Lacuna Coil’s Cristina Scabbia Talks New Album, Gigantour + More

Lacuna Coil singer Cristina Scabbia appeared on Full Metal Jackie's radio show over the weekend. During the interview, Scabbia discussed the band's forthcoming album, 'Dark Adrenaline,' which drops Jan. 24, as well as the group's upcoming stint on the Gigantour with Megadeth, Motorhead and Volbeat. If you missed Full Metal Jackie's show, read her entire interview with Cristina Scabbia below:

Cristina, it’s great to talk to you again, it’s been a long time. We’re obviously here to talk about this new record Lacuna Coil has coming out in January called ‘Dark Adrenaline,’ a darker, heavier album. We’ve had a little bit of a taste of it so far; what’s been going on the last three years that put you in that kind of head space?

Well, the last three years we’ve been basically touring, promoting ‘Shallow Life,’ which is our previous album, and writing ‘Dark Adrenaline’ so it’s been basically studio work and touring as usual. The usual cycle for an artist, you just make a record and then you travel to promote it, you play everywhere you can and you spread the word.

In terms of the content, was there anything going on that led you guys in a darker type of direction?

Absolutely, yes, I mean it was nothing that we planned in advance. We never do that, we never decide, okay the next album is going to be like that or anything like that. We just took a year off and we just started writing and we noticed the direction was definitely darker, probably darker than ever for our music and definitely heavier. Now, there are more solos, the guitars are really heavy, I’m sure a lot of people will be surprised about that.

Going into it, Cristina, what were your guys listening to that got you excited to make new music?

To be completely honest, it’s not that I listen to a lot of other music or the other guys get inspired by other bands. I think the inspiration comes up natural because when you write music, it’s not something that you are copying from other artists or you need to be inspired, it’s something that you just see in front of you, something that you feel and you try to translate with notes and lyrics but you don’t necessarily need to be inspired by something or other people at least not consciously.

The most recent announcement in terms of a tour where we will expect to see Lacuna Coil in the U.S., I almost fell out of my chair. Gigantour 2012 is going to be Megadeth, Lacuna Coil, Motorhead and Volbeat --  what a tremendous lineup! Are you excited about being on Gigantour?

I’m excited because all the bands are completely different from each other so I think it’s an interesting package. We’re getting different responses, some people like us, some people like Motorhead, some people like Megadeth, some people like Volbeat, so this is cool because all the fans of the different bands can have the chance to listen to other bands and get to know them better so I think it’s fantastic and I can’t wait.

You did a song with Dave Mustaine a couple of years ago, you guys redid ‘A Tout Le Monde.’ Do you think that there’s a chance you might be joining Dave Mustaine onstage to do the song?

I really don’t know, I’ll be more than happy to do it but only if I’m invited, because we did Gigantour before and I had the chance to sing the song with Dave every night of the tour and it was great. We got a fantastic response from the crowd so if they’re going to ask me again, it’ll be my pleasure to sing again with Megadeth.

If there was another Megadeth song that you can sing with Dave or sing, as well, what would it be?

Maybe ‘Peace Sells.’

Great Choice. It must be hard when you have a [completed] record that you’re sitting on and you have to wait for months and months for the press release and then there’s one song.

It’s awful because basically you finish an album then you start practicing for the new songs and then the album will be released and it will sound old to our ears because of course we finished it months ago. [Laughs]

You used to do an advice column for ‘Revolver’ and I’m wondering what’s the best advice anyone’s ever given you?

I got a lot of advice I think that the best advice is from my parents because they’re the people that love me the most on earth and I blindly trust in them so I’m always ready to get any advice from them. There’s not just one single piece of advice but I think the best thing they gave me, even without saying it, is that you never stop learning in life and you always have to keep your feet on the ground because even if you reach the popularity or you’re successful in your job, you still have a lot more things to learn. So, I think this is pretty good advice that maybe some people should learn, that you’re not superior compared to the rest of people around you just because you’re a little bit more popular.

I think that’s great advice for anybody.

Not only music, I think you always have to be careful with the way you treat other people and not to feel like you’re better than the people around you because we’re all the same in the end, more talented, less talented, more lucky, less lucky, but we’re all the same.

This coming weekend, Full Metal Jackie talks to Trivium frontman Matt Heafy. Full Metal Jackie can be heard on radio stations around the country — for a full list of stations, go to fullmetaljackieradio.com.