In a brand new interview with The Razor’s Edge, LACUNA COIL co-vocalist Andrea Ferro was requested how fashionable 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 properly. It is a new world fully for everyone, I assume. And all people needed to cope with the swap 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 type of an statement of how the society has modified, how issues are totally different, how a lot we’ve this large empire with all these potentialities supplied by the connectivity, the Web, the supply of 24 hours on-line and blah, blah, blah. And however, the truth that we’re sleepless, that we’re at all times with this display screen 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 children; it is simply the way in which it’s these days, and all of us needed to cope with this. Perhaps we’re just a little bit extra lucky that we had skilled the life earlier than the Web, and so we all know what it’s to actually reside 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 apart from that, that is the primary statement and the way in which that life has modified. However I believe we have been fairly good and shifting and following the trail of how music has modified, how the music enterprise has modified as properly. Earlier than, clearly, whenever you have been promoting bodily data, quite a lot of bodily data, it was far more earnings from that supply, whereas these days, though we do nonetheless promote quite a lot of bodily data as a result of metallic is without doubt one of the few genres the place individuals nonetheless need 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’ve discovered new methods of constructing earnings for the band. There are some issues that earlier than [were] fully unthinkable, like sponsorship or any person needs to place an advert in your Fb web page or Instagram web page, clearly, we attempt to at all times do it with manufacturers that we truly 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 constructing the band financially work, and in addition the touring, extra merchandise. There’s other ways. However I believe we have carried out fairly properly adapting to the adjustments.”
“Sleepless Empire” is about to be launched February 14, 2025 through 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 occasions that we live immediately. We’re at all times awake, continually 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 have to 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 properly, 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 have been, so I’m attempting to take the most effective out of the previous to convey it sooner or later and the current, as a result of I believe that we must always make the most of expertise. I imply, the truth that we’re speaking proper now by means of a display screen, it is probably the most stunning 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 satisfy 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 an alternative of touring. So expertise is nice if used properly. And I really like progress — I really like expertise and I like to evolve with occasions — however I believe 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’ll be wasted. So generally I attempt to consider this, even when realistically the very first thing that I do once I get up within the morning is to seize the cellphone and see the messages and watch the messages and perhaps scroll by means of tales of different individuals.”
Cristina added: “We simply want to concentrate. I believe 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 match to one another. They see stunning lives in different individuals’s social medias, and so they suppose that that is actuality. So generally they really feel lower than they’re and so they really feel depressed and pissed off as a result of they do not really feel sufficient. So no less than, identical to the truth that I used to be born earlier type of gave me a type of a shelter that it is a type of a filter that it is, like, okay, I needn’t examine myself to a different particular person as a result of, after all, that is my life. That is their life. And perhaps not all the things they’re displaying [is] true. Most likely not all the things they’re displaying [is] 100% true. Perhaps it’s, however who cares? I ought to have a look at my life. I ought to have a look at what I am constructing. I ought to have a look at what I am dwelling. I ought to have a look at the individuals, the true individuals round me and actual life round me. It ought to be a stability. As all the things, you simply must preserve the correct stability.”
Requested if she is responsible of waking up within the morning and selecting up her cellphone instantly after which losing hours and hours day by day simply scrolling by means 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 type of a examine ‘trigger I wanna see what occurs. I am curious — I am genuinely curious — so perhaps that is not an entire waste of time, ‘trigger it is nonetheless entertaining. What I am responsible of is that I really feel responsible once I need 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 perhaps I ought to wait. Perhaps 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. Perhaps 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 all the things. As an alternative, I simply seize my cellphone. 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 arduous as a result of we’ve so many inputs,” she continued. “Then we attempt to detach ourselves and loosen up watching different stuff on different social medias, pondering that they are entertaining. They usually create much more anxiousness. So it is a cycle that may very well be harmful… However it’s not all dangerous. So the sleepless empire, it is mainly an empire with those that by no means sleep, that [are] at all times doing stuff, which may very well be good and may very well be dangerous as properly.”
Inspiration to create “Sleepless Empire” got here throughout 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 positioned. As with their earlier albums, manufacturing was carried out in home with Marco “Maki” Coti Zelati on the helm, and paintings was hand curated by the proficient Italian artist Roberto Toderico. Two different very particular skills enrich the album, particularly the visitor vocalists: LAMB OF GOD‘s Randy Blythe on the music “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 akin to their card recreation “Horns Up” and their collaboration with Zombicide for which they wrote the monitor “By no means Daybreak”),the band have created an oracle “recreation” to be performed with customized made cube out there solely within the field set model of “Sleepless Empire”.
The brand new album is comprised of 11 tracks; every one is a richly textured soundtrack to a selected 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 means of our eyes, the chaos of a technology trapped in a digital world that by no means stops, the place social media consumes identification and day by day pushes us one step nearer to changing into soulless zombies. We discover ourselves in between, having witnessed a full analogic world and the fashionable one, confronting the evolution and trying to find a real which means of all of it. All through each music, the journey is an undercurrent of rebel, 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 substitute for the band’s longtime guitarist Diego Cavallotti.
Salomone made his reside 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 choice isn’t the results of my dissatisfaction or need to discover new alternatives.”
Cavallotti and Salomone performed collectively within the Italian metallic band INVERNO, which launched its debut album, “Stasis”, in December 2023.