Lacuna Coil at Diamonds Review

By Eddy Metal

So I ventured out on a cold Monday night to see Italian rockers Lacuna Coil at the new Diamond Pub and Billiards Club (formerly Jillian's). I seldom go out on a Monday, but this was special. I had only seen the band open for nationals the last few years, with very short sets of about 20 to 30 minute sets at best, which was not enough for a huge fan like me!

After all, the band is starting to make some headway in the United States, finally. I was hoping to hear them play a nice long headlining set of old LC classics, mixed in with the new material off of their 2012 album, Dark Adrenaline. Seeing them in an environment this close up and intimate would be different, too.

This night was different all right. The band hit the stage and I noticed that bassist Marco Coti Zelati was no where to be seen, nor was drummer Cristiano "Criz" Mozzati. I was baffled. Instead there was another guy on drums whom I had not seen before. I had seen LC fsome five or sux times and they were always a complete band, with seemingly no issues. So I asked around to see what was the problem. I found out that bassist Marco Zelati has a bad case of tendonitis (something I myself have been going through these last few months; It hurts!). and I also found out that drummer Cristiano Mozzati had just become a father and was at the birth. You can't really blame the guys for that, wanting to be there for your family or missing because of the painful tendonitis. It was a bummer though, especially since Marco Zelati is the musical genius and primary composer of Lacuna Coil. Dude is a badass bassist, too, critical to their patented sound!  So it was to be with no bassist and a fill-in drummer. I wasn't happy, but at least I get to see my Cristina. Vocalist Cristina Scabbia is a goddess. Not only does she have the face of an angel (I'm in love with her!) , but she can sing like one, too. And, unlike modern day pop singers, Cristina would never ever lip-sync in a million years. Her voice is completely natural and, in my opinion, she is the best female rock vocalist in the world, and, while Andrea Ferro may not be the best vocalist, he works very well with Cristina.

The band roared into action with "I Don't Believe in Tomorrow," "I Won't Tell You," "Kill the Light," "Self Deception," "Heaven's a Lie," "To The Edge," "Fragile," "Spellbound," "End Of Time," "Our Truth," "Survive" and "Intoxicated." Mostly it was newer music from the band's last four albums. I was hoping to hear some earlier music from the albums Unleashed Memories and In A Reverie. No such luck.

For most of the concert I was straining to hear Cristina's voice, which is not good, because that is the band's bread and butter!!! I was getting angry, so I walked over to the soundmen, and asked them if they could turn her up some so that we could actually hear something other than a whisper. The Italian soundman on tour with Lacuna Coil told me that it was the club's acoustics to blame, but the P.A system Diamonds has is good, and all he had to do was push the vocal volume up a notch or two. He never did.

I struggled to hear Cristina Scabbia and Andrea Ferro's vocals all night, from a band where the vocals are great, and are important to hear. I heard several people complaining about the low vocals.

I was not a happy camper. The guitars were loud and clear and sounded good. I was disappointed they didn't play Depeche Mode's "Enjoy The Silence," their classic "Senzafine," or their new kickass song, "Trip The Darkness." It's like they played every song I didn't care much for!.

The people at Diamonds were very cool and helpful. And the stage setup and sound system was powerful, I just wish LC's soundguy would have turned up the lead vocals so we could hear them clearly, instead of blaming the club. That was kind of a lame excuse, really. It would have been better with a little loud vocals than barely being able to hear your favorite singer. Cristina was beautiful, with her long dark hair grown out, and she sounded amazing – what you could actually hear, that is.

Oh well, you cannot win them all. They are still one of my favorite bands for sure. Maybe next time!

I tried to get some pictures but the place was crowded and there was no crowd barrier so I could not get any good pics for you peeps. Sorry. UPDATE Mark Doss took these photos

I wish the band the best of luck on their South American tour, starting on March 1 in Rio De Janeiro, and a hopefully speedy recovery of Marco Zelati's tendonitis.

On another note, Louisville band Shines Negative rocked the place pretty well, opening the night with their heavy metal thrash style. The drummer and bassist were killing! Pretty aggressive stuff. I wasn't into the new vocalist that much, though (I liked the old singer better), but then again, I'm picky about vocals. Poetry Of The Dead wasn't bad either, I liked the guitar playing of Anthony Slack. Dude was shredding. Vocalist Jayson William Allen has come a long way since Tek World, and his vocals have improved quite a bit. He has a pretty good and diverse vocal style. Although it does seem like he is trying too hard at times, but what singer hasn't done that at least one or two times at a big show? Props to both bands! I had a lot of fun that night.