Lacuna Coil’s Cristina Scabbia Talks ‘Broken Crown Halo,’ Band Member Exits + Women in Rock

These are interesting times for Lacuna Coil, as the band has just released 'Broken Crown Halo,' but done so as two of the group's longtime members have decided to retire from the band. However, the transition appears to be going well, as the group just took part in the 'Hottest Chicks in Hard Rock' tour leading into the release of their album.

Co-vocalist Cristina Scabbia just took time out of the group's busy schedule to speak with 'Loudwire Nights' host Full Metal Jackie about how the transition is going, and she also opened up about the band's mindset as they recorded the 'Broken Crown Halo' album. Check out Lacuna Coil's Cristina Scabbia speaking with Full Metal Jackie below:

It's Full Metal Jackie. On the show with us is Christina from Lacuna Coil. So nice to see you.

So nice to see you too.

A lot going on with Lacuna Coil: the new record 'Broken Crown Halo' is out in stores now, the awesome follow up to 'Dark Adrenaline.' 2014 is a big and exciting year for Lacuna Coil. We had the announcement for the new album, then there was a tour announcement and another announcement that the band's longtime drummer and guitarist were retiring.

The band has always seemed to be very close, but this split seemed to be amicable and everyone seemed to be okay with it.

Yeah, everyone was really surprised and we were surprised too. It's not that they decided to retire because they didn't like band anymore or we didn't like each other anymore. It was more of a desire from their sides to change their life and leave the road, because it's not easy to live on the road and be away for such a long time from your loved ones. So they told us in December, about their decision.

We decided to wait a little bit, first of all, because we had to absorb the news because it was... not shocking, but it's still weird. It's the still same feeling if you're living with your brothers and they decide one day to move out, get married and change their life and they're not living with you anymore. It's the same kind of feeling. You're happy for them but at the same time you're going to miss them. Everybody's happy, so I think it's fantastic.

It seems like there's no break for you guys. There was one tour into another, you guys are out until the end of May?

We left Italy, our hometown, on the 17th of February. We're going to be in the States until the end of May.

Let's talk about the record, 'Broken Crown Halo.' You described it as dark. Talk about why you feel that it ended up that way?

The similarities are definitely more obscure and dark, but if we talk about the lyrics, they're definitely permeated. Do you use this word? I'm Italian so I have to ask twice.

That works.

With all the experiences we went through in 2013, it wasn't a good year for us. We went through a lot of troubles starting from health problems within some of our families, some breakups... things that can happen to anyone. But when they happen to you, you kind of tend to see the world with different eyes. You kind of tend to change the list of your priorities to look at everything in a different way. So, that influenced the record in a more darker, but more positive way, because we always thought that you can go through problems, struggles, but there's always a way to get out of it all and to be fierce, to be positive about life in general. We're really happy about what we do, we're so blessed to be able to have made a passion a job. So we want to continue to be strong through the struggles.

You guys just finished up the 'Hottest Chicks in Hard Rock' tour and I have to bring it up. You've been a woman in the rock world for such a long time. I think now as opposed to when you first started it seems more acceptable and there's a lot more singers, female frontwomen. Do you think that's a trend? Do you think things are changing? How do you feel its different now as opposed to when you started?

I honestly don't know if it's a trend or not. Probably for some bands that are starting now, for part of them to have a female might means, "Oh, we're going to get more successful or we're going to get more attention," which it's not. People aren't stupid. It's not like there's a pretty girl in the band then you're going to be successful. It's not like that. I'm happy that there are more women in the scene. When we started, we were in between the bands with a female in the lineup but it was more accepted in Europe. There were more bands like Nightwish and Within Temptation, Theater of Tragedy with women in the lineups. It was kind of normal, at least in that symphonic gothic metal scene. Now I notice a lot of bands with a female in the lineup and I think it's cool. There is space for everybody. As long as you can deliver you can be professional and do your job as a singer and musician, why not?

Full Metal Jackie, Christina from Lacuna Coil. Pick up the latest record 'Broken Crown Halo' and see the band on the road. They're going to be doing it for a long time now. Thank you so much for taking the time. 

Thank you.

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