Lacuna Coil - Stylus, Leeds 25 November 2025

Reviewed by Dale Holford • 2 December 2025

The band walked out individually. Drummer Richard Meiz led the way, trying to gee up a Tuesday night crowd.

The biggest cheers came when Andrea Ferro and Cristina Scabbia entered the stage.

The set began with a heavy blast, opening with "Layers of Time" where Andrea Ferro's intense screams pushed the Gothic metal into the realm of Metalcore. This grime was instantly purified the moment Cristina Scabbia's incredible voice soared in, delivering a counterpoint of stunning clarity and purity. The energy peaked after the second song when Cristina addressed the capacity crowd, introducing the Lamb of God's vocalist, Randy Blythe collaboration, "Hosting the Shadows,". Obviously he wasn't going to make an appearance but Andrea replacing him was seamless.

Musically, Richards drumming was absolutely off the scale laying down a relentlessly heavy and fast tempo; during one instrumental break, he rose from his kit, strutting and aggressively gesturing for the audience to scream louder. Meanwhile, Marco Coti Zelati, sporting striking white zombie-like face paint complete with a visible brain and a manic grin, was visibly lapping up the cheers, embodying the raw visual spectacle of the performance. Every chord from his bass was felt deep in the chest, proving that the band was totally killing it, making this mid-week show one of the liveliest the packed venue had seen.

"Die and rise" followed the same formula of the Metalcore style singing of Andrea and the beautiful pristine singing of Cristina. The drummer Cristiano showing how good he is by doing one hand drumming, laying his stick down and drumming perfectly.

Musically they are outstanding, not missing a beat or dropping a note.

If you like your Guitar music then don't expect to see sweeping Guitar solos. I noticed as the music went on the technical and beauty of the Guitar solo was swapped for the more technically perfect voice of Cristina Scabbia.

She certainly knows how to interact with the crowd. Talking Italian to some people at the front or addressing us at the back, she made us all feel part of her party.

"Heavens a lie xx" gave us a more melodic ballad, with the crowd singing the chorus in fine voice. Finally we got the first Guitar solo, as precise and beautiful as we we have come to expect from this band.

"In Nomine Patris" from the new album Cristina got to show what she could do with her vocals and another solo from on the guitar turned the song into a soulful, moving affair weaving a complex melodic line that perfectly complemented the intense feeling of the lyrics. This song was probably the best song so far.

New songs "Gravity" and "Oxygen" were well received by the crowd. The set ended with "Nothing Stands in Our Way".

The band exploded back in action for the encore with two songs off the new album "The Siege" and "I Wish You Were Dead"

They followed with the classic "Swamped XX" which was by far the best song of the night with the crowd at their hyper best all night.

Finally another from the new album "Never Dawn" to end the show.

The performance was technically flawless, showcasing the evident skill of every musician and vocalist on stage. However, while devoted fans undoubtedly found the setlist fantastic, newcomers might find the overall show slightly monotonous. The core issue lies in the repetitive song structure, where Andrea's powerful growls followed with Cristina's clean, melodic delivery. While this predictable pattern satisfies the established fanbase, it risks feeling repetitive to a casual attendee unfamiliar with the band's catalog.

The fans loved it.

Vocals: Cristina Scabbia and Andrea Ferro

Bass and Keyboards: Marco Coti Zelati

Drums: Richard Meiz

Guitar: Daniele Salomone

1. Layers of Time

2. Reckless

3. Hosting the Shadow

4. Kill the Light

5. Die and rise

6. Spellbound

7. In the Mean Time