Album Review: Lacuna Coil - Sleepless Empire
Reviewed by Dan Barnes
Beginning life back in 1994, the collaborative working relationship of Andrea Ferro and (later) Cristina Scabbia, initially called Sleep of Right and Ethereal, until becoming Lacuna Coil in 1997, have been true to their mission statement of creating a gothic heavy metal, incorporating both raw and symphonic elements.
Proudly influenced by the likes of Paradise Lost, Moonspell, Tiamat, and others, the Milan five-piece have been consistent in their output since 1999’s In a Reverie debut; striking metaphoric gold with their third release, Comalies. So successful was that record, the band went back into the studio for its twentieth anniversary and issued the spruced-up Comalies XX in 2022.
It was in those session that the kernels of Sleepless Empire, the band’s forthcoming full-length album were planted; following the longest gap between records in the band’s career, Lacuna Coil is about to unleash their tenth collection of darkly fantastic melodrama. And on St Valentine’s Day too.
This deep into their career and the band aren’t about to start reinventing the Lacuna Coil wheel, so the basis of Sleepless Empire’s eleven songs is the swirling symphonic meets darkly romantic music of other original member, Marco Coti Zelati’s bass and keys, combined with drummer Richard Meiz and new guitarist Daniele Salomone.
Although, in that respect, Sleepless Empire has a familiarity to it from the outset, it’s the way Lacuna use those elements that keep the fan-base coming back for more.
The Siege opens the album with a middle eastern feel, Andrea’s gruff vocals appearing as though a djinn had found its way into the recording sessions. Cristina arrives with a more refined approach and the track is suddenly elevated through heavy keys and the vocal interplay.
Scarecrow and Never Dawn find Lacuna wandering through Industrial territory, the former sees Cristina offering a more adventurous vocal, hitting those high notes like Simone and Tarja before the track takes a turn for the down and dirty; while the latter opens with traditional instrumentation before dropping to a pulsating, electronic verse riff which could well be the envy of Fear Factory.
Gravity is the album’s most obviously gothic song, with heavy keys and a hint of the electronic, it ticks all the boxes of what Lacuna Coil are all about. The title track shows how the combination of Andrea’s growls and Cristina’s cleans combine to create their trademark sound; but she is allowed free reign on the distinctly anti-Valentine tune, I Wish You Were Dead.
In Nomine Patris finds Cristina’s voice getting a thorough test, with only few contributions from Andrea as the skipping riff offers a widescreen feel; Andrea remains lurking in the background for the album’s longest song, Sleep Paralysis, as he adopts the role of the nocturnal visitor who may, or may not, be there. Both these songs feature the only time guitar solos stand out on Sleepless Empire, though, such are the compositions that those solos do not seem to have been greatly missed.
Back in the autumn I as lucky enough to catch the band on their In the Mean Time tour, on which they debuted four new tracks: Never Dawn, Oxygen, which takes Lacuna’s signature sound and blends in more than a little Nu fat-low-end and thick riffage, as well as the two collaborations with members of other bands.
Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe was brought onboard to help out with Hosting the Shadow, which sits in the middle of Sleepless Empire and, although its rampaging riff makes it a worthy centrepiece to the record, is strangely subdued and - dare I say it? – even restrained. In the Mean Time features New
Year’s Day’s Ash Costello in a cameo roll, assisting Cristina in one of the album’s most old-school Lacuna tracks.
As mentioned above, Lacuna Coil aren’t looking to reinvent themselves with Sleepless Empire, rather reiterate their position as the premier purveyors of gothic-tinged heavy metal. It’s effectively Lacuna Coil doing what Lacuna Coil do and, after thirty years of doing it, they do it so very well.
Be the first to comment