LACUNA COIL
Sleepless Empire
Century Media Records
“Sleepless Empire” is not only a thunderous statement of intent from LACUNA COIL, but it is also a stunning portrait of our time, one that immediately stands out with its mix of brutality, beauty and the profound tackling of life in our modern age.
They formed in Milan, Italy in 1997 but really don’t need any further introduction. They are a metal powerhouse and responsible for some of the very best gothic anthems from the past 25 or so years. They are also one of the pioneers of the ‘beauty and the beast’ vocal style that was introduced in the 90’s and was so popular that it spawned a whole host of bands.
“The Siege” opens the album with its brooding intro before Andrea Ferro unleashes his inner beast. The track has a relentless, never-give-up feel to it and when Cristina Scabbia’s ethereal tones burst forth we feel like we could conquer anything thrown our way, we just need to breathe… luckily enough the next track, “Oxygen”, gives us this boost before throwing us once more into the fray.
Marco Coti Zelati’s guitars seamlessly flow from massive riffs to atmospheric passages and back to more massive riffs throughout the album, creating a wall of sound that is capable of both battering you into submission and cradling you to keep you safe when the emotion gets too high. Richard Meiz‘ drums are thunderous, relentless at times, but still full of interesting fills to make us pause our head-banging and nod approvingly.
The insanely catchy “I Wish You Were Dead” definitely brings the old-school gothic feel and we can hear the influences of old, intertwined with the modern LACUNA COIL sound and it just works so well. Cristina and Andrea are always on top form, but this album has definitely brought out their best with both of them invoking so much energy, passion and power in their performances, the quintessential metal duo.
A wonderful tie-in with the board game, Zombicide White Death, gave us the first glimpse a few months ago of what was to come in the album as the trailer featured the instrumental version of “Never Dawn” before they debuted it live and then later on released it as a single. The song is all about a fierce survival journey across a frozen landscape with the only weapon being the power within. It’s this ongoing theme of survival, the survival against all odds, the survival in the modern age and as Cristina mentioned in an interview recently, the survival of the band after they were all stripped of their creative sparks during the global pandemic, which works so well for them in this album.
We are also treated to two very special guest appearances on the album in the form of long time band friend Randy Blythe (Lamb Of God) on “Hosting The Shadow” and recent touring guest Ash Costello (New Years Day) on “In The Mean Time”. LACUNA COIL rarely have guest appearances but these two work really well and I can only hope they do more in the future.
Every album that LACUNA COIL have released over the years has always had a powerful message buried within and “Sleepless Empire” is no exception. From the outstanding artwork from Roberto Toderico, that exudes a familiar darkness that has just enough of the LACUNA COIL light inside that just can’t be killed, to the album booklet in the limited edition box set that has an oracle divination game for fans to try and decipher. There is always something worth exploring more and it is this type of care and attention to detail that has made them so beloved amongst their fans and peers all over the world.
Overall this is a phenomenally strong album and up there with their very best. For a band so far into their career to be this determined to be at the forefront of the ever changing musical landscape is incredible. We should be so immensely thankful that we have the honour and privilege of experiencing their journey and get to enjoy all of the incredible music they share with us.
Russell Mulock-Bentley