Artist: Lacuna Coil
Label: Century Media
Released: 2009
Length: 41:56
Rating: 2/5
After three years, Gothic pop/rockers Lacuna Coil are back on the scene with a new album. They’re currently one of the strongest and best-known Gothic acts anywhere in the world. Looks like being a flagship act on a label like Century Media is brutally hard, exhausting slave labor in the cutthroat music industry, because despite all their fame, Lacuna Coil have squeezed out no fewer than four singles in a good four years, plus a live DVD, and for good measure a second best-of. Truly a productive band, one that knows exactly what the job of a megalomaniac label and its current muscle is: churning out truly tasteless bands and their albums.
The new record packs in a decent 12 songs, adding up to a classic 40-minute average. Right from the first track you can tell Lacuna Coil have moved forward in production and sound. At the same time, despite the excellent sound, you notice a severe lack of fresh ideas, because since their previous album Karmacode they haven’t progressed one bit. They still revolve around three, maybe four aces, which they cling to like a drunk to a fence. Their first ace is of course the gorgeous singer Cristina Scabbia, who has an averagely strong voice but above-average long legs, which a band of this caliber definitely badly needs, especially for all the photo shoots that come with every single release.
The second thing worth mentioning is the incredibly annoying backing vocals of Mr. Andrea, who gets more and more emphasis from album to album. This guy’s singing chops really aren’t strong enough to deserve that much spotlight, especially when he’s singing a duet with the female singer, whom you get the feeling he’s constantly trying to drown out.
The third highlight of the album is the well-recorded drums, which, alongside the singer’s looks, are already the band’s second plus. The drums radiate strong energy, especially when groping and flirting with slightly harsher Industrial bits, which definitely won’t thrill fans of the real deal in Industrial, like, say, Hanzel Und Gretyl.
The fourth bright spot is the keyboards, played by none other than bassist Marco Coti Zelati. About these you have to admit that they merely create ambience and literally melt into the other instruments. For once, keyboards that don’t stand out in volume from everything else. Still, I’d note that the atmosphere they create is very foggy and unconvincing. Which is a way of describing the whole album, really, since it’s just a pale reflection of what Lacuna Coil used to be.
In short, you get to listen to an album that’s flawless in production and sound, with 12 Gothic pop songs laced with saccharine gloom, next to which Agropop’s song ”Ljubi me, divja zver” sounds like the ultimate creation and pure pinnacle of Gothic music. Which it of course never was and never will be!
Lineup
Cristina Scabbia – vocals (female)
Andrea Ferro – vocals (male)
Cristiano Migliore – guitar
Marco Biazzi – guitar
Marco Coti Zelati – bass
Cristiano Mozzati – drums
Production
Don Gilmore
Tracklist
1.Survive (03:34)
2.I Won’t Tell You (03:47)
3.Not Enough (03:40)
4.I’m Not Afraid (03:22)
5.I Like It (03:42)
6.Underdog (03:40)
7.The Pain (04:00)
8.Spellbound (03:20)
9.Wide Awake (03:51)
10.The Maze (03:38)
11.Unchained (03:22)
12.Shallow Life (04:00)
