Combining torment and elation, growl vocals and opera singing, Italian Gothic Metal band Lacuna Coil deliver an uplifting night of their greatest hits, and good-natured fun.
There are aspects of metal that deem it an inherently paradoxical genre. To the uninitiated, catharsis as a concept feels entirely estranged from the heavy themes of rage and torment; yet, when shuffling out of SWG3’s warehouse alongside the rest of the crowd post Lacuna Coil’s concert, feeling even slightly uplifted was inevitable.
From the night’s very beginning, the Italian gothic rockers seemed to elicit an instant crowd connection through the gradual build of discordant guitars, harmonizing, and visuals of runes aligning as the band entered stage, one by one. This type of entrance effectively portrays the band as individuals, an idea bolstered as they roared into the opening number “Blood, Tears, Dust”. A striking image was generated by the guitarists set on both sides of dual vocalists Andrea Ferro and Christina Scabbio, with the drummer elevated to loom over them, standing straight as he began to pummel beats into the crowd.
During our interview last month, Ferro mentioned the trademark “duality” between his growl, and Scabbio’s powerful mezzo-soprano vocals. Both of which became immediately apparent, arguably a defining gothic metal motif, but not the band’s defining feature. The genuinely happy energy exhibited by Ferro during his interview, and the whole band during the show, would have to be it.
This could be seen in essentially everything the band did, from early on with “Trip the Darkness”, which has been consistent on the band’s setlist since its release over a decade ago, to the latest single “Oxygen”, from their upcoming album, Sleepless Empire. There was also a sense of currency in the band’s crowd interactions, as they went over how Glasgow is a constant fixture on the tour schedule, and for good reason too. The crowd wasn’t like a stereotypical metal crowd. During some of the more growl-vocal oriented songs, such as “Our Truth” and “In the Mean Time”, there was a subconscious nodding in acknowledgement of a shared connection, which the band sought to nurture, in contrast to the crowd-surfing and circle pits of typical rock gigs.
Normally, the juxtaposition between overt sentiments in “Heaven’s a Lie XX” and obliquely inspirational speeches about fearing nothing between songs would come off as jarring; yet, in the context of the current space it just made sense. For a first timer, the notion of a metal gig can be intimidating, yet the welcoming atmosphere shone through the plethora of guitar solos and sea of hands raised became a trademark of how metal contains multitudes.
Subconscious nodding quickly shifted into full-bodied singing during the band’s most popular song, a cover of Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy the Silence” – ironically named as it heralded peaking noise levels as the main set ended to rapturous applause. Another set highlight came in the form of “Hosting the Shadow”, with its infectious hook that ramped up the speed of the gig that refused to overwhelm the audience with a decibel fuelled joyride. At the very least, not more than taking the time to showcase what makes Lacuna Coil unique.
Perhaps the most compelling attribute of this band is their awareness of exactly how intertwined they are with the audience, mirroring this relationship the exact same way their dual frontman system operates. They use metal to generate “good energy”– telling everyone to take it home with them, as a form of resistance against the subject matters their songs tackle. Thus, on my 21st birthday, a night where mortality is considered more than most other nights, I was part of that crowd dispersing under the light drizzle outside SWG3. Torn between dualities of torment and elation, but satisfied and uplifted, nonetheless.
