In a recent conversation with Scott Penfold of Loaded Radio, Lacuna Coil frontwoman Cristina Scabbia opened up about the addition of Italian guitarist and producer Daniele Salomone to the band.
Salomone steps in as a temporary replacement for Lacuna Coil's longtime guitarist, Diego Cavallotti, marking a significant shift in the group's dynamic. However, Scabbia clarified that Salomone is not yet an official member of the band.
"Yeah, Daniele is not like an official new member of Lacuna Coil. We're still, let's say, testing him," Scabbia revealed. "He's a great friend and we love him to pieces, but he's relatively new to the band. He came in at the very end of the recording cycle, the writing cycle to help us out. I mean, he helped us out in the past with many guitar sounds. And he was actually helping Diego to fix some things. So, he was the first name that we thought about when we found ourselves in need of a guitar player, because we had gigs coming."
Scabbia shed light on why Salomone, despite his unofficial status, was chosen over other potential session guitarists. For the band, it was never just about musical ability – it was about fitting into what Scabbia calls their "second family."
"We could have had many session guitar players – we know many and they're all great – but we wanted to have a person that we knew that could share the time with us on a tour bus," she explained. "Because for us, being on tour is like traveling with your second family. So it's cool to have someone that just comes on stage and plays, but we need the band to be cohesive like a family."
Scabbia emphasized that being part of Lacuna Coil goes beyond playing shows. It's about contributing to songwriting, passion, and building a sense of community within the group. "So we took the decision not to work again with Diego," she added, pointing to creative differences. "Every person in the band has to contribute to the songwriting, and, of course, Maki [bassist Marco Coti Zelati] is the internal producer and so-called leader of the band because he's been there from day one and he knows exactly what we want to achieve with the Lacuna Coil sound."
"Myself and Andrea [Ferro, Lacuna Coil co-vocalist] are responsible for vocal lines and lyrics," she added. "But it needs contributions from the outside. It doesn't need to be taken for granted. If you're in a band, you have to contribute. Even only with your passion for the band or just hanging out with the other members because you feel you want to be with those people and you want to play that type of music. Not only just to be on tour and have fun. So, we thought about a new start with a new cycle, and we feel that it was the right decision."
The decision to part ways with Cavallotti wasn't made lightly. When asked if the split was mutual, Scabbia admitted, "No, no, no, no, no. Obviously not, because we had a different opinion. [Laughs] We had a different opinion, so yeah, sometimes it happens that you disagree. We had some talks before we got to that point, but we saw that nothing was changing – the things that we weren't agreeing on weren't changing – so we said, ‘What's the point?' There was no change there."
In comparing the situation to a personal relationship, Scabbia said, "Sometimes it's not even like a fault. I mean, you are who you are, so there was no guilt in that. And whatever you do, you do it because you feel like [it], so there is nothing else to add. It just happens."
