In a brand new interview with The Razor’s Edge, LACUNA COIL co-vocalist Andrea Ferro was requested how trendy expertise has modified the way in which he and his bandmates method album releases and work together with their followers. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Yeah, clearly, that is one thing that we needed to study as effectively. It is a new world utterly for everyone, I suppose. And everyone needed to cope with the change from analog life to digital life. And that is additionally why we had the title [of the new LACUNA COIL album] ‘Sleepless Empire’, as a result of it is a kind of an remark of how the society has modified, how issues are completely different, how a lot we have now this large empire with all these prospects supplied by the connectivity, the Web, the provision of 24 hours on-line and blah, blah, blah. And however, the truth that we’re sleepless, that we’re all the time with this display in our face, even at evening. However that is not just for the brand new technology — additionally for us, it is the identical. So it is not a critique to the youngsters; it is simply the way in which it’s these days, and all of us needed to cope with this. Possibly we’re slightly bit extra lucky that we had skilled the life earlier than the Web, and so we all know what it’s to actually dwell even with extra less complicated issues, and we take pleasure in even the life with out having to be related on a regular basis. However aside from that, that is the principle remark and the way in which that life has modified. However I feel we have been fairly good and shifting and following the trail of how music has modified, how the music enterprise has modified as effectively. Earlier than, clearly, while you had been promoting bodily data, a number of bodily data, it was far more revenue from that supply, whereas these days, though we do nonetheless promote a number of bodily data as a result of steel is likely one of the few genres the place folks nonetheless wish to have the report — both vinyls, even cassettes or special-edition CDs — so we’re fortunate we nonetheless promote fairly good numbers of that. However we have now discovered new methods of creating revenue for the band. There are some issues that earlier than [were] utterly unthinkable, like sponsorship or any person desires to place an advert in your Fb web page or Instagram web page, clearly, we attempt to all the time do it with manufacturers that we really belong to us, to our tradition, to our background, not one thing that does not — you are not gonna put an iron board or one thing like that, or a soda — it is gonna be one thing that we use or we belong or we share, we like. And so there’s new methods of creating the band financially work, and likewise the touring, extra merchandise. There’s alternative ways. However I feel we have completed fairly effectively adapting to the adjustments.”
“Sleepless Empire” is about to be launched February 14, 2025 by way of Century Media Data.
In a current interview with Luke Morton of Kerrang! In Dialog, LACUNA COIL co-vocalist Cristina Scabbia spoke in regards to the “Sleepless Empire” title. She mentioned: “We selected that title as a result of it was representing the instances that we live immediately. We’re all the time awake, consistently attempting to be productive, tremendous related with the remainder of the world, however on the identical time, we have by no means been so disconnected and anxious and feeling that we have to show one thing, that we should be current on a regular basis, as a result of if not, we’re forgotten by the remainder of the world.
“I’m placing myself within the sleepless empire as effectively, so it is not a criticism,” she defined. “It is only a realization, as a result of I’m a part of that technology that noticed all of it and noticed it coming and noticed how briskly the expertise developed and the way massive the adjustments had been, so I’m attempting to take one of the best out of the previous to convey it sooner or later and the current, as a result of I feel that we must always reap the benefits of expertise. I imply, the truth that we’re speaking proper now by way of a display, it is one of the crucial lovely issues of expertise, as a result of if not, you would need to come to my place or me at yours, or we must journey someplace to fulfill in particular person, which might be superb. However this manner, you save time, it can save you 4 hours so you possibly can go spend time with your loved ones and I can go to observe [Italian professionally football club] AC Milan tonight with Andrea [Ferro, LACUNA COIL co-vocalist] on the stadium as a substitute of touring. So expertise is sweet if used correctly. And I like progress — I like expertise and I like to evolve with instances — however I feel it is cool to recollect what the necessary issues actually are, as a result of on the finish of the day, on a regular basis that we waste in stuff that does not actually enrich us as individuals, it should be wasted. So typically I strive to consider this, even when realistically the very first thing that I do after I get up within the morning is to seize the telephone and see the messages and watch the messages and possibly scroll by way of tales of different folks.”
Cristina added: “We simply want to concentrate. I feel that particularly with the brand new generations that by no means noticed it coming and by no means noticed the way it was earlier than, they have an inclination to check to one another. They see lovely lives in different folks’s social medias, they usually suppose that that is actuality. So typically they really feel lower than they’re they usually really feel depressed and annoyed as a result of they do not really feel sufficient. So at the least, identical to the truth that I used to be born earlier type of gave me a kind of a shelter that it is a kind of a filter that it is, like, okay, I need not examine myself to a different particular person as a result of, in fact, that is my life. That is their life. And possibly not the whole lot they’re exhibiting [is] true. Most likely not the whole lot they’re exhibiting [is] one hundred pc true. Possibly it’s, however who cares? I ought to take a look at my life. I ought to take a look at what I am constructing. I ought to take a look at what I am residing. I ought to take a look at the folks, the true folks round me and actual life round me. It needs to be a stability. As the whole lot, you simply must maintain the suitable stability.”
Requested if she is responsible of waking up within the morning and selecting up her telephone instantly after which losing hours and hours daily simply scrolling by way of social media, Cristina mentioned: “Oh, completely. Completely. I am responsible, particularly within the morning. Not simply losing time, simply taking a look at socials as a result of I additionally do it as a kind of a research ‘trigger I wanna see what occurs. I am curious — I am genuinely curious — so possibly that is not a whole waste of time, ‘trigger it is nonetheless entertaining. What I am responsible of is that I really feel responsible after I wish to take time for myself. Now, when [I] get a message, I’ve the tendency of eager to reply instantly or I really feel responsible. And possibly I ought to wait. Possibly I should not have a lot anxiousness if I reply 10 minutes after and I do not reply as quickly as I open my eyes. Possibly I ought to simply open my eyes, go within the kitchen, put together myself a breakfast after which begin my day and dedicate it to the work and my mails and the whole lot. As an alternative, I simply seize my telephone. I am simply, like, ‘Okay, I obtained a mail. Okay, I’ve gotta reply. My eyes are nonetheless closed, however I am gonna reply.’
“There may be this bizarre cycle for all of us that we’re working onerous as a result of we have now so many inputs,” she continued. “Then we attempt to detach ourselves and chill out watching different stuff on different social medias, considering that they are entertaining. And so they create much more anxiousness. So it is a cycle that may very well be harmful… Nevertheless it’s not all dangerous. So the sleepless empire, it is mainly an empire with folks that by no means sleep, that [are] all the time doing stuff, which may very well be good and may very well be dangerous as effectively.”
Inspiration to create “Sleepless Empire” got here in the course of the periods for “Comalies XX” (2022),the acclaimed remake of LACUNA COIL‘s breakthrough third report “Comalies”. Writing and recording befell in northern Italy between Milano (the band’s hometown) and Como, the place SPVN Studios are situated. As with their earlier albums, manufacturing was completed in home with Marco “Maki” Coti Zelati on the helm, and art work was hand curated by the gifted Italian artist Roberto Toderico. Two different very particular skills enrich the album, particularly the visitor vocalists: LAMB OF GOD‘s Randy Blythe on the track “Internet hosting The Shadow” and NEW YEARS DAY‘s Ash Costello on “In The Imply Time”.
As a token of the band’s love for the gaming world (which we have seen in previous endeavors resembling their card sport “Horns Up” and their collaboration with Zombicide for which they wrote the observe “By no means Daybreak”),the band have created an oracle “sport” to be performed with customized made cube obtainable solely within the field set model of “Sleepless Empire”.
The brand new album is comprised of 11 tracks; each is a richly textured soundtrack to a particular time and place. With “Sleepless Empire”, that place is darkish, cinematic, and unmistakably true to the distinctive traits which have given LACUNA COIL such a celebrated entry within the annals of heavy music.
The band beforehand shared: “‘Sleepless Empire’ captures, by way of our eyes, the chaos of a technology trapped in a digital world that by no means stops, the place social media consumes id and daily pushes us one step nearer to turning into soulless zombies. We discover ourselves in between, having witnessed a full analogic world and the trendy one, confronting the evolution and trying to find a real which means of all of it. All through each track, the journey is an undercurrent of insurrection, a determined cry to reclaim oneself in an period that appears to have misplaced its sense of time and actuality.”
This previous October, Italian guitarist/producer Daniele Salomone confirmed that he has joined LACUNA COIL because the alternative for the band’s longtime guitarist Diego Cavallotti.
Salomone made his dwell debut with LACUNA COIL on August 4, 2024 on the Rockstadt Excessive Fest in Râșnov, Romania.
In June 2024, LACUNA COIL introduced Cavallotti‘s departure. Diego, who joined LACUNA COIL in 2016, initially as a fill-in guitarist following the exit of Marco “Maus” Biazzi, later mentioned in a social media publish that “this determination just isn’t the results of my dissatisfaction or need to discover new alternatives.”
Cavallotti and Salomone performed collectively within the Italian steel band INVERNO, which launched its debut album, “Stasis”, in December 2023.
