Vocalist Cristina Scabbia of Italian heavy rockers LACUNA COIL has posted the following message on her Facebook page:

"My dear friends,

"I surely hope it has been better for you all... but 2013 hasn't exactly been a piece of cake for me. Bad moments of sadness, melancholy, lack of strength and sleep, moments when I thought I was really going to give up... not artistically, but as a person.

"Life can be a bitch sometimes.

"But as in every 'not so happy' situation I went through in my life, I always try to see the good coming out of it all, and what I found out is that not only I realized I have an amazing family tight as an army and a loving boyfriend who made me smile through the roughness... but I have priceless friends that supported me ALL the way through the bad moments, without even barely thinking about the so overrated 'rockstar status' I am not proud of.

"And I love them all back to death, I mean it.

"This is what life really should be: the self-awareness of the fact that at the end of the day is not what we have done in our lives, but who we shared everything with.

"I also shared my voice, our music, a piece of my life with you all, so feel part of the family too.

"Here's to a great 2014.

"May the new year make all your dreams come true, give you all the happiness you guys deserve and give you the strength to realize you can get wherever you want if you really want to.

"Smile, smile a lot and let others smile.

"Oh...and party hard tonight but... be safe, I want to hear every single one of you from tomorrow on.

"Rock on and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!"

LACUNA COIL recently canceled its appearance on ShipRocked, the rock music cruise vacation onboard the Norwegian Pearl, due to "some very serious personal family matters at this time which demand [the band's] full attention."

LACUNA COIL has completed recording its new album with producer Jay Baumgardner (P.O.D., SEVENDUST, EVANESCENCE, PAPA ROACH) for an early 2014 release via Century Media Records.