Lacuna Coil Brings "October Dawn" Tour to Club L.A. in Destin

The “October Dawn” tour made a stop at Club L.A. in Destin, Fl on October 28 with headliner Italian goth metal band Lacuna Coil and supporting acts Lions At The Gate and God Forbid. This was the next to last stop on the tour before it closed out in St. Petersburg, FL.

Opening the night was newcomers Lions At The Gate. The band just released their debut album, The Excuses We Cannot Make, in late August. Even though they are a newer band, forming in 2021, they are all music veterans. The core of the band is Cristian Machado, Ahrue Ilustre, and Diego Verduzco who are former members of Ill Niño.

Lions at the Gate performing in Destin — Lions At The Gate

Only having one album under their belt, Lions At The Gate’s set was comprised almost entirely of songs from The Excuses We Cannot Make. They started with “Not Even Human” with racing guitars and brutal screaming vocals by Machado. This was followed by “Vultures” which showcased Machado’s clean vocals.

Besides the previously mentioned songs they performed “Scapegoat”, “Drain”, “Bed of Nails”, and “Digital Sea” from their debut album. The set closed with “Find My Way” which they recorded with Tatiana Shmayluk from Jinjer. This is definitely a band to keep an eye on in the future.

An early Halloween treat for the audience was an appearance by God Forbid who replaced Fear Factory for the last two dates of the tour. This was only their fourth show since reuniting from their breakup in 2013. God Forbid is all old-school metalcore. Forget about any clean vocals. Vocalist Byron Davis was all hardcore which separated them from the other bands during the night. Davis told fans that they were the original metalcore band. Not sure about that, but they were certainly not your modern metalcore band.

They kicked things off with “Better Days” from their Better Days album. Davis tried to get the audience fired up, but this did not appear to be a metalcore crowd. There was no moshing or crowd surfing which I felt was strange for a band like this. They band put on a good performance but did not get the same type of response they received when they performed their reunion homecoming show in New Jersey earlier in the year.

God Forbid performing in Destin — God Forbid

The first time I saw Lacuna Coil perform live was during their Black Anima tour in 2019 just before Covid hit. To say I was blown away by the band is an understatement. I have photographed a lot of bands since that show but the one band that I had been looking forward the most to seeing again was Lacuna Coil, so I was excited when I saw the band was playing Destin.

No disrespect to the other bands, but it was obvious that this was the act that the majority of people came to see. The club definitely had a goth feel to it with people in costume. Everyone was in black and scanning the crowd one could see people dressed like various members of the band and wearing Lacuna Coil band shirts. Maybe it was because this was the weekend before Halloween and people were at parties or possibly because there were several shows in the area, but the club never filled up like I thought it would which was disappointing.

Lacuna Coil performing in Destin — Lacuna Coil

I’m not going to do a song-by-song recap of the show. You can read what songs they performed in the set list at the end of this review. What’s more important is to convey the experience of what it’s like seeing Lacuna Coil live. There are a few reasons I had been waiting for 4 years to see the band again. First, the band has that visual appeal with their black and white outfits and white face paint worn by bassist Marco Coti Zelati, guitarist Diego “Didi” Cavalotti, and drummer Richard Meiz that creates a menacing atmosphere accentuated by the trio’s driving metal rhythms.

Second, there are the co-vocalists Andrea Ferro and Cristina Scabbia. Seeing the two perform is like being trapped between heaven and hell during the last days with Andrea Ferro delivering ferocious guttural vocals from below trying to pull you down to the abyss, while Scabbia calls from above with her angelic voice lifting you back up towards heaven. It is this back-and-forth dynamic between the two singers that makes the band great. There may be other European metal bands with female clean vocalists and male dirty vocalists, but none have the same dynamic as this pair.

Lastly, there is simply Cristina Scabbia. If I were Catholic, then the day after the show I would have gone to confession, gave the Sign of the Cross, told the priest “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. My last confession was 1 week ago”, and then confessed that I am totally smitten by Cristina Scabbia. To expand on my previous description, she has the most incredible mezzo-soprano voice which can be enchanting, haunting, powerful, seductive, mesmerizing, and hypnotic. This was evident on songs like “Our Truth” or “My Demons” where one audience member had her eyes closed, swaying to the music like a cobra under the influence of a snake charmer.

While Scabbia evoked a more tranquil ethereal reaction, Ferro channeled his inner animal instincts with his forceful, aggressive vocals. He delivered a powerful and emotional performance. You could see the range of expressions on his face as he transitioned from rough growling vocals to more serene ones while singing face to face with Scabbia. Eyes may be drawn towards Scabbia, but Ferro is the one that creates the dynamics that keeps the show interesting.

I don’t make the two-hour drive to Club L.A. in Destin very often, but this was one show that was worth it. Attending all the concerts that I do, it’s hard to single out a favorite live band but Lacuna Coil would most certainly be in the top group. There were a lot of people in the Florida Panhandle that missed out on a great show. My hope is that it will not take another four years for them to return to the area.

Lions At The Gate Band Members:

Cristian Machado (vocals)
Ahrue “Luster” Ilustre (guitar)
Diego Verduzco (guitar)
Stephen Brewer (bass)
Fern Lemus (drums)

Setlist:

Not Even Human
Vultures
Scapegoat
Drain
Bed of Nails
Digital Sea
Find My Way

God Forbid Band Members:

Doc Coyle (lead guitar, backing vocals)
Corey Pierce (drums)
Byron Davis (lead vocals)
John “Beeker” Outcalt (bass)
Nick Hipa (rhythm guitar)

Setlist:

Better Days
Chains
Into The Wasteland
Antihero
Gone Forever
Broken Promise
To the Fallen Hero
The End of The World

Lacuna Coil Band Members:

Andrea Ferro (vocals)
Marco Coti Zelati (bass, keyboards)
Cristina Scabbia (vocals)
Diego “Didi” Cavalotti (guitars)
Richard Meiz (drums)

Setlist:

Blood, Tears, Dust
Reckless
Trip the Darkness
Apocalypse
Layers of Time
Heaven’s a Lie
Sword of Anger
Our Truth
Entwined
Now or Never
My Demons
Daylight Dancer
Veneficium
Never Dawn

Encore:

Aeon / Tight Rope
Swamped
Nothing Stands in Our Way

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Photos and Review by Scott Raymer (Website | Instagram | Facebook)

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