Jan 13th 2011
1. Introduction
1.1. About the FAQ
The intent of this FAQ is to provide information on the Italian band ‘LACUNA COIL’. The latest version of the FAQ is maintained at Emptyspiral.net.
1.2. Where to send comments/revisions
All comments and suggestions or revisions can be sent to [email protected] or posted on the forums at www.emptyspiral.net.
1.3. Author and Acknowledgements
The LACUNA COIL FAQ was originally compiled and written by Matt Wrycraft ([email protected]) and Gabriel Knight ([email protected]), with contributions by fans on Emptyspiral.net forums and the Senzafine Yahoogroup. Thank you everyone who took the time to help out with this. You know who you are.
1.4. Legal Stuff
This FAQ is provided as is without any express or implied warranties. While every effort has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this article, the authors assume no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein. The contents of this FAQ reflect opinions and the results of research by the authors and contributors are not necessarily those of LACUNA COIL or their management.
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2. LACUNA COIL Online
2.1. Does LACUNA COIL have an Official web site?
Yes! You can find the official LACUNA COIL website at www.lacunacoil.it
2.2. Is there an official Mailing List?
The official mailing list is the ‘Senzafine’ Yahoo group. It should be noted that you will not see any official announcements on the group, it is for general discussion by LACUNA COIL fans. More information can be found at the Yahoo group website at http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/Senzafine/. You can subscribe to list by sending an email to [email protected].
2.3. Is there an official Fanclub/Site?
Yes, www.emptyspiral.net is the Worldwide Fanclub, and is supported by the band and their record label Century Media. There is also an official Italian fansite – www.lacunacoilitalia.com
2.4. Does LACUNA COIL, or any of the band members, have social networking pages?
There are official LACUNA COIL pages at www.myspace.com/lacunacoil and www.facebook.com/lacunacoil. A few of the band members have personal pages:
Cristina Scabbia – www.myspace.com/cristinascabbia and www.facebook.com/pages/Cristina-Scabbia-Official
Andrea Ferro – www.myspace.com/andreaferro and www.facebook.com/pages/Andrea-Ferro-Official-Public-Page
Marco ‘Maus’ Biazzi – www.myspace.com/marcobiazzi and www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000383254926
2.5. Is there an official Forum?
The forum at emptyspiral.net is recognised as the official forum as part of the LACUNA COIL Community.
2.6. Is there a LACUNA COIL Usenet newsgroup?
There is no specific newsgroup for LACUNA COIL discussion. You could try looking at it.arti.musica.metal or alt.gothic.music for LACUNA COIL information or discussions.
2.7. Is there an IRC Channel?
For Italian chat you can use #lacunachat on the Azzurra IRC Network. There is also a #lacunacoil channel on DALNet.
2.8. Where can I buy LACUNA COIL merchandise?
The albums and self-titled EP can be found or ordered at most large music stores, and at most online stores. The official merchandise sites are:
http://lacunacoil.shop.bravadousa.com US
https://www.backstreet-merch.com/stores/lacunacoil/ EU
You can also try the following sites:
http://www.negative.it/ (Italian)
http://www.grindstore.com/
Additionally there is a regularly updated thread in the emptyspiral.net forums which contains merchandise-related information.
2.9. Is there a LACUNA COIL Twitter Feed, or do another of the band members use Twitter?
Yes, the official LACUNA COIL Twitter is @lacuna_coil
Cristina uses Twitter – @MissScabbia
CriZ uses Twitter – @LC_CriZ
2.10. What about other web resources?
There are numerous LACUNA COIL websites across the World Wide Web, including a number of links on the official site (www.lacunacoil.it)
Though by no means exhaustive here are a few places to get you started:
‘Emptyspiral.net’ – The Official fanclub – https://emptyspiral.net
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3. The Band and History
3.1. What does ‘LACUNA COIL’ mean?
The closest English translation is ‘Empty Spiral’, it was chosen when the band changed their name from Ethereal and it is meant to express the bands vision on life. In the words of Cristina Scabbia; “It’s half Italian, half English – Lacuna’s an Italian word from the Latin meaning lack of memory or emptiness. ‘Coil’ is a spiral.”
3.2. What does that ‘oriental symbol’ represent?
It is in fact a stylised ‘L’ and ‘C’ with the C crossing the L halfway down the vertical. LACUNA COIL have changed logos a couple of times now. A second version of the logo was turned about 30 degrees, the ‘C’ was changed, and it was enclosed in a circle. A third version of the logo is now used, it is a return to the more ‘oriental’ look but is more symmetrical. You can see all three versions at https://emptyspiral.net/images/lacuna_coil_logos.gif
3.3 What style of music do LACUNA COIL play?
It’s not easy to define LACUNA COILs musical style, and is certainly a topic for discussion. However, in Cristina’s own words LACUNA COIL plays “a mixture between gothic, rock and metal with a modern touch”. That’s as close as you’ll get to an official answer.
3.4. Who are the members of LACUNA COIL?
The current line up of LACUNA COIL is:
– Cristina Scabbia: Female vocals
– Andrea Ferro: Male vocals
– Cristiano Migliore: Guitars
– Marco ‘Maus’ Biazzi: Guitars
– Marco Coti Zelati: Bass guitar
– Cristiano ‘CriZ’ Mozzati: Drums & percussion
The original line up was:
– Cristina Scabbia: Female vocals
– Andrea Ferro: Male vocals
– Raffaele Zagaria: Guitars
– Claudio Leo: Guitars
– Marco Coti Zelati: Bass guitar
– Leonardo Forti: Drums & percussion
3.5. When/how was the band formed?
The following is taken from the LACUNA COIL Biography at www.emptyspiral.net:
The genesis of Lacuna Coil can be traced back to Milan, 1994 when guitarist and songwriter Marco Coti-Zelati and his friend, Andrea Ferro, form the band Sleep of Right. Marco plays guitar, Andrea plays bass, and Raffaele Zagaria joins them on guitar and Michelangelo on the drums. The band plays their first live gig in Bologna, Italy in 1994. They record Bleeding Souls which sees release in 1995 on the Noise of Bolgia compilation CD.
Marco soon moves to playing bass so that Andrea can concentrate on vocals and they are joined by Claudio Leo, as second guitarist, and Leonardo Forti on drums; following the departure of Michelangelo. Their next decision no doubt changes the direction their future music would take forever; they ask a female friend, Cristina Scabbia, to sing some backing tracks for them. It is clear that Cristina’s soaring, natural vocals, perfectly compliment the deep growling of Andrea Ferro and they ask her to join the band permanently. After the inclusion of Cristina Scabbia as female vocals the band changes their name to Ethereal and in May 1996 a two-track demo tape, with the songs Shallow End and Frozen Feeling, is recorded and sent to several European record labels. The band receives responses from Nuclear Blast and Century Media and decides to sign the deal with Century Media. Now, with the record deal in place the band discover that the name Ethereal has already been taken by a Greek band. The bands now firmly established line-up – Cristina Scabbia, Andrea Ferro, Marco Coti-Zelati, Claudio Leo, Raffaele Zagaria, and Leonardo Forti – settle on the name LACUNA COIL, meaning “Empty Spiral”, reflecting their vision on life.
3.6. What happened to the original band members?
There were musical differences in the studio during the recording of the Lacuna Coil EP in 1997, and ultimately the band broke up during their 1997 tour supporting Moonspell with Raffaele, Claudio, and Leonardo leaving. In December of that year Cristiano Migliore and Cristiano Mozzati were asked to join to replace them, and Marco ‘Maus’ Biazzi joined later in October 1998. The line up-has remained constant since that time.
Claudio Leo and Raffaele Zagaria went onto form the band ‘Cayne’ and have released an album ‘Old Faded Pictures’
Claudio Leo is currently the guitarist in a band called ‘No Names’
3.7 Have any other people played with LACUNA COIL? – I’m sure I’ve seen another woman playing keyboards…
Yes. The woman you refer to is Alice Chiarelli who played keyboards in1998 during their European tour supporting The Gathering. Also Steve Minelli (ex-Node, ex-Death SS) also played guitar in March and April 1998 during their European tour.
3.8. How do I meet the band?
You are most likely to meet them after a live show. LACUNA COIL take the time meet fans and sign autographs, and are very approachable. Take the time to support them!
3.9. Can I email the band?
Yes, though the band is always busy and are unlikely to respond straight away. Their email addresses are:
– Cristina Scabbia: [email protected]
– Andrea Ferro: [email protected]
– Cristiano Migliore: [email protected]
– Marco Biazzi: [email protected]
– Marco Coti Zelati: [email protected]
– Cristiano Mozzati: [email protected]
3.10. What kind of equipment do LACUNA COIL use/endorse?
A complex question. Like any band LACUNA COIL have used a variety of instruments and musical equipment over the years.
Here is a list of known equipment currently believed to be used/endorsed:
Drums:
Pearl Master Custom kit
8/10/12/14/16 inch toms
13×5 in snare
20 in kick
Remo drum heads
UFIP cymbals
Natural and Rough series (various sizes)
Opus 51 (kickdrum); m 201 (snaredrum top); opus 88 (snaredrum bottom and smaller toms); opus 87 (floor toms);
mce 930 (hi hat and cymbals); opus 99 (bass cabinet)
Guitars:
ESP/LTD Stephen Carpenter 7-strings with standard EMG pickups
Ibanez sgr 5 strings basses
Dean Markley strings 52-9 (Maus) 60-10 (Pizza)
Bass & guitars wireless systems: Beyerdynamic opus 500 with ts 500 transmitters.
Amps/Cabs:
Line 6 spider valve mk2 HD 100
Gallien Krueger rb 2001 heads
Gallien Krueger neo 412 cabinets
Mics:
Lead vocals: Beyerdynamic opus 900 wireless systems with sem 881 hand held mike.
Andrea uses beyerdynamic in ear systems: ims 800
Effects:
Alesis adat hd 24 (not endorsed)
3.11. Why do LACUNA COIL sing in English instead of Italian?
Simply put, Italian does not lend itself well to the type of songs that they want to sing. It works well for melodic songs, but not for heavier fast sounds. LACUNA COIL have a couple of songs with Italian lyrics ‘Senzafine’ – off of the Halflife EP and Unleashed Memories album, and ‘Comalies’ off of the Comalies album.
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4. Release History
4.1. What Albums/EPs/Singles/DVDs have LACUNA COIL released?
They released two EPs and five full albums as LACUNA COIL, as well as a number of singles:
– Lacuna Coil (EP) – Released 1997
– In a Reverie (Album) – Released 1999
– HalfLife (EP) – Released 2000
– Unleashed Memories(Album) – Released 2001
– Comalies (Album) – Released 2002
– Heaven’s a Lie (single) – Released 2002
– Swamped (Single) – Released 7th June 2004
– 2CD edition of Comalies (with acoustic songs on second CD)
– – Released in the US on 1st June 2004 as ‘Ozzfest Edition’
– – Released in Europe on 2st June 2004 as ‘Limited Edition Deluxe Edition’
– In a Reverie (Album) – Re-released 2005 (new cover and content)
– Unleashed Memories(Album) – Re-released 2005 (new cover and content)
– The EPs (combines songs from Lacuna Coil EP and Halflife EP) – Released 2005
– Our Truth (Single) – Released March 6th 2006 (Europe) and March 20th 2006 (UK)
– Karmacode (Album) – Released March 31st (Europe), April 3rd 2006 (UK) and April 4th 2006 (US)
– Enjoy The Silence (Single) – Released June 26th 2006 (UK)
– Closer (Single) – Released October 16th 2006 (UK)
– Within Me (Single) – Released May 4th 2007 (Italy)
– Visual Karma – Body Mind & Soul (DVD) – Released 2008
– Manifesto Of…Lacuna Coil CD (‘Best of’ Compilation Album)- Released 2008
– Spellbound (Single) – Released 2009
– Shallow Life (Album) – Released 2009
– Trip The Darknes (Digital Single) – Released 2011
As Ethereal they produced a two-track demo. It has never been officially released, though one of the tracks Shallow-End is available for download.
4.2. What videos have they released?
LACUNA COIL have released three official videos for their single ‘Heaven’s a Lie’. The first is a studio ‘making-of’ video put to music. It’s an edit of the video released on the Comalies album. The second was filmed in Los Angeles, directed by Chade Seide, and released in May 2003. It is recognisable with Andrea and Cristina sitting on stairs, and Cristina singing through banisters. The third version was directed by Patric Ullaeus and released in December 2003. In it the band are playing in a large gothic hall and Cristina is wearing a white dress. Other special FX shots are also shown. This is the version seen on MTV and to most people is considered the ‘Official’ Heavens A Lie video.
Working again with Patric Ullaeus, the Director of the ‘Official Heavens a Lie’ video, LACUNA COIL have also released a video for their ‘Swamped’, also taken from the Comalies album. The video is set in a gothic mansion, as well as a firey desert.
LACUNA COIL worked with director duo Fort Awesome for the video to ‘Our Truth’ the first video released from their 2006 album karmacode. Shot in Los Angeles, this video can be recognised as being set inside a snow globe in a forest.
The band worked with Fort Awesome again for the video to their cover of Depeche Mode’s ‘Enjoy The Silence’. This can be recognised as cut’s between city scenes and the band playing in a dark room. The video was changed for release in the UK and live shots from the bands performance at the Forum on March 6th in London are included in this version.
LACUNA COIL continued their relationship with Fort Awesome with the release of the video for ‘Closer’. Again shot in Los Angeles this video starts with Cristina driving a car, and ends with her meeting the rest of the band who have dug a hole to reveal a case containing what some believe is the Hebraic ‘Tree of Life’
In 2007 LACUNA COIL released a video for the Within Me single. The video was filmed by Karl Karman from March 2nd till March 3th, 2007 in Turin Borgo Medievale’s park and castle and in desert in Sardinia.
In 2009 LACUNA COIL released a video for the single Spellbound. The video was filmed by Italian director Roberto Cinardi AKA Saku, in Milan at Dolce & Gabbana’s Gold on February 2009. There are in fact 2 versions of the video, the second showing various seens of people under the ‘spell’ of obsession etc.
Later in the same year LACUNA COIL released a video for their song I Like It. The video was filmed in Kansas City, USA, by the American director Kevin Custer in May 2009.
In early 2010 LACUNA COIL released the video for their song I Won’t Tell You. The video was directed again by Saku and is notable in that LACUNA COIL fans are included in the video.
In late 2011 LACUNA COIL released the video for the song Trip The Darkness – the first track of the 2012 album Dark Adrenaline. The video was directed by Sitcom Soldiers.
4.3. Are the videos available anywhere?
You can find the videos on at the official site (www.lacunacoil.it) as well as the LACUNA COIL Youtube (www.youtube.com/user/lacunacoil) and myspace pages (www.myspace.com/lacunacoil)
4.4. Where can I buy the CDs?
Everywhere! Well, most music stores carry ‘Comalies’ and ‘Karmacode’. Online music stores (amazon.com being the most popular one) will have the older albums as well. You can also buy from directly Century Media online store – www.centurymediashop.com.
‘HalfLife’ EP is put of print, but is included as a bonus on the Unleashed Memories (see section 9). The songs have also been included on ‘The EPs’ re-release. Expect to have a hard time finding the original version…
The ‘Heaven’s a Lie’ CD single had a very limited release and is all but impossible to find.
The singles ‘Swamped’, ‘Our Truth’, ‘Enjoy The Silence’, and ‘Closer’ can be found at online stores like http://www.emp-online.com. Note that the singles were never released in the US.
The ‘Within Me’ single is very hard to find as it was only released in Italy. Try Amazon or Ebay.
Shallow Life should be easy to find.
4.5. What songs are never played live?
As far as we know the following songs have never been played live:
Shallow Life:
– I Like It
– The Pain
Karmacode:
– (All songs have been played)
Comalies:
– The Ghost Woman and the Hunter
– The Prophet Said
– Comalies
Unleashed Memories:
– Distant Sun
Halflife:
– Stars
In a Reverie:
– To Myself I Turned
Lacuna Coil:
– (All have been played live – even Un Fantasma Tra Noi!)
5. Ethereal Demo
5.1. What songs are included on the demo?
‘Shallow End’ and ‘Frozen Feeling’.
5.2. Where can I find the demo?
The demo was released on tape and was never re-released officially. It has been seen on ebay from time to time, but the validity of the sale item is unknown
5.3. Have any of the tracks been released?
Shallow End was available as an MP3 download on the official site for a while, but has since been removed. You can now download the track at www.emptyspiral.net/modules.php?name=Downloads&d_op=getit&lid=142
5.4. Why isn’t ‘Frozen Feeling’ available anywhere?
The band doesn’t want it distributed. We are not entirely sure why, but a couple of people who got a copy of the cassette tape from the band were asked not to distribute it. However, Andrea mentioned in an Emptyspiral.net interview that some day they may make it available for download, so you never know…
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6. LACUNA COIL EP
6.1. What does ‘Un Fanstasma Tra Noi’ mean?
“A ghost between us”
6.2. Why don’t I recognise all the band members in the CD sleeve?
You are looking at the original band line-up, see section 3.3
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7. In a Reverie
7.1. Doesn’t Falling again sound the same as Falling from the LACUNA COIL EP?
Not really. Listen to the 2 songs back to back and you’ll hear distinct differences. First of all, the lyrics are slightly different. Also Cristina’s voice is clearer and “up front” in the mix on Falling then on Falling Again. Additionally Falling Again features the entire band playing, not just guitar and keyboards. The lyrics are nearly identical, so you can consider Falling Again (on the ‘In A Reverie’ album), a re-arrangement of Falling (from the ‘Lacuna Coil’ EP).
7.2 Why was Falling re-recorded?
The song was written by Marco, but the old members of LC insisted on recording the song the way it is on the self-titled EP, without distorted guitars and drums. So they re-recorded it the way they originally wanted it to be (as explained by Cristina in the interview with Kaleidoscope magazine, Issue 6 – Autumn 1999)
7.3 What inspired the cover of In A Reverie?
Note: This refers to the original release of the In A Reverie album
Cristina explains in the interview with Kaleidoscope magazine, Issue 6 – Autumn 1999:
“It was a co-operation between us and a German artist, and we chose to do some body painting, and to use ourselves instead of models or something like that. We wanted to be like two strange creatures in a wood, in a fantastic world. And to be in a reverie – like the title of the album. And we wanted it to be about nature, because when you are in a wood, for example, you are free, because you can scream, you can do everything – there is nobody there to look at you. And that’s why we chose a wood sceneography; to be like, you know, elf creatures – but only because we wanted to do something special – not for a real meaning. We wanted a special cover to attract attention”.
7.4 How many In A Reverie covers are there?
There are two very different covers to the In A Reverie album.
The 1999 original release has a black cover with Andrea and Cristina sitting ‘naked’ and painted in a forest.
The 2005 re-released has a artistic blue/white cover with a white in a foreground by a shore. In the back is a dark archway set in a white wall. The cover was created by Raj Naik of http://www.rajnaik.com
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8. Halflife EP
8.1. Isn’t Stars a cover song?
Yes, it’s a cover of a song by British pop band “Dubstar”. You can find out more information, as well as listen to the original recording at www.stevehillier.net/dubstar.html
There is also a video on the Internet. It not an official video.
8.2. Who designed the cover?
Well, actually the cover for the EP was designed by LACUNA COIL’s bassist – Marco Coti Zelati.
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9. Unleashed Memories
9.1. I don’t understand Senzafine! Are the English lyrics available anywhere?
Yes, on the official site (www.lacunacoil.it) and in the discography at www.emptyspiral.net
9.2. What does Senzafine mean?
It’s a combination of 2 Italian words, “senza” (without) and “fine” (end), so it means something like “Neverending” or “Endless”.
9.3. Senzafine was also on the Halflife EP, why was it released twice? And what are the differences?
The Unleashed Memories version is slightly different. The lyrics are a little different, and also The Unleashed Memories version has an extra verse:
Sono ancora in piedi in questo istante di pura follia
Non so piu se desiderare il bene o il male
Anche se il peccato forse piu ma da
Or in English,
I am still standing in this moment of pure madness
I don’t know anymore if I should desire good or evil
Although sin maybe gives me more
9.4. What is 1:19 about?
Only the band knows. They’ve decided to keep the meaning of the song amongst themselves. In an interview with Emptyspiral.net Cristina did give away a clue to meaning: “We can only say, it’s the distance between two places. But we’ll never say more than that.” <- That hasn’t stopped Matt from Emptyspiral trying at all possibilities to discover the secret!
9.5. My copy of Unleashed Memories has five extra tracks on it. What does that mean?
It means you have a re-release of Unleashed Memories album, which includes the entire HalfLife EP on it as a bonus. In fact the only version of UM that is presently in print in the US is the one with the bonus tracks.
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10. Comalies
10.1. Where does the name come from?
Coma + Lies, a combination of the 2 words. In Cristina’s own words, “[during the album’s recording], we had a sort of creative explosion and forgot everything else to concentrate on the album. We were working in a coma, sort of like in a different dimension. First of all we just wanted to use the word coma but there was something missing so we played with the two words coma and lies.” Source: interview on www.live4metal.com, 9/02
10.2. How do you pronounce ‘Comalies’?
Coma-lyze, or Coma-lies, not comalees! 🙂
10.3 Why is there sunflower on the cover?
Cristina explains in the interview with www.live4metal.com:
“We just collected different ideas from different artists. We tried everything really from animals to abstract ideas. With Unleashed Memories we think that sun represented perfectly the way we are. With this it is black in the background and then the colour very much in your face, is a strong symbol. You will recognize it immediately if you see it in the shop for example and its not something negative at all. We are really positive people despite the fact that we like aspects of melancholy in our songs but that’s normal in a human being of course. You have the happiness and the darkness and we like to have the balance between these parts. We feel we are in the middle. We are not too Gothic and not too happy. We like to share a mixture of things. We like the sunflower and if you look there is an eye inside it, which really catches you and represents us perfectly. It represents the way we are now, really simple and really intense.”
10.4. I’ve heard that there’s a special box set available. Is this true?
Yes. It was released in Germany in the fall of ’02. It’s supposedly out of print, but still may be found on the Internet if you look carefully. The Comalies box includes a Digipack version of Comalies (with the ‘Lost Lullaby’ song as a bonus), a poster of Cristina and a Comalies pin badge.
10.5 What’s the deal with the 2CD edition of Comalies?
Century Media released a new version of the album in 2004, with a free bonus CD containing nine new recordings, and other goodies. This version is called the ‘Limited Ozzfest Edition’ in the US and in Europe as ‘Limited Edition Deluxe Edition’. The two versions have different covers:
The ‘Ozzfest Edition’ has twelve small ‘boxes’on the cover containing flower or flame images. The ‘Limited Edition Deluxe Edition’ excludes the boxes and has a black band at the top and bottom of the cover.
10.6 What’s on the bonus CD of the 2CD of Comalies?
The bonus CD contains the following audio tracks:
1. Heavens a Lie (Radiomix and Edit)
2. Swamped (Radiomix and Edit)
3. Heavens a Lie (Studio acoustic version)
4. Swamped (Studio acoustic version)
5. Senzafine (Studio acoustic version)
6. Unspoken (Studio acoustic version)
7. Heavens a Lie (live Radio WAAF acoustic)
8. Senzafine (live Radio WAAF acoustic)
9. Aeon (live Radio WAAF acoustic)
There are also two video files of LACUNA COILs released single – ‘Heavens a Lie’ and ‘Swamped’. The ‘Limited Ozzfest Edition’ has the videos in Quicktime (.MOV) format. The ‘Limited Edition Deluxe Edition’ has the videos in MPEG format.
Note: There is no menu for the videos. To play them, ‘explore’ the CD on a PC or Mac and open them as you would any video file.
Finally the European ‘Limited Edition Deluxe Edition’ has seven LACUNA COIL desktop wallpaper image files on it that are not on the ‘Limited Ozzfest Edition’
10.7. Heavens a Lie is an anti-religious song isn’t it?
No, not at all. The song is about a relationship, not religion. It’s pretty obvious if you read the lyrics 🙂
10.8. What’s wrong with Aeon? It keeps skipping.
Yeah I thought something was wrong with my CD, too! Seriously though, the skipping effect was intentional, they put it on it just for fun and liked the way it sounded, so it stayed.
10.9. I’ve heard that some of the songs are connected, is that true?
Yes, that’s correct. In Cristina’s own words, “there is a circle of three songs. One is on Unleashed Memories, ‘When A Dead Man Walks’ and then ‘Comalies’ and ‘Self Deception’. We just built a little story. ‘Dead Man Walks’ is about a man in prison, In ‘Self Deception’ we try to describe what happened. A man dies and is involved in something with another person and in ‘Comalies’ the accomplice slowly realizes what he has done. You will realize when you read the lyrics.” Source: interview on www.live4metal.com, 9/02
10.10. I don’t understand the Italian parts of the ‘Comalies’ track is there a translation anywhere?
Yes there is! Try the discography section on www.emptyspiral.net
10.11. Why has my copy got ‘Lost Lullaby’ on it?
You probably have a Digipack limited edition version, or the Comalies limited box. Lost Lullaby was a left-over song from the Unleashed Memories recording session, and LACUNA COIL included it as a bonus on the Digipack version of Comalies.
10.12. How many versions of the ‘Heavens a Lie’ video are there? Why is there more then one?
See Section 4.2 for a description of the different videos.
The rumour has it that the original intention was to make the Swamped video following the second Heavens a Lie one. But with the success of the single, MTV2 wanted to play a video for Heavens a Lie, and the band decided to remake that video instead. The Swamped video was eventually shot as well, also with Patrick Ullaeus.
10.13. Am I nuts or does ‘Heavens a Lie’ sound different in their third video then it is on the album or the first two videos?
Well I can’t say for sure you are not nuts, but the third official HaL video does indeed sound differently from the version on the album. It features the ‘radio edit’ version of the song instead of an album one. It’s a little shorter (3min 56secs instead of 4min 46secs for the album) and vocals are higher in the mix then on the album version.
10.14. What are those computer and radio samples in Tight Rope?
The computer voice is a sample from a video game – “self destruct sequence activated”. The original comes from the 3D space PC game ‘Descent’ by Interplay. You can listen to it at http://www.emptyspiral.com/files/descent_selfDestructSequence.wav (thanks to Foamz for the file). It is not known what the original source is for the radio messages, however you can listen to one at http://www.emptyspiral.com/files/tightropesample1.wav (thanks to Razius for the file).
10.15. What is Cristina singing in the beginning of “Self Deception?” It sounds backward, as does the music..?
It is in fact chorus played backwards, call it “reversed English” if you want. In fact in a number of places throughout the album, the music is reversed:
The intro to Swamped is the reversed guitar riff that’s played during Andrea’s parts.
The ‘Ghost woman and the Hunter’ intro is the reversed guitar riff that’s used throughout the whole song.
Angel’s punishment riff during Cristina’s part (you have to focus to notice it) is also a reversed riff.
10.16. Is Angels Punishment an Anti-War song?
Definitely. If the lyrics aren’t enough for you, during the May 2003 Toronto show Andrea clearly says “we don’t like war” and he also says “this is not about politics”.
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11. The 2005 Re-Releases
11.1 What has been re-released and why?
LACUNA COIL have re-released all of their albums prior to ‘Comalies’. This includes the first two full-length albums ‘In A Reverie’ and ‘Unleashed Memories’ as well as conbining the ‘Lacuna Coil EP’ and the ‘Halflife EP’ into a new release named ‘Lacuna Coil The EPs’. All of the new re-releases include new or re-worked artwork, and media content such as a photogalley and/or computer desktop wallpapers.
All have been released through LACUNA COILs record label Century Media.
We do not know the official reason why the band have chosen to re-release the albums at this time, however one likely reason is that the older releases have become either very difficult or impossible to find, and the success of ‘Comalies’ has introduced a new ‘generation’ of people that would want to listen to the bands older material.
11.2 Are any of the actual songs different though – have they been re-mastered this these editions?
There is no evidence that the actual songs have been re-mastered or re-mixed for this re-release.
11.3 Why can’t I find the them in my local store?
The re-releases were released in the UK on 18th July 2006 and in Europe on 22nd August 2206. They were never released in the US.
11.4 How can I tell whether I have the original releases or these new versions?
There are a number of ways to identify the version you have. I will avoid the use of codes, as I cannot prove that these won’t change in different countries.
‘The EPs’ album is the easiest. Though it contains a combination of previous EPs it is the first time that they have been released on one CD The cover of the album is black with a grey and red ‘flower’ on the cover.
‘In A Reverie’ has changed dramatically from an artistic point of view. The original album cover was black with the band members painted, whereas the re-released has a dream-like landscape in blues and white. The original CD was gold and the re-release CD is white.
‘Unleashed Memories’ is more difficult to spot as the artistic change is more subtle. The ‘sun’ logo is still on the red cover, though now it is no longer chrome and there is a smaller sun at the centre. If you look closely you will also see the LC logo in the centre of the small ‘sun’. Probably the easiest way to check is the tracklisting; the re-release includes ‘Lost Lullaby as an eleventh bonus track.
11.5 What is on ‘The EPs’ Album?
‘The EPs’ album includes the songs off of the ‘Lacuna Coil EP’ and the ‘Halflife’ EP:
1. No Need To Explain
2. The Secret.
3. This Is My Dream
4. Soul In To Hades
5. Falling
6. Un Fanstasma Tra Noi
7. Halflife
8. Trance Awake
9. Senzafine
10. Hyperfast
11. Stars
Additionally the album includes a ‘flash’ photogallery of images taken at the time of the original release, and eight new wallpaper jpeg images. Note that there is no menu for this – you will have to put the CD into your computer and browse it.
11.6 What is on the ‘In A Reverie’ Album?
The re-release contains the original tracklisting from the ‘In A Reverie’ album:
1. Circle
2. Stately Lover
3. Honeymoon Suite
4. My Wings
5. To Myself I Turned
6. Cold
7. Reverie
8. Veins Of Glass
9. Falling Again
Additionally there are three wallpaper jpeg images on the CD. Note that there is no menu for this – you will have to put the CD into your computer and browse it.
11.7 What is on the ‘Unleashed Memories’ Album?
The re-release of ‘Unleashed Memories’ contains the following songs:
1. Heir Of A Dying Day
2. To Live Is To Hide
3. Purify
4. Senzafine
5. When A Dead Man Walks
6. 1.19
7. Cold Heritage
8. Distant Sun
9. A Current Obsession
10. Wave Of Anguish
11. Lost Lullaby
Additionally the album includes a ‘flash’ photogallery of images taken at the time of the original release, and seven wallpaper jpeg images. Note that there is no menu for this – you will have to put the CD into your computer and browse it.
11.8 Why is ‘Lost Lullaby’ included on the re-released ‘Unleashed Memories’ Album?
The song ‘Lost Lullaby’ was recorded at the same time as the rest of the songs on ‘Unleashed Memories’ but not put on the album at the time of the original release. LACUNA COIL later added it as a bonus track on the special Boxed Edition of ‘Comalies’, but that is no longer available from Century Media. Placing the song on ‘Unleashed Memories’ gives those people who did not obtain the boxed set of ‘Comalies’ a chance to hear it.
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12. ‘Karmacode’
12.1 What is ‘Karmacode’?
‘Karmacode’ is the name of LACUNA COIL’s fourth studio album; the highly anticipated follow-up to ‘Comalies’.
12.2 When was it released?
‘Karmacode’ was released through Century Media Records on 31st March 2006 in Europe, 3rd April 2006 in the U.K, and 4th April 2006 in the U.S.
12.3 Where does the name ‘Karmacode’ come from?
In an interview with Emptyspiral.net Andrea revealed – “Actually I was reading a book probably a year and a half ago when we were already talking about writing the new album and it’s a book from an Italian author on mathematics, and he was trying to explain the gospel from a science way, trying to explain it with formulas and numbers and a kind of scientific approach to the bible and the gospel and religion – not only the Christian religion but religions in general. So I was pretty catched by this idea, it seems bizarre to put down an explanation of something spiritual in a mathematics formula. So I basically took that idea in my mind because I find it very interesting. When it was time to think about an idea for the lyrics and the approach – we don’t write any ‘concept’ album in our career – we’ve just used a basic concept and a basic approach to the way we write the lyrics. I took this inspiration just for the approach, not that in the lyrics we talk about religion or something like that. It’s mostly that we are talking about having a spiritual approach to life in contrast the modern time that we’re living. Basically I created the word ‘Karmacode’ using a very known word from religion, which is Karma – you can connect it to India or to that kind of religion but it’s not something that deals in particular with Asia or India.. It’s just a word that’s in every language and is very easy to catch and connect to a spiritual dimension. Then I put a more sort of mathematic word like ‘code’ – there has been the big success of the Da Vinci Code, for example – and in The Matrix there was mention of the Keymaster code, it’s also in the PC world everybody’s logging into computers and so, basically I found two words that are very interesting to combine. So the concept can be a kind of spiritual DNA, in the way of combining a modern life and a spiritual life”
The book Andrea was referring to is ‘Il Vangelo secondo la Scienza’ by Piergiorgio Odifreddi
12.4 Who has LACUNA COIL worked with creating ‘Karmacode’?
The album was co-produced by Waldemar Sorychta and LACUNA COIL, mixed by Ronald Prent, whose previous work includes Rammstein, HIM, Iron Maiden. Darcy Proper (Steely Dan, Porcupine Tree, REM) mastered ‘Karmacode’ and Asterik Studio has designed the packaging for the album.
12.5 What songs are on the album?
The full track listing for “Karmacode” is as follows:
01. Fragile
02. To The Edge
03. Our Truth
04. Within Me
05. Devoted
06. You Create
07. What I See
08. Fragments Of Faith
09. Closer
10. In Visible Light
11. The Game
12. Without Fear
13. Enjoy The Silence
12.6 Is it true that ‘Enjoy the Silence’ is a cover song?
Correct! ‘Enjoy the Silence’ a cover of the song originally released by English band Depeche Mode in 1990.
12.7 Is it true that LACUNA COIL have previewed new songs from ‘Karmacode’?
That is correct. The band previewed two new tracks at the festivals and shows in 2005. The songs had working titles of ‘A2’ and ‘Antonio’. ‘Antonio’ has been renamed ‘Our Truth’ and ‘A2’ has been renamed to ‘Fragile’.
12.8 Were any songs released before the album?
Yes! ‘Our Truth’ appeared on the soundtrack to the film ‘Underworld Evolution’. It was released on 10th January 2006 through Lakeshore Records.
12.9 What singles have been released from the album?
LACUNA COIL have released four singles from ‘Karmacode’ – ‘Our Truth’, ‘Enjoy The Silence’, ‘Closer’ and ‘Within Me’. All of the singles have included videos.
For full information check the Discography section of Emptyspiral.net – https://emptyspiral.net/modules.php?name=disco
12.10 Are there any other unreleased tracks recorded at the same time as those on ‘Karmacode’?
Yes. LACUNA COIL recorded three additional tracks which were not included on ‘Karmacode’ and have so far released ‘Without A Reason’ and ‘Virtual Environment’.
‘Without A Reason’ appears on the Volume 1 CD single release of ‘Our Truth’ and ‘Virtual Environment’ appears on the Volume 2 CD single release of ‘Enjoy The Silence’. LACUNA COIL have not recorded lyrics for the third, as yet untitled, track, and it is not known whether it will be released.
12.11 Where can I find the lyrics for ‘Without A Reason’ and ‘Virtual Environment’?
Check out the Discography section of Emptyspiral.net – https://emptyspiral.net/modules.php?name=disco
12.12 What do the numbers on trhe album cover of Karmacode mean?
Like 1.19 the number sequence on the cover of Karmacode remains a band secret. LACUNA COIL have not revealed their meaning to Emptyspiral.net.
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13 Visual Karma – Body & Soul DVD
13.1 What versions have been released of the DVD?
There are two versions of the Visual Karma – Body & Soul DVD. A regular 2DVD set and a special edition 3DVD + 1CD Boxed Set.
13.2 What’s on the various versions?
The Regular 2DVD set contains 2 DVDs as follows:
DVD 1 Karmalive
Wacken 2007
Loudpark 2007
Karma Clips – Videos
– Our Truth
– Enjoy The Silence
– Closer
– Within Me
DVD 2 Karma Chronicles
The Band
Videos created by each of the band members:
– Cristina Scabba “Simple As Water”
– Andrea Ferro “Inside Milan”
– Cristiano ‘Pizza’ Migliore “The Learning Journey of Pizza”
– Marco ‘Maus’ Biazzi “7-Seven…Strings Life”
– Marco Coti Zelati “The Real Thing”
– CriZ “Enter The Drummer”
Behind The Scenes
Australian Tour 2007
First Time in Japan
Making of the Our Truth Video
Making of the Closer Video
Breaking the Code: The Fans
Top 10 Fan Submissions
Empty Spiral Interview
To the Edge Remix Contest
Inside The Spiral
A Secret code you have to work out from the booklet that, when entered, will give you access to a special website containing information and videos about the Shallow Life albums.
The 3DVD+1CD Boxed set contains the above DVDs and adds:
Karmcode 5.1 Mix DVD
A 5.1 surround mix of the Karmacode album, which also includes the additional tracks ‘Without a Reason’, and ‘Virtual Environment’.
An audio CD of the Wacken 2007 concert.
13.3 How do I access the ‘Secret Code’?! I can’t get it to work!
Both versions of the DVD contain application which gives you a chance to work out the the password to a secret website. If you’re having trouble with the application there is a thread on the Emptyspiral.net forums will help! We should add though that the website it allows you to get to is now closed, so there’s little point in trying.
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14 Shallow Life Album
14.1 How many versions are there of the album?
There have been a number of versions released in different parts of the World.
Originally the album was released in 2 versions in the US and Europe – A regular version with the following tracks:
1. Survive
2. I Wont Tell You
3. Not Enough
4. Im Not Afraid
5. I Like It
6. Underdog
7. The Pain
8. Spellbound
9. Wide Awake
10. The Maze
11. Unchained
12. Shallow Life
The ‘Special Edition’ release also contained a 13th track – the song ‘Oblivion’.
In Japan the album was released with 2 additional tracks: ‘Oblivion’ and ‘The Last Goodbye’
In 2010 a ‘Deluxe’ 2CD edition of Shallow Life was released. This edition contained all the original track on CD1. CD2 contained ‘Oblivion’, ‘The Last Goodbye’ as well as a previously unreleased track ‘Leaving Alone’, 3 acoustic songs, and 6 live tracks.
14.2 Why is the album called Shallow Life?
The band have stated that though not a ‘concept album’ Shallow Life is in many respects about the shallowness of our existence in the modern world.
14.3 Is the video for ‘I Like It’ for real?!
Yes it is! At the time of the release it was speculated that this was not the ‘official’ video, but a joke by the band. In fact, this is the only video released by the band for the song, and they have said that they had a lot of fun coming up with the ideas for it, and the filming of it.
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15 Future Releases
15.1 When are LACUNA COIL releasing a new album?
The band are currently working on the sixth LACUNA COIL album ‘Dark Adrenaline’ and it is due for release on the 23rd January 2012 in Europe and 24th January in the US.
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16. Other Questions
16.1 What are fonts used by Lacuna Coil?
Lacuna Coil have previously used Xerox Serif Wide on their site, in the logo and on the album covers. For the original graphics on the ‘In A Reverie’ album LACUNA COIL used the Dolphin font. The font used on ‘Karmacode’ is custom made, though it is based on the commecial font ‘Cactus’. The font used on the Shallow Life album is called Denial. All the fonts are available for download at www.emptyspiral.net.
16.2 Where can get the clothes Cristina wears in the different videos?
Cristina wears a wide variety of clothes, and it would be impossible to list them all. Here’s some specific information though:
The ‘Buckle Up High Heel Shoes’, seen in a number of promotional shots around the time of Unleashed Memories and Comalies, were purchased by Cristina in a shop for transexuals in Italy. You can purchase them online at www.lisasshoes.com/buckle-high-heel-shoes.html
The dress Cristina wore in the Heavens A Lie video, as well as much more clothing of that style, can be found at http://www.dracinabox.com. The direct link to the dress is http://www.dracinabox.com/darenziapunkguaze.htm
16.3 Has LACUNA COIL appeared in any video games?
Yes, LACUNA COIL has appeared in a number of video games. ‘Swamped’ appeared in the soundtrack of Activisions ‘Vampire Bloodlines’ PC game, and in fact the cover for Comalies also makes an appearance in the game as a poster in the main characters appartment. A number of LACUNA COIL tracks appear on the ‘Ducati World Championship’ PC game released by Artematica.
In 2007 LACUNA COIL’s songs have also appeared on a variety of different versions of Rock Band and Guitar Hero..
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