Altsounds: Your latest album, Shallow Life is a different sound for Lacuna Coil. Was that an attempt on your part to distance yourself from other bands within the genre that you've been compared to?

Andrea Ferro: OUR SOUND IS SHIFTING A LITTLE BIT IN EVERY RELEASE. FOR EXAMPLE "COMALIES" WAS MORE OF A GOTH ALBUM, "KARMACODE" WAS MORE METAL AND "SHALLOW LIFE" IS A BIT MORE ROCK. THOSE THREE ELEMENTS ARE ALWAYS PRESENT IN OUR STYLE BUT WE LIKE TO PUSH DIFFERENT ACCENTS DEPENDING ON THE MOOD OF THE MOMENT. THIS IS JUST THE WAY WE ARE AS AN ARTIST AND AS PEOPLE, WE DON'T LIKE TO REPEAT THINGS TOO MUCH. I THINK WE'VE ALWAYS BEEN A LITTLE DIFFERENT COMPARED TO THE OTHER BANDS OF THIS STYLE OF MUSIC.

Altsounds: There was a 3 year gap between "Karmacode" and "Shallow Life," how quickly did the writing and recording process come together?

Andrea Ferro: WE'D BEEN ON TOUR FOR ALMOST 2 YEARS FOR "KARMACODE" AND THEN WE TOOK A LITTLE BREAK. SINCE WE ARE NOT ABLE TO WRITE ON THE ROAD, EVERYTHING WAS DONE IN MILANO AND THE PROCESS TOOK SIX MONTHS. ONCE WE WERE READY WE SPENT ANOTHER TEN WEEKS IN NORTH HOLLYWOOD AT THE "NRG STUDIOS" TO RECORD THE ALBUM. THAT'S WHY IT TOOK 3 YEARS.

Altsounds: What sort of lyrical themes are you exploring this time out?

Andrea Ferro: WE NEED TO SEE SOME HOPE THESE DAYS EVEN IF THE SITUATION IS PRETTY NEGATIVE. THE IDEA OF THE OVERALL CONCEPT IS THE RESULT OF SOME REFLECTION THAT WE HAD IN THE PAST YEAR ABOUT LIFE, I WAS WATCHING TV AND ALL OF A SUDDEN STARTED NOTICING HOW MANY THINGS FROM MY YOUTH WERE PASSING ME BY. HOW MANY FIGURES THAT HAD ALWAYS BEEN THERE WERE NOW DISAPPEARED AND THAT STARTED A BIG PROCESS THAT LEADS ALMOST TO A SORT OF MIDLIFE CRISIS. I KNOW IT'S A BIT EARLY FOR THAT BUT IT REALLY FELT LIKE I DIDN'T KNOW WHICH DIRECTION TO GO AND IF WHAT I WAS DOING WAS STILL MAKING SENSE. "THE SHALLOW LIFE" IS A PLACE WHERE SHALLOWNESS CAN HAVE A POSITIVE AND A NEGATIVE MEANING AND BOTH OF THEM ARE PRESENT (AND PROBABLY NECESSARY) IN OUR EXISTENCE.


Altsounds: With this being your fifth album now is it becoming harder to find things to write about and to remain fresh?

Andrea Ferro: NO, BECAUSE WE TALK ABOUT OUR LIFE AND OUR EXPERIENCES AND THIS IS SOMETHING WE LIVE AND LEARN EVERY DAY. ALBUM AFTER ALBUM WE FIGURE OUT HOW TO SHARE OUR FEELINGS WITH THE PEOPLE WITH MORE FOCUS AND THEY REWARD US BY SINGING THE WORDS WITH US. WE ARE PEOPLE IN CONSTANT EVOLUTION AND UNTIL WE DON'T HAVE THE FORCE TO GO ON AS A UNIT WE WILL HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY.

Altsounds: You are at the forefront of a now crowded sub genre, what do you think the key is to keeping yourself relevant and ahead of the curve?

Andrea Ferro: THE MUSIC BUSINESS IS GETTING HARDER EVERYDAY AND NOT ONLY FOR ROCK/METAL. THE ONLY THING THAT CAN SAVE US IS TO KEEP OUR MIND FRESH AND WRITE THE MUSIC THAT WE LIKE. IF WE ARE SOME KIND OF DINOSOURS THEN WE WILL BECOME EXTINCT.

Altounds: You have two very different and distinct vocalists, what do each of you bring to the table when it comes to writing new material, and what effect does that have on the process overall?

Andrea Ferro: I THINK THAT IN THE BEGINNING THERE WAS MORE OF A SEPARATION BETWEEN THE TWO STYLES OF THE SINGERS AND THERE WAS THIS BEAUTY AND THE BEAST KIND OF VIBE WHERE CRISTINA WAS THE ATMOSPHERICAL PART AND I WAS THE POWERFUL ONE. WITH EACH RECORD WE HAVE LEARNT HOW TO USE THE VOICES IN DIFFERENT STYLES AND HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PUT FORTH A MORE MATURE STYLE FROM BOTH OF US.


Altsounds: In the time that you have been together you have accomplished a great deal, what things are there left that you would like to achieve?

Andrea Ferro: I THINK YOU ALWAYS WANNA GIVE SOMETHING BETTER AND A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THAN THE PAST. SUCCESS IS NOT ALWAYS CONNECTED TO THESE TWO THINGS. WE WORK HARD AND DO OUR BEST THEN WE SEE WHAT HAPPENS...

Altsounds: As a band from Italy, how important was it for you to break out and achieve worldwide acceptance and success?

Andrea Ferro: SURELY ITALY AIN'T NO ROCK'N'ROLL HEAVEN, BUT WE HAVE MADE OUR WAY STEP BY STEP WITH HARD WORK AND IF, IN THE BEGINNING WE COULD HAVE BEEN A NAIVE EXOTIC BAND, RIGHT NOW WE ARE AN INTERNATIONAL ACT. WE HAVE NEVER FELT OUT OF PLACE OR MISUNDERSTOOD BY OTHER PEOPLE IN THE INDUSTRY. SURELY WE HAVE LEARNED A LOT FROM THIS EXPERIENCE WITH THE BAND?

Altsounds: You are a band that is known for their extensive touring schedules, do you prefer playing live and being onstage or being in the studio and getting creative?

Andrea Ferro: MOST OF OUR SUCCESS IS DUE TO OUR HEAVY TOURING SCHEDULE. WE HAVE MADE THE CLASSIC CAREER OF A ROCK BAND FROM SCRATCH AND WE LOVE TOURING, VISITING PLACES AND MEETING PEOPLE. WITH THAT SAID, THE STUDIO IS A VERY DIFFERENT TIME AND TO CREATE AND LISTEN TO THE FINAL PRODUCT IS SOMETHING UNIQUE AND REALLY REWARDING ON A PERSONAL LEVEL. I WOULDN'T COMPARE THE TWO THINGS.


Altsounds: You are returning to the UK very soon for a very intimate run of dates, what can we expect?

Andrea Ferro: WE'VE BEEN HOME FOR A LITTLE WHILE NOW AND WE'VE RECHARGED THE BATTERIES AND SPENT SOME TIME WITH OUR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS. NOW IT'S TIME TO GO OUT THERE AND HAVE A BLAST WITH OUR PEOPLE AROUND EUROPE. IT'S TIME TO KICK SOME ASS! WE WILL HAVE A COMPLETE NEW SHOW WITH A SETLIST THAT WILL CHANGE EVERY NIGHT, FOR THE FIRST TIME A LOT OF VIDEOS AND VISUAL ELEMENTS, SOME SPECIAL LIGHTS AND MOST OF ALL GREAT ENERGY. (CHECK WWW.MYSPACE.COM/LACUNACOIL FOR COMPLETE TOURDATES)

Altsounds: Will there be any surprises from your early career in the set?

Andrea Ferro: THE SETLIST WILL BE BASED ON THE ALBUMS "UNLEASHED MEMORIES," "COMALIES," "KARMACODE" AND "SHALLOW LIFE."

Altsounds: What does the rest of 2010 have in store for Lacuna Coil, Is it too soon to start thinking of a new album?

Andrea Ferro: MOSTLY WE WILL BE PROMOTING "SHALLOW LIFE" AROUND THE WORLD AND MAYBE WE WILL START TO COLLECT SOME MATERIAL FOR THE NEXT ALBUM.