LACUNA COIL’s new live album, Live from the Apocalypse, is the fruit of an unprecedented time. Unlike previous live efforts—Visual Karma (Body, Mind and Soul) (2008), Shallow Live: Acoustic at Criminal Records (2010), and The 119 Show - Live in London (2018)—the Italians, under the yoke of the pandemic, cleverly devised a way for their devoted fanbase to hear and see them on stage by organizing a special live stream event performing their latest album, Black Anima, in September 2020. By all accounts, this was no ordinary gig. Even though LACUNA COIL were in their hometown of Milan—at the famed Alcatraz Club—there were no fans to greet them. No roar of anticipation; No claps of adulation; No interaction with the people who had become deeply involved in and had a profound love for LACUNA COIL’s music and live shows over two-plus decades. The live stream energy was different. It had to be. With hearts on their sleeves, cameras rolling, and the world tuning in online, LACUNA COIL brought Black Anima: Live from the Apocalypse to life. To commemorate the occasion, LACUNA COIL and Century Media are releasing the live stream event, under the title Live from the Apocalypse, on CD/DVD and LP/DVD on June 25th.

“On one hand, it felt awkward to play for a huge empty room,” tells vocalist Andrea Ferro. “But, on the other hand, it felt great to finally reconnect with our fans at home and with the people working behind the scenes. Alot of people enjoyed the show—it was definitely a one-off event loaded with a lot of emotions and feelings. Live from the Apocalypse is an opportunity to offer a new release to our fans while the COVID-19 crisis is still a real thing, affecting them and us. The live album represents a unique moment in our career (and life) that will be forever remembered as that one time when we literally ‘rose from the Apocalypse.’”

Fans that caught the live stream event were treated to a rare setlist. LACUNA COIL pulled out every track from their acclaimed Black Anima album. From smash-hit singles “Layers of Time” and “Reckless” to a piano rendition of “Save Me” (with Silvia Zanaboni) and a palpable version of “Apocalypse,” the group had the world at their fingertips. LACUNA COIL’s songs of darkness and hope captivated the global audience, many of whom commented in real-time their appreciation and admiration. But that wasn’t all on offer. In addition to tracks like “Now or Never,” “Sword of Anger,” and the prescient “The End Is All I Can See,” LACUNA COIL reached into Black Anima’s bonus tracks to make this unique event extra-special. Live from the Apocalypse also showcases the riveting highs and lows of “Black Feathers,” the slow, moody temperament of “Through the Flames,” and the throwback feel of “Black Dried up Heart.” Truly, this was a once-in-a-lifetime gig, now available for all to cherish in their homes, their cars, literally, anywhere that life takes them.

“The setlist was entirely based on our latest record Black Anima,” Ferro says. “Many of the songs were performed live for the very first time. This includes the bonus tracks on Black Anima. So, the show itself was a way to say that we had and still have no intention of stopping. That there is still hope, even if in that specific moment things were looking pretty dark and hopeless. The idea of the release came immediately after the live stream gig. When the fans started to ask for it and when we realized that the material was pretty intense and worth being released, that’s when Live from the Apocalypse became a physical reality.”

Live from the Apocalypse wasn’t necessarily modeled after other famed live albums. Key differences are that the audio is as close as possible to the band’s performance. The audio has been remixed from the mixing board—no buffering or audio quality drops here. Produced by LACUNA COIL bassist Marco “Maki” Coti-Zelati, mixed by studio engineer (and longtime friend) Marco Barusso at BRX Studio, and mastered by Marco D’Agostino at 96kHz.it Mastering Studio, Live from the Apocalypse sounds bright, loud, and live. Fans that didn’t get to attend the live stream event can relive the experience as if they were there.

“We like live albums that are not too overproduced,” Ferro admits. “We wanted Live from the Apocalypse to sound well but also real—it doesn’t have to be exactly the same as the record. Sometimes you have live recordings that have alot of technical problems. For instance, the vocal mics sometime pick up the other instruments. The noise can be so loud that it’s hard to hear the vocals. This requires a lot of studio work, often whatever it takes to fix the audio problem. We were very careful this time. Luckily, the original board audio didn’t require a lot of work.”

LACUNA COIL are no strangers to performing live. Since their inception in 1997, the Milan-based metallers have played over 1,500 shows in more than 50 countries. They’ve smashed album sales charts with Comalies (2002), Karmacode (2006), Shallow Life (2009), Dark Adrenaline (2012), Broken Crown Halo (2014), and Delirium (2016) in Italy, Germany, France, Belgium, Austria, Spain, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States. Their music videos for “Layers of Time,” “Reckless,” “Enjoy the Silence” (Depeche Mode cover), “Trip the Darkness,” “Spellbound,” “Closer,” “Heaven’s A Lie,” “Our Truth,” “End of Time,” and “I Like It” have amassed over 100 million views collectively, with other music videos for “Losing My Religion” (R.E.M. cover), “I Forgive (But I Won’t Forget Your Name),” “Blood, Tears, Dust,” “I Won’t Tell You,” and “Swamped” combining for another 27-plus million views. The band were the first Italian music artist to create a song exclusively for Amazon’s Amazon Music Originals program with the Halloween-themed, Alexa-powered track “Bad Things,” which is now included on Live from the Apocalypse. Additionally, LACUNA COIL’s 20th Anniversary show, The 119 Show: Live in London, was lauded for its sheer scale—with an enhanced stage production and circus artists—by fans and critics. Indeed, Live from the Apocalypse will set new benchmarks for LACUNA COIL. Not only for its original purpose but because it demonstrates fierce perseverance and indefatigable drive.

“We’re currently in the very early phase of writing a new album,” says Ferro. “It’s been a weird year and it’s been tough to mentally get out of the standby situation that our lives have been forced into. Instead of experiencing the outside world we have to dig deep inside ourselves in order to find the right inspiration, but as always the first step towards getting somewhere is to decide you are not staying where you are.”