Milanese metal act Lacuna Coil enjoys good 'Karma'

NEW YORK (Billboard) - When Lacuna Coil's "Comalies" came out in the United States in October 2002, the band was a little-known outfit from Milan. Almost four years later, with its new album, "Karmacode," hitting shelves April 4, the goth-tinged metal act is on the brink of a mainstream breakthrough.

The radio success of "Swamped" and "Heaven's a Lie" and a constant touring schedule highlighted by Ozzfest 2004 elevated the sextet's profile worldwide. The good fortune allowed the band -- Andrea Ferro, Cristina Scabbia, Marco Biazzi, Cristiano Migliore, Marco Zelati and Cristiano Mozzati -- a bigger budget for the Century Media release "Karmacode."

"I would say 'Karmacode' is the missing link between Europe and America because we're still keeping our roots, we're still keeping the structure, the melody, the passion, the real strings that are not common in the U.S.," Scabbia says. "But at the same time, we wanted to incorporate something strong, something more powerful."

"Comalies" has sold 234,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Marco Barbieri, Century Media president for North America, says the record has sold 500,000 units worldwide.

Given the base established with "Comalies," Century Media believes "Karmacode" could become the first gold record for the label, which is distributed by Caroline in the United States.

FACE TIME

Lacuna Coil's popularity on the metal front is already sealed: It will be on the cover of at least a half-dozen metal magazines this spring. But the group also is gaining mainstream exposure: An April appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" and a segment of "The Mix" on ABC News are slated.

Barbieri attributes the band's burgeoning appeal to its sound having "a good contrast between dark music and hard rock and more accessible music. The band has some exotic mystique to them."

It doesn't hurt that Scabbia is one of the most popular women in the predominantly male metal scene. She is often the sole Lacuna Coil member on magazine covers. Scabbia says the extra attention is not an issue with the rest of the band, noting that when Lacuna Coil tours, the other members receive just as much, if not more attention.

In metal, "there aren't so many females," she says, "so if we're talking about a picture in a magazine where everything is completely visual, I can understand if people would be more happy to see a picture of a girl instead of guys (in) leather jackets with a beer in their hand."

"Our Truth," the lead track from "Karmacode," was promoted to radio outlets in January to coincide with its appearance on the soundtrack to the fantasy film "Underworld: Evolution." The song is gaining traction on active-rock stations.

But the road is where Lacuna Coil continues to prosper.

The act is supporting Rob Zombie for six weeks this spring, then will rejoin Ozzfest in summer as the opening act for the main stage.

Reuters/Billboard

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