Interview with Lacuna Coil

«The beauty of life is in the contradiction»

If you're familiar with the band from Italy that goes by the name Lacuna Coil, you probably know that every album in their rich career is more than just a sound. In the case of Sleepless Empire, it's something - dark, cinematic and unmistakably true to the unique characteristics that have made Lacuna Coil so famous in the annals of heavy music.
Lacuna Coil's sound is dark, it reflects the society we live in - it is a portrait of our times. It is indicative of the changes in our society, the Empire of Insomnia, where everyone is always on their phones, always scrolling, always doing something - from morning to night, it never stops. This philosophy is reflected in every aspect of Sleepless Empire. Andrea Ferro, one of the founding members of the band, kindly took the time to answer my questions about the philosophy of life and the new record.

You've had so many interviews already. It must be very tiring and sometimes stressful. What question do journalists ask you most often, and what question do you hate the most?

Now that we're in an interview cycle, most often it's a question about the significance of the album. What's the concept around the album? Because everyone wants to know about the new record, obviously. The most annoying question is about what Lacuna Coil means. But I understand why they ask. Some people come from the media who are not too familiar with metal music, and they want to know how we came about, the history of the band, and the meaning of the name. And it's very boring, because we've already said it all a million times. But I understand journalists; they have to ask this type of question because not everybody is familiar with this genre of music. The most frequent question right now is what's behind the concept and the name “Sleepless Empire.”. You can always find most of this information on Wikepedia.

Okay. Because today we will exclude all questions of this kind. I've already had several interviews with musicians from Italy, and they all said that if you're a rock or metal musician, it's almost impossible to build a career in the music business in Italy. People are not interested in it. Do you feel that you have become successful and recognizable in your home country? And what would change the picture in the music business in Italy, or in the world, in your opinion?

I think the main problem is that metal music is not very popular in Italy. Of course the big and famous bands are popular. Of course everyone will go to see Metallica and Linkin Park. Slipknot. AC/DC, Rammstein. That's not the problem. It's a problem of local or small bands from Italy. It's difficult to build a career in metal music in this country because metal is a more underground genre for the Italian public. So we are almost the only ones who were able to break that wall and become famous and get a lot of media attention here and there. Also nowadays rock and metal, in general, are not the most popular genres. Rap music, pop music, and Italian rap music are more popular. So the big problem is that it's going to be hard for you to get attention from the media. But I think metal has always been a genre not for everybody. That's the history of the genre; it's always been more extreme for most people. You have to have an open mind and be used to a certain sound and ideas for you to like heavy music. It's just the nature of people's taste. But you can still play a lot of shows in Italy if you want to, and you can get some attention. Of course, it doesn't work for all bands, but more for musicians who are known internationally, like us or like Rhapsody of Fire.

What song, or songs, can you name as the most important in your life? I mean, your band's song, but you could also name songs by other musicians.

Oh, I don't even know. So many songs come to mind. When we started, the important one for us was “Icon” by Paradise Lost. And also “Bloody Kisses” by Type O Negative. Those two records were some of the things that steered us towards gothic doom music, darker and heavier metal. But overall, a lot of records and songs are important to us. One of the most important songs for us as a band is “Heaven's a Lie.” That song made us famous among a lot of people. It was also a popular song on the radio in America. I can also mention “Dead” and “Enjoy the Silence”—these” songs created a name for us when we started playing international shows.

It's a really fun feeling to be able to work or do interviews with bands that I listened to around high school. How do you feel about the fact that your work can change someone's life and that they can become a journalist or musician because of it? Does that fact make you happy?

Yeah, of course we're aware of things like that because people tell us those stories. The beautiful part of music is that we, as musicians, publish our music everywhere, put it out into the world, and then people can use it any way they want. Some people use music when they're sad; some people use it when they go to the gym or to cry when something happens. There are so many ways you can use music for. But the beauty in music is that you can interpret it in your own personal way, especially when it comes to lyrics. Of course, initially we write lyrics based on our experiences and our point of view, and then people give that their interpretation. People often come up to us and say, “I love this song, and I think it has this kind of meaning.”. And it's not always the meaning that we, as musicians, put into that composition. But it's great, and it's always interesting to hear other people's points of view. It's all very satisfying. When I think about what's left after Lacuna Coil, it's the legacy that we've created with people. The fact that they listen to our music, use our music for different occasions, grow up with our music, make choices with our music, and live all the moments of their life with our music—that's the most important thing for the band. Obviously, everybody likes to make money and be famous. That's cool, but that's not what's left after we finish our career as a band. What will remain is all those built relationships with the fans and the people who love our music and our messages. Those are really important things.

There is a big problem with fake accounts right now. Scammers are creating all these celebrity fakes and writing to fans. Have you ever come across fakes of your personal account or fakes of other celebrities?

Yes, it has happened many times. It happens almost every week. Fans text me every week, “Oh, this guy is pretending to be you and texting everyone.” And we've had a couple of stories in the past where people have bought Meet & Greets from people pretending to be Marco—our bass player. And they'd come to the show with tickets, and they'd say, “Oh, we bought Meets & Greets from this guy!”

Yeah, okay, but Marco doesn't sell Meets & Greets! We have a company that deals with that kind of stuff; we don't sell anything ourselves. Of course, in those cases, we let our fans through because they showed us all this fake correspondence. People need to be very careful in today's world. With AI, people can pretend to be anything; all these scammers—there's a lot of deception around. That's why we always say that people should only trust the official pages and the official website. On all the official pages, we have these blue tags. Always check if it's really us—it's better to ask us or Mengagement; email me and ask if it's true before you send money. We never ask for money from people. So if someone is asking you for money on behalf of the band, it's definitely not us!

Yes, sometimes scammers pretend to be musicians and even ask girls to send nude photos. It's a really horrible situation.

Oh, really? Yes, sometimes I've gotten videos or photos that I never asked for. And I've always said to be very careful. Okay, I don't care; I'm not interested in those pictures, but it's dangerous because some other people might use those images of you and those videos. It's really dangerous. I understand why I get sent these pictures sometimes; it's not a problem, and it's not worth separate attention. But every time you post something on the internet, it will stay there forever. And someone can always use it for bad purposes.

One of your new songs is called “In Nomine Patris”. Are you religious?

No, not at all! I respect faith, but I am against organized religion. I think everyone can have faith in something higher and divine—God, Allah, Buddha—whatever. I think it's part of human nature. We don't know much about what's around us, about the universe. I believe that maybe there is some kind of energy in the universe that could just as easily be part of us, and you can call it God—I can understand and respect that. I just don't think religion is a good thing because a lot of religion is about politics and power and controlling other people. I like learning some things about religion because it's part of human history. I like going to temples and churches; I like history and art, and I respect all of that. But I'm not a follower of any organized religion because I don't believe that any one person can tell you everything about the structure of the universe or all the energy above us. So it's okay to have faith, but be careful with it.

Italy and Milan are also fashion centers. And many musicians release fashion lines, cosmetics, and perfumes. Do you have any plans to release such merch, something that will combine music and fashion?

I would like to have our own clothing line. Because we love different styles and fashion. But it's not so easy because it takes a lot of time, and it's a job that has to be done at a separate time from being a musician. So, it's something I'd like to do, but at the moment we just don't have the time for it. But maybe in the future we will. But I'd really like to start a clothing line. Not a fashion line, but something between dystopian and streetwear. And we also like our visual image as a band; we're always working on it. I don't like fashion when it comes to trends that everyone is going to follow. I think fashion is about how you create your personal style. And I like it when people have their personal style, especially when I see someone who dresses like no one else. 

In your new video “Gravity,” which came out a couple of weeks ago, you're flying. In the “Oxygen” video, Christina drowns in water. What other crazy things have you had to do to make cool music videos?

“Gravity” was one of the videos that was the hardest to shoot because we were hanging from all these wires. And I still have black bruises from all those things we had to put on ourselves. So it was a physical challenge. For Christina, Oxygen was also a big challenge because she had to be underwater for quite a long time. We had to work for 5 hours to shoot the couple seconds that were used in the video. It was hard to look natural in the water, but she did a great job! And we also have a new video for the song “I Wish You Were Dead” coming out in a couple of days. And it was a challenging shoot, but for different reasons. It wasn't something dangerous like those two videos, but we had to learn something new that we hadn't done before. So—check out the new video!

How do you deal with the lack of privacy and space on tour?

Well, we're used to it. It's just the way it is. It can be crazy; you have to be tolerant of other people, tolerant of having to hear how they live next to you and everything else. But we're just used to it because we've been on tour since 2001, I think. Now we try to travel as comfortably as we can afford to travel. If we can afford to fly somewhere on a better flight, we do it. But if you don't like all that touring and traveling, maybe this lifestyle and work isn't for you. I spend more of my life touring with Marco, Christina, and the rest of the guys on the team than I do with my family. If you don't love it, you can't do it. And we still love it. There are always good days and bad days, but at the end of the day, it's something that's part of our lives. And I hope we can do it for a long time to come.

Maybe you have some tips for people on how to stay physically and mentally stable?

I think it's something that depends on a person's personality and individuality. Some people do well to be in a calm and balanced state. I myself am such a person that I try to stay calm and in control of things. Sometimes I blow up too, but it doesn't happen very often. I have to be pushed to the limit for that to happen. I think it all depends on a person's nature, more than anything else. Some blow up easily; others become more self-conscious in the face of things. I think you just have to find a way to explain your reactions to other people. Don't be afraid to show and explain to other people what you are like inside—most of them are able to understand you. Of course there will be people who can't accept you, but that's life and not something you can control. I think telling people honestly about how you feel and that you sometimes feel uncomfortable is important. It's better to say those things right away than to let them build up and snowball and make things difficult.

For one of your new songs, you invited Randy from Lamb of God. I must say it's a very unusual collaboration. Did you create the song and invite Randy as a guest, or did you come up with the song together?

We had three or four songs for the record that we sent to him so he could choose which one he wanted to sing. And he picked one. Most of the song was already done, and he made some additions, and that helped the song get better. Randy is a great friend of ours. We met him for the first time in 2024 at a music festival, and we've been friends and fans of each other ever since. We also have a WhatsApp chat for all sorts of silly things. Every time he finishes his European tour, he comes to Milan, and we go to eat something or see photo exhibitions. So we're friends outside of the music business as well. He is, in a way, a family member. The first person we thought of when we were discussing guest vocals for the record was Randy. He's a great guy. We sent him the song, and he loved it.

Musicians and artists gain immortality through their art. But would you like to gain actual physical immortality?

It's interesting. It might be boring in the long run. But I'd like to see the world change, how my city and technology would change. And how we as a species would change. It would be a tough decision, but most likely my answer would be “Yes!”

How many albums do you think you may still release in the future and how many songs do you have in the closet, waiting for the right time?

We don't have that many songs in the closet. Because, most of the time, we create about as many songs as we need for an album. Of course we have some ideas for bonus songs or collaborations that we create in a couple of months or after the tour. Regarding albums: I think we have two more albums for the label, according to our contract. So definitely two albums, maybe more! But at the moment we see no reason to stop the band's activities. We're still excited to release new music, still excited to tour. If we feel that we are still in good shape and putting out good albums, we will continue. If we feel like we're only releasing songs for money—maybe then we'll stop our career. We want to see each other motivated. But at the moment, we don't see us ending our creativity anytime soon. But of course there will come a day when we will stop.

Do you ever have that feeling that you've written a good song, you like it, but it doesn't fit your band at all? Have you ever had the idea to give those songs to another band?

Yeah, it happens. Sometimes it happens that we've made a song that's very similar to something we did a long time ago. Most of the time, we use that as a bonus track. Sometimes we get some pretty weird songs that don't fit Lacuna Coil, and then we put them aside. We don't usually give inappropriate songs to other musicians. But I think it's something we could do for other people! Once we were at a release and listening party for our new album “Black Anima” on the Sony label, and the guys from Sony said, “You should write songs for other bands too, because you make better songs than a lot of our other musicians.”. The only problem is that the stuff we write might be a little bit heavier for other bands, and it might have to be changed a little bit. But never say never! Maybe one day. I wouldn't mind.

If you had the power to change one thing in this world, what would it be?

Just one thing? I have to think about it...

Okay, you can name three or seven things!

Well, obviously the first thing we have to change is that people die for no reason. Then the fact that we should learn to talk and we should stop bombing each other. And the fact that people could enjoy life more instead of wasting time and living with envy or trying to be richer than someone else. Sure, we all love money and the good life, but you don't need all the money in the world. I think life here is more about the experience of living with other people. I wish people in the world were more understanding of each other. I know it's hard because of history, arrogance, and people who have power and use power for power's sake. But I think. That we're all here for one thing—to enjoy life. If I could convince people that this world wasn't created to kill each other for power, money, and other lands, but for joy, that would be a very good thing. But as it is, that's the way it is. That's one big thing I definitely wanted to change. But of course, there are lots of little things that could be changed. But I also think the beauty of life is in the contradiction. The beauty of life is that you have to live with those contradictions—moments of joy and moments of sadness; moments of love and moments of hate. If you can find a balance between these things, you can find a good life.

Jenet Bonishi