By some cosmic stroke of synchronicity, just as I signed up to write the 50th-anniversary review of the incredible soundtrack by the prog outfit, GOBLIN, for the Italo horror classic, Profondo Rosso, directed by Dario Argento, I found out that LACUNA COIL‘s songwriter-in-chief Marco Coti Zelati cites GOBLIN as one of the fundamental influences behind the cinematic flourishes on the new LACUNA COIL album, “Sleepless Empire,” set for release on February 14th, 2025, via Century Media. So, apparently, OPETH frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt is not the only established metal elder smitten with this peculiar brand of cinematic suspense. OPETH went as far as to name a track after these pedigree Italian proggers on their 2004 endeavor “Pale Communion,” whereas LACUNA COIL pays homage in a bit more subtle manner. What these bands have in common is not only the artistic prerogative against the weight of expectation but also the fundamental darkness that seeps through the music in wonderful ways. These strange times we now live in have certainly generated no shortage of material to influence the new LACUNA COIL offering, its weighty lyrics and its mood, because dark it most definitely is. I have not yet checked out the 20th-anniversary reimagining of the band’s landmark 2002 album “Comalies” that came in 2022, but the very first spin with this new chapter feels like a natural evolution from their 2019 full-length “Black Anima.” The new album comes off like a richly textured soundtrack to the tech-governed 24/7 world of today, the sleepless empire of sorts.
In their early days, LACUNA COIL resonated with an almost symphonic-metal aura, at least for me, probably because of the songs’ prominent melodicism. For some time now, the focus has been shifted to pounding riffs – riffs that are so punchy they put your stoic mind power to the test – and the vocal cross-pollination of Andrea Ferro‘s harsh belting and Cristina Scabbia‘s clean, powerhouse vocals. Album after album, Ferro‘s barbed vocals keep getting better, resonating now with an almost LAMB OF GOD-like air. Speaking of which, Randy Blythe lends his signature snarls to “Hosting the Shadow,” which is by far one of the highlights of the outing with its chiaroscuro of melancholy and anger. The other special guest appearance occurs in the third track, “In the Mean Time,” featuring the banshee vocals of Ash Costello from Californian Gothic rockers NEW YEARS DAY.
Rather befittingly, the title track stands out in this new selection with its steamrolling riffs and mood. If you stripped the song of all the distorted guitars and metal drumming, this would be the perfect soundtrack music, say, for a remake of the mid-1970s horror classic mentioned above. Maybe add a few lysergic sound effects – and voilà! Then, because I’m a sucker for everything that resonates with the Middle-Eastern modality, “Sleep Paralysis” hit another home run for me. Then again, I think Italy has been the melting pot, musically speaking, between the East and the West for a few hundred years, so I guess the sonic landscapes of Arabian maqams are like second nature to them, with the diminished intervals – flat seconds and flat fifths – shining over the mental horizon like lodestars.
The best riff is saved for last; “Never Dawn” kicks off with a riffathon that cautiously side-steps into the groove-metal realm. Having Blythe feature on this album starts to make a lot of sense. Even so, while the band is curiously reaching out from their comfort zone, here and there, responding creatively to new inspiration, this new album does not lose sight of the qualities that have made LACUNA COIL who they are. Like fine wine, they just keep getting refined.
The album box set comes with an Oracle divination game hidden in the booklet, which in turn influenced the band’s decision to work with the Neapolitan illustrator, Roberto, Toderico; Scabbia points out in the press release that his cover art reflects a deeper sentiment than a purely aesthetic choice. Now, coming to think about it, there has always been an ambiguous, spiritual side to LACUNA COIL from day one, just look at the album titles throwing around almost New Agey buzzwords from the 1999 debut, “In A Reverie” to “Karmacode” (2006) to “Visual Karma (Body, Mind and Soul)” (2008) to “Broken Crown Halo” (2014) to “Black Anima” (2019). This streak continues down to the song titles, also on this new studio effort. So, despite the PMRC people claiming that metal music is some sort of an allusive homage to Satan as if by default, LACUNA COIL is one of those bands that offer an indisputable counter-argument to that absolute nonsense. These lovely Italians also assert that you don’t need to wear a white toga and chant love-and-light gibberish to be spiritual.
Written by Jani Lehtinen
Tracklist
- The Siege
- Oxygen
- Scarecrow
- Gravity
- I Wish You Were Dead
- Hosting the Shadow (feat. Randy Blythe)
- In Nomine Patris
- Sleepless Empire
- Sleep Paralysis
- In the Mean Time (feat. Ash Costello)
- Never Dawn
Lineup
Andrea Ferro – vocals
Marco Coti Zelati – bass, keyboards, guitars
Cristina Scabbia – vocals
Richard Meiz – drums
Label
Century Media
