LACUNA COIL Singer Discusses 'Shallow Life' Album

MetalSucks.net recently conducted an interview with singer Cristina Scabbia of the Italian rock/metal band LACUNA COIL. An excerpt from the chat follows below.

MetalSucks.net: Going into the recording of "Shallow Life", what was the mood of the band? How satisfied were you with "Karmacode"?

Cristina: We were pretty happy with it. We weren't 100% happy about the production. I think we could've worked more, but we didn't have time. Sometimes you need just a little more time to adjust everything or to make everything better. But we didn't — we couldn't. This time, we took our time and stayed in the studio for a couple of months. We had a bigger budget because "Karmacode" was successful, which got us the opportunity to have a bigger budget for "Shallow Life". We decided to record in the U.S. for the first time with an American producer, which is another big change for us. We're absolutely happy — we were able to get the sound we wanted. We're happy about the evolution of the band. We're super-excited. It's gonna come out next month and we can't wait to see how it goes.

MetalSucks.net: What parts of the production of "Karmacode" were you dissatisfied with?

Cristina: I would've worked a little bit more on the vocals. And some sounds, especially drums. But it's not that I'm unhappy; I'm just telling you that it could've been even better than it is. We're really picky. We're kind of like that every time. We always feel like it could be better, like we could've changed this or that. We could go on forever [laughs].

MetalSucks.net: You mentioned that the success of "Karmacode" allowed for a bigger budget for "Shallow Life".

Cristina: Yeah.

MetalSucks.net: So, do you put any pressure on yourselves after that success?

Cristina: Not on ourselves. At least, we didn't really care. Of course, I believe that the label was really nervous because you can never know if you can repeat the success of an album. We've been growing as a band, and with sales album after album. We just decided the best way to write and record the album was to just be honest with ourselves. To do what we really wanted to do without feeling too much pressure from outside or without trying too hard. There is not a recipe. You never know if people are gonna love your record or not. So you just better try to be genuine and have fun with it. And then if people understand, [they] will buy your record. But you can't really plan it. Being nervous doesn't really help. So we just chill out and say "Let's see what's coming out. Let's try in the practice room and experiment a little bit. Let's see what we're coming with."

MetalSucks.net: Of all the great producers out there, how did you land on Don Gilmore [LINKIN PARK, AVRIL LAVIGNE]?

Cristina: It's complicated to explain. It's not like you just pick one person and that's it. It's much more elaborate. Basically, we picked different names that we were interested in. We sent them demo tapes we recorded in the practice room. We got different feedback, but we found out that Don was the most passionate about it. He told me he saw a lot of potential in this album. So we decided to meet him in Milan, where we live. He came by and we played the songs for him. We went out for dinner, talked about the songs, and just clicked immediately. He's the kind of guy, just to give you an example, who's really anal about recording, so he squeezes you 100% from what you can do. But at the same time, he's the funniest guy. He puts you in the condition to be absolutely relaxed, and in a good vibe while you're recording. Which is the best part of it.

Read the entire interview from MetalSucks.net.