May 16th, 2025
Lacuna Coil w/ Unearth, Versus Me

Venue: Wooly’s - Des Moines, IA

#metal #concertreview #lacunacoil #unearth #versusme #woolys #desmoines

Amidst the fields of corn, on the nearly flattened plains of Iowa, lies the city of Des Moines.

Pretty typical midwest city, unassuming, but has some really great places to drink beer at El Bait Shop, some great burgers at Zombie Burger, and of course great venues to see shows, like the renowned venue known as Wooly’s.

The headliner was the amazing, and one the greatest, symphonic metal bands from Italy. Lacuna Coil.

Before we talk about them though, we need to talk about the opening line up of Versus Me and Unearth. 

Hailing from Janesville, WI we had Versus Me up first. Despite being local to my home area of Northern Illinois/Southern Wisconsin, I had never seen the band live. I’ve listened to them though, and while I wasn’t super familiar with all of the tunes, they put on a fantastic show and are very obviously passionate about what they do. 

It took a couple of songs for the crowd to get warmed up, as is typical at pretty much any concert, by the end of their set they had the crowd opening up pits and throwing the horns in the air. Some of the people around had at least recognized their name as they have had two songs appear on SiriusXM Octane with ‘Terrified’, which appeared on the ‘Big Uns Countdown’ at #14, and most recently this year with their single ‘Worst In You’. 

Live their sound was huge and full-bodied, with the music really hitting hard out of the main speakers. Their singer, James, is all over the stage and interacting with the crowd throughout their entire performance and really making sure the crowd stays engaged. Great live band, go and check them when they come near you!

Unearth was up next, despite being around for over 25 years, I had never really checked them out. I had heard a couple of songs through the years, but never kept up. I wish I had. They were great, they brought the high-energy thrash in spades. For a band who has been around as long as they have, they still sound fresh and don’t show any signs of slowing down on stage. One of my favorite things is seeing bands up on stage, smiling, and having a great time. I’m pretty sure their drummer was smiling for the entire set. A true sign of a band that absolutely loves their job. 

It’s pretty easy to get complacent after a lengthy career, go through the motions, and collect a check. Unearth is the antithesis to that notion. They’re out there having fun every night with no signs of giving up. 

They were fantastic, they had lots of veteran fans in the crowd that were thoroughly enjoying seeing these thrash masters perform their craft, and playing their favorite songs. I wish I had been listening to Unearth for all these years, now I have to play catch up. Definitely a band to check out either wherever you digest music, or if they appear at a venue near you.

Now, the headline act, the masters of symphonic metal. Lacuna Coil.

Like many people my age, I first heard Lacuna Coil when they released ‘Comalies’ which features one of their most popular songs ‘Heaven’s A Lie’.

Over the years they have tirelessly toured, and created amazing music. 

They are another veteran band who has really perfected their live performances to near flawless perfection. This was my first experience seeing them live, and they absolutely do not disappoint on the live front. It’s always amazing seeing fans in the crowd that know every word, to every song on the setlist. 

They very clearly have one the strongest vocalists in the genre with Cristina Scabbia, who sounded absolutely flawless in her vocal delivery. Her talents are one of the reasons why the band has continued to gain fans and keep people coming back for more album after album, show after show. Team her up with Andrea Farro, another powerhouse vocalist, and you have one of the best vocal teams that could be assembled.

Their incredible vocal abilities complement each other amazingly in the live space.

While being a great vocal team is awesome, without the band behind them it wouldn’t be the same. Such an amazing group of musicians that can also bring the house down all on their own. They provide the soundtrack that Cristina and Andrea sing over. They were super tight in their performances, and they were rocking some badass facepaint as well in designs that were in the same style as the skull on the cover of ‘Sleepless Empire’. 

Lacuna Coil is a must see band. I would say see them anyway that you can. Festival, Headline, or a support act, just get out there and see them. You won’t be disappointed. 

-Furious