, no, because we didn't want any of our music to be connected with this period, because it wasn't something that we wanted to talk about. Of course, unconsciously, it will be inspiring us for the next record, because everything everything you live translates into music and lyrics unconsciously.

"The thing is that when you write a new record, it's because you're inspired by something," she explained. "But if you don't travel, if you don't live experiences, if you don't meet new people and [see] new cultures, I find it hard to find inspiration only through movies and — I don't know — series on TV. I need to live to be inspired, and the same for the guys [in the band]."

Cristina went on to say that she and the rest of LACUNA COIL have previously used negative personal experiences as fuel for their songwriting. "I feel really inspired when something bad is happening, but at least something is happening, and I'm living it," she said. "But this [pandemic] situation is really static."

Last month, LACUNA COIL took part in an initiative dubbed "L'Ultimo Concerto?" (Last Concert) to highlight the increasingly uncertain future of music venues. Instead of delivering live performances as part of a scheduled free virtual stream on February 27, each of around 130 Italian artists was filmed taking the stage at a different venue and then standing there in silence as a way of commemorating the one-year mark since the first Italian venues closed.

Organized by KeepOn Live, Arci, Assomusica and Live DMA, the "L'Ultimo Concerto?" campaign was announced in January when the venues shared images on social media of their year of foundation and the year 2021 with a question mark, suggesting that their closures due to the coronavirus pandemic could be permanent.

Between March and June 2020, the Italian government imposed a national lockdown by restricting people's movements to contain the pandemic. Thus, museums and cinemas closed and all cultural events were either canceled or rescheduled.

Around 300,000 people working in theaters, music venues, cinemas and cultural spaces in Italy have been rendered jobless since they shut their doors due to the coronavirus crisis.

In September, LACUNA COIL took part in "Black Anima: Live From The Apocalypse", an exclusive streaming show featuring a full performance of the band's latest album, "Black Anima", for the very first time, including songs never performed live, plus special backstage/off-camera moments and more. The Italian heavy rockers played the concert from the Alcatraz Club in Milan. "Black Anima: Live From The Apocalypse" was hosted on A-Live.