Italian melodic rock staples, Lacuna Coil, brought their iconic sound to a small club venue on Jacksonville Beach for a Friday night night rock show.

Opening local band, Sylent Vylentz, started off the night. Young drummer Ryan Rock, was talented and kept the band on beat for their set. Guitarist Jay’s had the Metallica influence and showed in his playing, and his solos were intricate and melodic. Micah Green played a six-string bass, which is both impressive and uncommon. Singer Brandon James was all over the place with his vocals, but the lyrics sounded well thought out. The frontman of another local band, John Legit, also joined in on the fun and helped James with his rapping and singing. Overall, Sylent Vylentz sounded rehearsed and in sync.

Marion Crane was the second local band on the bill. Chris Stanton delivered complicated, though short, solos on guitar while singer and rhythm guitarist S. Thomas Crane sang anthem friendly songs with catchy lyrics and a full voice. Brian Hall was behind the drum kit and was full of energy and the crowd felt it. He was not shy about the use of his cymbals, including the unique sounding crash. Marion Crane was full of good musicians creating a sound much like southern rock, but with a harder twist.

The tour package for this show started with New York based Cilver, a band recently starting to really explode on the scene. After a lineup adjustment and a name change, Cilver now stands with five musicians. Great chemistry between the group led to loads of interaction between band members onstage, which involved interaction with the crowd as well. Not only was the band having fun, but the fans were too. Ramsey Modiri on lead guitar had plenty of insane solos throughout the set, including a solo duel between himself and drummer Michael Ostuni. Ostuni got the last laugh in the duel when he played Ramsey’s guitar with his drumsticks and the crowd went wild. Singer Uliana Preotu ended the performance by stage diving and crowd surfing.

Headliners out of Italy, Lacuna Coil had quite the performance to follow. The five piece was a bit modified for this show, as bassist Marco Coti Zelati fell ill with intestinal issues at the start of the tour. Standing in for him was Daniel Sahagun, the band’s longtime friend and guitar tech who did a great job. Lacuna Coil played a fifteen song set which included two encores, “Nothing Stands In Our Way,” and their signature, “Our Truth.” Though the tour was supporting their latest release, Broken Crown Halo, the band played a lot of songs off their 2012 album, Dark Adrenaline. For the diehard fans, “To The Edge” from 2007’s Karmacode offered a nice surprise.

The small venue setting offered an exclusive experience for this powerhouse that has sold millions of records; with no rail, fans at the front row were literally against the stage and in the band’s faces, allowing them to sing along to their favorites. Frontwoman and proclaimed Hottest Chick In Hard Rock by Revolver Magazine Cristina Scabbia belted out her parts of the set with a power and a presence that couldn’t be challenged. Andrea Ferro co-sang with Scabbia and offered up a more gritty, screaming side that brought an edge to the live performance. When Scabbia would hit her higher notes, Ferro would harmonize and growl out the same lines to create an opposing sound that meshed well with the dropped guitars and pounding drums.

Lacuna Coil’s performance was only topped at the end of the night by the whole band waiting at the merch booth for fans who lined up for the meet and greet to get their t-shirts, posters, and other memorabilia signed.

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Lacuna Coil:
Website | Facebook | Twitter

Cilver:
Website | Facebook | Twitter

Marion Crane:
Website | Facebook | Twitter

Sylent Vylentz: 
Website | Facebook

This article was originally published in Backstage VIPs.