By Mark Steele
Lacuna Coil initially started off as a uniquely quirky (dare I say it in the same sentence) ‘goth metal’ band, that stood head and shoulders above the usual crowd of most ‘euro metal’ fare. In fact, their earlier works of Comalies and what came before it were very good releases indeed, and easily come into my top 100 metal albums of all time. However, Lacuna Coil were always (to me) a band that was after getting more into the mainstream - which can have its drawbacks. In one way, it can alienate the fan base and they get accusations of being sell outs - but another thing to consider that just like anyone else in ANY job at all, they have to put bread on the table. It’s sort of a ‘six of one, half a dozen of the other’ sort of thing, right?
To my ears, Lacuna Coil sort of lost the plot on the Karmacode album - opting for a sound that had a guitar playing style that was raided from the lost Korn guitar riffs parts bin. Something I believe, they didn’t need to do, to catch onto mainstream success; as at that point in time the likes of Killswitch Engage, Chimaira, Shadows Fall, Trivium and Lamb of God came along, ushering the end of the nu metal era. This made the album sound dated and in some ways trying too hard to be all things to all men. However, they’ve partially shifted away from this master plan - and the albums that followed (Shallow Life and Dark Adrenaline) sounded much more interesting and they got more of their own personality back, instead of emulating something that they didn’t need to be.
So, what is the latest album like? To my ears, fairly likable. Elements of the clunky Limpdefkorn riffing are still prevalent - but perhaps not as strong, retaining more of their original sound. A point worth noting is that some of the vocals by Andrea Ferro are more of a marmite thing in this album, in a couple of instances going in for a shouted Trivium-esque roar that sounds either ill fitting or compliments the track well - as noted in the opener ‘Nothing Stands In Our Way’. Fortunately, this doesn’t happen too much through the album, and Christina Scabbia’s vocals sound as dynamic and powerful as they ever were - as noticed in the track ‘Zombies’.
The track ‘Dry and Rise’, will no doubt be a very catchy number - but has riffs that steer more towards that Limpdefkorn area more strongly than others. In fact, you could be forgiven for thinking that Fieldy had made a guest appearance on this track - but the vocal blend of Ferro and Scabia trading off against each other is quite compelling. 'I Forgive (But I Won't Forget You)' and ‘Cybersleep’ in particular are stand out tracks that are well executed, and reminds me of the Lacuna Coilof old; with Scabbia’s vocals standing out over the top of well executed riffs and melodies.
To conclude, I had lost touch of Lacuna Coil’s works after Karmacode and had been put off. Initially, I was somewhat sceptical about this album and looked forward to giving it a slating. But, the charm of what I liked about Lacuna Coil has returned back to me the past few days. It’s not ‘Comalies II’, and I certainly didn’t expect that from it - and neither should anybody else. Die hards who like the Lacuna Coil of old before they ‘sold out’ will probably hate this album, while the hard core fans will no doubt love this and not give a flying fish finger what anybody thinks. In some ways, I liked the days when Lacuna Coil were that quirky female fronted metal band, and liked it when it was ‘my band that nobody heard of’ (as an early fan). But, times change and the floppy haired hooded top ‘bread and butter metalheads’ clearly can’t get enough of them - just like they done with HIM, and Nightwish (again, bands that were ‘my band that nobody heard of’). Despite not being entirely groundbreaking, it’s an album that’s a reasonably competent effort. Nothing more, nothing less. To quote Ronseal - does what it says on the tin.
