In a new interview with Luke Morton of Kerrang! In Conversation, vocalist Cristina Scabbia of Italian metal titans LACUNA COIL spoke about the title of the band’s upcoming tenth studio album, “Sleepless Empire”. The band’s first collection of new songs since 2019’s “Black Anima” will arrive on February 14, 2025 via Century Media Records. She said: “We chose that title because it was representing the times that we are living today. We’re always awake, constantly trying to be productive, super connected with the rest of the world, but at the same time, we’ve never been so disconnected and anxious and feeling that we need to prove something, that we need to be present all the time, because if not, we are forgotten by the rest of the world.

“I am putting myself in the sleepless empire as well, so it’s not a criticism,” she explained. “It’s just a realization, because I am part of that generation that saw it all and saw it coming and saw how fast the technology developed and how big the changes were, so I am trying to take the best out of the past to bring it in the future and the present, because I think that we should take advantage of technology. I mean, the fact that we are talking right now through a screen, it’s one of the most beautiful things of technology, because if not, you would have to come to my place or me at yours, or we would have to travel somewhere to meet in person, which would be amazing. But this way, you save time, you can save four hours so you can go spend time with your family and I can go to watch AC Milan tonight with Andrea (Ferro, LACUNA COIL co-vocalist) at the stadium instead of traveling. So technology is good if used wisely. And I love progress — I love technology and I love to evolve with times — but I think it’s cool to remember what the important things really are, because at the end of the day, all the time that we waste in stuff that doesn’t really enrich us as persons, it’s going to be wasted. So sometimes I try to think about this, even if realistically the first thing that I do when I wake up in the morning is to grab the phone and see the messages and watch the messages and maybe scroll through stories of other people.”

Cristina added: “We just need to pay attention. I think that especially with the new generations that never saw it coming and never saw how it was before, they tend to compare to each other. They see beautiful lives in other people’s social medias, and they think that that’s reality. So sometimes they feel less than they are and they feel depressed and frustrated because they don’t feel enough. So at least, just like the fact that I was born earlier kind of gave me a sort of a shelter that it’s a sort of a filter that it’s, like, okay, I don’t need to compare myself to another person because, of course, this is my life. That’s their life. And maybe not everything they’re showing is true. Most probably not everything they’re showing is 100 percent true. Maybe it is, but who cares? I should look at my life. I should look at what I’m building. I should look at what I’m living. I should look at the people, the real people around me and real life around me. It should be a balance. As everything, you just have to keep the right balance.”

Asked if she is guilty of waking up in the morning and picking up her phone immediately and then wasting hours and hours every day just scrolling through social media, Cristina said: “Oh, totally. Totally. I’m guilty, especially in the morning. Not just wasting time, just looking at socials because I also do it as a sort of a study ’cause I wanna see what happens. I’m curious — I’m genuinely curious — so maybe that’s not a complete waste of time, ’cause it’s still entertaining. What I’m guilty of is that I feel guilty when I want to take time for myself. Now, when I get a message, I have the tendency of wanting to reply immediately or I feel guilty. And maybe I should wait. Maybe I shouldn’t have so much anxiety if I answer 10 minutes after and I don’t reply as soon as I open my eyes. Maybe I should just open my eyes, go in the kitchen, prepare myself a breakfast and then start my day and dedicate it to the work and my mails and everything. Instead, I just grab my phone. I’m just, like, ‘Okay, I got a mail. Okay, I’ve gotta answer. My eyes are still closed, but I’m gonna answer.’

“There is this weird cycle for all of us that we’re working hard because we have so many inputs,” she continued. “Then we try to detach ourselves and relax watching other stuff on other social medias, thinking that they’re entertaining. And they create even more anxiety. So it’s a cycle that could be dangerous… But it’s not all bad. So the sleepless empire, it’s basically an empire with people that never sleep, that are always doing stuff, which could be good and could be bad as well.”