This is our first exclusive interview with Lacuna Coil, by Celticyodels on 28th August 2003.
Emptyspiral:
How did you form the band?
Cristina:
We were friends, basically. I was the last one in the very beginning. They already have bands just playing just for fun.
Emptyspiral:
Are you still in contact with the old members?
Cristina:
No, actually not. You know it happens. They’re doing other stuff and we’re just continuing with LC with new members. We have a wonderful relationship with the new members.
Andrea:
We meet them sometimes – the other guys. But just in some bars. There’s not really a relationship, we just say Hello that’s it.
Emptyspiral:
Do you consider releasing the early demo songs on a CD or as mp3s through your websites?
Cristina:
It’s useless. It’s something that belongs to the past and it’s already there.
Andrea:
Maybe we’d put them on the website. Anyway, that demo tape has only two tracks and one of them [Shallow End] is already available to download on our website.
Emptyspiral:
Do you have songs that have been recorded but never released?
Cristina:
No.
Emptyspiral:
What film genre would you choose to put your music to, if any ?
Cristina:
Matrix!!…hmm… I have no idea!!![ laughs]
Andrea:
A modern atmospheric movie. It could be also an action movie… It depends.
Emptyspiral:
I heard that someone asked you to compose a song for his movie..!
Cristina:
They’re just discussing with the company. Of course for us it would be good to have our music everywhere.
Andrea:
mostly they want to use a song that already exists. They don’t want us to write music to the movie.
Emptyspiral:
So most of the time the record company makes the final decision?
Cristina:
They have all the contacts. We cannot arrange everything because we have to take of the music first and we are already song writers so we have to do the tours, promotion and interviews… And they are doing their jobs, keeping the contacts (arrangement… etc), because we don’t have time.
Andrea:
they take care of the arrangements and they take care of things that don’t give a band image of the band.
Cristina:
We have a good relationship with them. they are doing a good job, a good promotion of course for what they can do, of course.
Andrea:
It’s a business relationship so sometimes you fight with the record company,sometimes you agree with them.Every band I know always complain about their record company. It’s normal – it’s business. You can have a little bit money problems or you’d say that you can decide things better than them, so sometimes you fight. But it’s normal when you have a business relationship with somebody, because they are there to sell your records and you want them to promote you in the best way so it’s normal if you argue with them sometimes.
Emptyspiral:
Do you think increased exposure and success will change your music – perhaps encouraged to do something more ‘commercial’ to appeal to a wider audience?
Cristina:
No, that would be easier. I think that you can use some tricks to be more commercial but we never did it. We love what we do, this is something we’re doing from 7 years so far, and we are still keeping the same passion for this kind of music. We had an evolution, of course, because that’s normal you grow up, you listen to different kinds of music, you have different experiences. But we didn’t change into something more commercial or something that’s not what we really like, and definitely that will not happen in the future.
Andrea:
Anyway our music is quite melodic so we don’t really need to be more melodic
Cristina:
Exactly
Emptyspiral:
Your music develops with each new album, as you try new things. What are you experimenting with on the new album?
Cristina:
We’re collecting ideas, but there’s nothing finished. We have songs but we usually change them a lot of times. We change arrangements and vocal lines. It’s really early to say.
Emptyspiral:
So it’s early to ask about the next album’s title ?
Cristina:
Ah yeah [laughs]. That would be the last thing, I guess.
Andrea:
The only thing that we can say is probably that there will be a couple of songs that will be the heaviest we’ve ever written – from what I’ve heard. Not all of them, of course, there will always be a different variety.
Cristina:
It will always be dynamic as usual. It will not be the same kind ‘cause it would be boring.
Emptyspiral:
Which country are you most popular in ?
Cristina:
Germany. Basically we are more popular in Europe more than here.
Emptyspiral:
What about Italy ?
Andrea:
Italy is not a big metal market. We are quite popular in the metal scene, maybe the most popular metal band. But the metal scene there in general is still in the underground. We’re starting now to play in big festivals like Heineken festival and we have our followers.
Emptyspiral:
What’s been your favorite audience on the US tour and why?
Cristina:
We have several of them. We have good audience in New Haven. And Yesterday, we had a good reaction in Rochester. Basically we don’t have bad memories.
Andrea:
Sometimes is more, Sometimes is less; but nothing bad has happened.
Emptyspiral:
Some West coast fans are upset because you’re touring a lot in the east coast and you’re only having two headline shows there..!
Cristina:
This is not our fault. Most people don’t realize that bands don’t organize gigs at a certain level. We’ve crossed that level so the promoters have to ask about the band. That’s not our fault, definitely. Just make it clear.
Andrea:
We’ve just been unlucky with both Type O negative and Anthrax tour. TON tour, when we did it, was mostly on the east coast and the south. Then, we joined Anthrax tour and it was on the east coast too, but of course we can’t force them to play there. We like the east coast a lot, but it’s not easy to tour all the US.
Emptyspiral:
What do you do to relax on tour ? And what’s the hardest part of the tour?
Cristina:
We’re always relaxed because basically we have nothing else to do beside listening to music and watching DVDs. It’s not hard at all, we just have to work for 45 minutes a day.
Emptyspiral:
What’s the best concert you’ve ever performed?
Cristina:
Wacken 2001, Rock Machina…a lot
Andrea:
…and Heineken festival this year.
Emptyspiral:
Which tour was the best ?
Cristina:
The tour with Type O Negative
Andrea:
For this album we did the best tour for sure. In Europe with Sentenced, and in America with Opeth and Type O Negative.
Emptyspiral:
Where’s the next tour going to be? And when are you touring the UK?
Cristina:
Very soon I guess, because the last show was at the Astoria last Halloween. We had a lot of fun and there was a lot of people and it was great. We can’t wait to go there.
Of course, after this tour we’re going to take a little break, at least for one month. Then, maybe before the end of the year we‘ll tour there, if we don’t have to come here again.
Emptyspiral:
Where does the ‘Cold Heritage’ title come from ? How does it relate to the lyrics?
Cristina:
Basically, as I remember, it’s a love song that talks about the feeling of loneliness when you’re not together with the person you want to be with. And the Heritage of course is when you’re Alone, so that’s the connection. Cold because it’s not good, it’s not something that warms you up.
Emptyspiral:
Which Heaven is a lie ?
Cristina:
It’s not a religious heaven. We just wrote this just because we’re against every person who wants to sell you an Idea that he already have. We think that everybody has to be free to have his opinion, without any person telling you that you have to think in this way because this is good and this is wrong. You have to discover it by yourself. That’s the Heaven. It’s not the religious heaven. We’re not involved with the religious stuff and political stuff.
Emptyspiral:
Do you prefer to record at studio or tour and perform ?
Cristina:
Both, but it’s more fun to tour. I prefer to tour because I like to meet people and fans and to see the reaction when we perform in front of them. Of course, without recording there would be nothing after. It’s a combination.
Emptyspiral:
What’s your favorite Lacuna Coil album?
Cristina:
Of course COMALIES
Andrea:
Comalies
Emptyspiral:
How much influence have you had in the album covers?
Cristina:
In the very beginning, we just took some pictures from an artwork company that works for the label.
But we decided to get together for unleashed memories and Comalies to choose the artwork.
We did the cover by ourselves for “Halflife EP”, Marco did it.
Emptyspiral:
Any plans on recording live shows for a future DVD or CD ?
Cristina:
We’re collecting a lot of stuff, but we don’t know what will happen.
Andrea:
There’s nothing professional. We just record backstage, people and fans. But first we have to record a real show with a video quality with different cameras. At the moment we have no plans for that.
Emptyspiral:
Who do you like to play or sing with ?
Cristina:
Actually I was talking with Peter (Type O Negative) still and he said that tt’d be cool to do something together. I’d really appreciate it because I really like Type O Negative.
Emptyspiral:
Do you ever visit fan sites or read the forums ?
Cristina: Not very often. I personally don’t have a laptop and when I’m at home I just check my e-mails. Anyway, I don’t have the links of all the websites.
Emptyspiral:
What’s the best concert you’ve ever been to ?
Andrea:
probably Faith No More. It was long time ago, Angel Dust Tour.
Cristina:
I like them all. I didn’t see huge shows like Kiss or AC/DC shows.
Emptyspiral:
What music do you listen to at the moment ? And what’s was the last album you bought ?
Cristina:
Actually we get a lot of CDs for free and I really can’t remember the last CD I bought. I like very much the last OPETH and the last TYPE O NEGATIVE is brilliant.
And the last Disturbed album is good.
Andrea:
Yesterday they gave me Kiss symphony with the orchestra live on Orchestra and it’s very nice.
Cristina:
We like music in general. You can’t say that you like everything about a certain kind of music. Of course, you like some bands and some songs. We like basically everything from classic to extreme.
Andrea:
Many people think that we like bands with female vocals like Nightwish and The Gathering, but we absolutely don’t listen to them. We like every kind of rock from metal to soft rock. We don’t just specialize in bands with female vocals.
Emptyspiral:
Thank you very much!
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