Italian rockers Lacuna Coil are returning to the UK this week so Planet Loud had a quick chat to Andrea and Cristina to catch up on things..

Planet Loud – Thank you for your time..
Lacuna Coil – Thank you man!

Planet Loud – You played on the same bill as Faith No More recently, was that a big honour for you guys?
Lacuna Coil – Yes, that band are a huge influence on me. I am a huge fan. I saw them in Milan on the Angel Dust tour with L7 and it was incredible. I was a big fan then, I’m a bigger fan now.

Planet Loud – Is Mike Patton the vocalist an inspiration on you Andrea?
Lacuna Coil – Yes, he is possibly one of the best vocalists in rock music I would say. He is so adaptable, he can do singing, he can do screaming, I would love to be as adaptable as he is. He’s got all those other different projects before.

Planet Loud – Tell us about the new album, what did you want to achieve with it?
Lacuna Coil – We didn’t really want to achieve anything as such with this record. The only thing I would say that we watned from it was to make sure that we didn’t repeat what we did on the last record.

Planet Loud – I was going to say it is a lot darker and moodier than the previous record..
Lacuna Coil – Yeah, one of the things we always try to do as a band is evolve our sound. We try to keep the same roots but we want to move forward as a band. I think it important for any band to evolve and challenge themselves. Going back though to before the record, the question we ask ourselves as a band is “do we actually want to do another record? Are we ready? Are we ready to tour a new record for another two years..” We’re not the sort of band who plans for the next five albums, we’re just a band who is inspired by the moment and has something to say at that particular moment in time. Our lyrics are based on feelings we have at that particular time. We have to have a good motivation to do an album, not just because it is in our contract to do one. After we decided we were ready to do this record, we put the wheels in motion and found that the band was actually stronger than ever for this record. We were very open-minded going into this record, we didn’t worry about things like how the last record sold or what people thought of it. It was more about having something to say to our fans.

Planet Loud – So there is no five year plan for the band?
Lacuna Coil – No, that is what we wanted to avoid. Okay, there are a lot of bands who do this but for bands like ourselves, sure it is the greatest job to do but there is a big compromise on your private life as you are away for so long working. Especially when you are a band at the level we are at – we don’t have millions of dollars behind us in terms of a budget so we have to actually go out there and work to show people that our band and our music are worth it.

Planet Loud – But when you step out on stage in front of the sort of crowds you play to, it makes all that hard work worth it?
Lacuna Coil – Oh definitely but when you are at home and you are writing then you are always looking at the bigger picture not just that time when you get on stage.

Planet Loud – Bearing in mind the touring you do, do you take a break after each record cycle or are you constantly working on ideas?
Lacuna Coil – We try to take a break even though we have been collecting ideas and thoughts all the time. It’s impossible to concentrate on that when you are touring so much so we try to keep the ideas and then when we get home have a little bit of a break and get ourselves focussed again. Touring is really tiring no matter how much fun it is. People in regular jobs have a break on Sunday but for us it’s seven days a week and we don’t have that break. We have our vacations although if something was to come up we would never say no to it, no matter what it is.

Planet Loud – You’re back in London for a show then what are your plans after that?
Lacuna Coil – We’re going to be back in the States again – it’s crazy. The album has only been out a couple of months but we’ve already been to Australia, America, done festivals, 9 weeks in America with Disturbed.

Planet Loud – You’ve talked about giving up a lot of your personal life but a lot has been made about your personal life recently Cristina. Does that bother you?
Lacuna Coil – If it’s really personal then I just don’t answer it and that resolves the problem. There is always something about your personal life that you want to keep personal and yours only.

Planet Loud – Considering the level you are at as a band, is that getting harder to do?
Lacuna Coil – It depends. If it’s just regular questions then I don’t mind answering them but if it delves too personal then that’s my own business and I don’t answer them.

Planet Loud – Is there such a tabloid gossip column mentality in Italy?
Lacuna Coil – Ha, you mean is it as bad as here in the UK?

Planet Loud – Yeah…
Lacuna Coil – You do have some papers that like the gossip but, like here in the UK, there is always something else you can read instead. I think the problem is that, here in the UK, it is a lot stronger and they really like to dig deep to find out personal stuff on you.

Planet Loud – Awesome, thanks for your time guys.
Lacuna Coil – No problem, thanks for your time..

Interview by Graham Finney