Review Summary: That moment when someone else beats you to reviewing this shit: o_O
Less and less surprising with every album, Lacuna Coil are retaining a (somewhat but not too unique) sound that they’ve fought hard to harvest throughout their career. Falling somewhere in the niche crowd of djent/pop inspired symphonic metal tropes, a modern metal sound is here to stay. Returning: the double bass pedal drumming from their splintering album Delirium, and the very unwavering melodies and sometimes basic rhythms of Comalies XX. The lead singer remains the highlight as always, effortlessly hitting a billion soulful notes at once like it’s another day at work (can’t imagine why). As metal and aggressive as the album can get with the beastly growls, the audience can always sink into another pillow-like melody. It’s the ultimate appeal of this band, to bring those encompassing, full melodies into a fold of catchy, sure-felt rhythms and heavy guitars. When the songs get poppier, the hooks are flying everywhere like fighting fishes.
One thing critics might miss is how effective Lacuna Coil are at the sound they produce. Lacuna Coil know exactly what they’re doing and what their audience likes. You know, the people that actively listen to their music for enjoyment. Lacuna Coil are Lacuna Coil, and only know how to do what they do, and they do it excellently. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea. They balance on the line between mainstream and more heavy music, but they do so with a great knowledge of what people will actually bother listening to. From their singing, to their guitar tone, to their dress sense on stage, it’s all rather captivating in a theater like manner. It’s the kind of thing that people pay attention to, regardless of their opinion on metal as a genre.
So to conclude:
it is a solid album. They sound very assured in themselves with this release, with confidence oozing in every track. That, alone, distances this release away from their others. There is no single slump, or mistakes in the tracks here. It’s calculated and intentional, and the band members sound in their prime. Riffs are interesting or at least catchy when employed harder, the singing is immaculate, the rhythms can be quite fun, and the overall tone of the album is compelling. While the tracks are overtly been-there-riffed-that, Lacuna Coil are firing in with a lot of gusto.
