On Friday, June 6, while playing a Lacuna Coil show at Metalfest Czech Republic in Plzeñ, Cristina Scabbia was surprised by two of her metal BFFs as Within Temptation's Sharon den Adel and Epica's Simone Simons ambushed the stage with a cake to celebrate Cristina's 53rd birthday.
In scenes that elicited huge cheers from the onwatching crowd (as well as Cristina's Lacuna Coil bandmates, who seemed to have had something to do with organising the whole thing), Cristina can be seen holding her hands over her mouth in surprise before hugging her fellow metal icons and tucking in.
"It doesn’t happen every day to get a happy birthday song from stunning ladies Simone Simons and Sharon Den Adel, isn’t it?" Cristina said later via a video uploaded to her Instagram documenting the whole thing. "LUCKY GAL RIGHT HERE," she added. "Thank you for surprising me with a cake on stage (and to my brothers in Lacuna Coil for conspiring at my back, haha! Aaaah what a great day!"
Watch the video below.
Reviewing this year's stellar Sleepless Empire for Metal Hammer, Holly Wright wrote of Lacuna Coil's latest studio album: "I Wish You Were Dead leans into sleazy 80s glam rock swagger, while In Nomine Patris delivers all-out stadium grandeur. Cristina’s triumphant cry of ‘I’ll build my empire’ is pure gothic metal theatre, and the shredding guitar solo that follows is a chef’s kiss moment. Sleep Paralysis, with its eerie atmospherics and Andrea’s unrelenting force, leaves another lasting impression.
"With Sleepless Empire, Lacuna Coil dive headfirst into their heavier side – and it works," she added. "This is a band that’s unafraid to evolve, to experiment and to hit hard. Gothic metal’s crown isn’t going anywhere anytime soon."
You can order a special Lacuna Coil cover variant of Metal Hammer issue #397 alongside an exclusive, hand-signed art card via our official store.
