In a brand new interview with The Razor’s Edge, LACUNA COIL co-vocalist Andrea Ferro was requested how fashionable know-how 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 be taught as nicely. 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 form of an statement of how the society has modified, how issues are completely different, how a lot we’ve this big empire with all these potentialities provided 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 at all times with this display in our face, even at evening. However that is not just for the brand new era — additionally for us, it is the identical. So it isn’t 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 a bit of 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 principle statement 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 nicely. Earlier than, clearly, whenever you have been promoting bodily information, plenty of bodily information, it was far more revenue from that supply, whereas these days, though we do nonetheless promote plenty of bodily information as a result of metallic is without doubt one of the few genres the place folks 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 creating revenue for the band. There are some issues that earlier than [were] fully unthinkable, like sponsorship or anyone desires 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 creating the band financially work, and in addition the touring, extra merchandise. There’s alternative ways. However I feel we have achieved fairly nicely adapting to the adjustments.”
“Sleepless Empire” is ready to be launched February 14, 2025 through Century Media Information.
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 stated: “We selected that title as a result of it was representing the occasions that we live immediately. We’re at all times awake, continuously 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 nicely, so it isn’t a criticism,” she defined. “It is only a realization, as a result of I’m a part of that era that noticed all of it and noticed it coming and noticed how briskly the know-how developed and the way massive the adjustments have been, so I’m attempting to take the perfect out of the previous to carry it sooner or later and the current, as a result of I feel that we should always make the most of know-how. I imply, the truth that we’re speaking proper now by means of a display, it is one of the stunning issues of know-how, 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 individual, which might be wonderful. However this manner, you save time, it can save you 4 hours so you’ll be able to go spend time with your loved ones and I can go to look at [Italian professionally football club] AC Milan tonight with Andrea [Ferro, LACUNA COIL co-vocalist] on the stadium as a substitute of touring. So know-how is sweet if used correctly. And I like progress — I like know-how and I like to evolve with occasions — however I feel it is cool to recollect what the essential 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 is going to be wasted. So generally 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 cellphone and see the messages and watch the messages and perhaps scroll by means 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 a tendency to check to one another. They see stunning lives in different folks’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 at the very least, similar to the truth that I used to be born earlier form of gave me a form of a shelter that it is a form of a filter that it is, like, okay, I needn’t examine myself to a different individual as a result of, in fact, that is my life. That is their life. And perhaps not all the things they’re displaying [is] true. Likely not all the things they’re displaying [is] 100% 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 dwelling. I ought to take a look at the folks, the actual folks round me and actual life round me. It needs to be a steadiness. As all the things, you simply should hold the suitable steadiness.”
Requested if she is responsible of waking up within the morning and choosing up her cellphone instantly after which losing hours and hours each day simply scrolling by means of social media, Cristina stated: “Oh, completely. Completely. I am responsible, particularly within the morning. Not simply losing time, simply socials as a result of I additionally do it as a form of a research ‘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 after 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. 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 all the things. As a substitute, 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, 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 unhealthy. 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 unhealthy as nicely.”
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 situated. As with their earlier albums, manufacturing was achieved in home with Marco “Maki” Coti Zelati on the helm, and paintings was hand curated by the gifted Italian artist Roberto Toderico. Two different very particular abilities enrich the album, particularly the visitor vocalists: LAMB OF GOD‘s Randy Blythe on the tune “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 monitor “By no means Daybreak”),the band have created an oracle “sport” to be performed with customized made cube accessible 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 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 era trapped in a digital world that by no means stops, the place social media consumes id and each day 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 looking for a real that means of all of it. All through each tune, 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 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 stated in a social media submit 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 metallic band INVERNO, which launched its debut album, “Stasis”, in December 2023.