Lacuna Coil - Sleepless Empire

At Doomed For Metal Reviews, my goal is, and always will for long as this blog exists, to promote the metal underground.  However, there are exceptions to every rule—Lacuna Coil and their 10th studio album (11th if you count the re-recording of Comalies) “Sleepless Empire.”

They might not be known to the average soccer man or be playing a Superbowl halftime show anytime soon but Lacuna Coil are pretty big for what they are and definitely no longer underground.  So why them?  What makes Lacuna Coil so special that I would stop writing about all the death, doom, and black metal out there to speak of them?

Because of what they mean to me and my tastes.  In my burgeoning late high school years when I first started discovering the crazy world of metal, Lacuna Coil were among the very first metal bands I ever got into.  Unlike a lot of other bands of that era, this band has never fallen off the radar for me—I still listen to them and have enjoyed every release since I bought Unleashed Memories not long after it came out back in 2001.

So, in essence, if it wasn't for Lacuna Coil, I might not have ever dived into metal in the first place.

Enough of my ramblings! How is “Sleepless Empire?” Well? It is Lacuna Coil. That certainly isn't a bad thing but what it means is that if you like the band, I can't see why this one wouldn't be as at least enjoyable as anything in their modern period. However, if you're not a fan at this point, I doubt this will win you over.

With that being said, I enjoy “Sleepless Empire,” more than their last few albums.  At least to my ears, it brings back much of the melodic, Gothic song of their earlier.  It isn’t a 100% return to form, nor did I expect it to be, but it seems they have effectively combined their past with their present while setting up their sound for the future.   The trend for some time with LC, is they get heavier with each album.  Make no mistake, this album is appropriately heavy, it more effectively engages with more focused songwriting and memorable songwriting.

Of course, one of the highlights of the band is Christina Scabbia’s insane vocals, which remain ever expressive, piercing, and a solid balance between Gothic, rock, and metal. Just as important is Andrea Ferro, who, like Scabbia, only gets better with time.  I love how he leans more into growls and screams now…it works very well for him and exists as a sterling dynamic against Scabbia.   

The other stalwart to the band’s sound is founder Marco Zelati, who handles bass, keyboards, and guitars, in addition to being the band’s principal songwriter.   He has steered this ship for a long time and continues to explore his compositional skills.  Fortunately, Richard Meiz is still with the band, having joined around the "Black Anima" era.  His drums, as always, are powerful and provide much of the band's rhythm power. 

For anyone doubting the continued prowess of the band, in terms of sonic density, need to look no further than “The Siege,” which is as strong of an opener they have ever had.  It sets up the tone early while providing a lot of focus on grabbing the listener’s ear.  As being the opener, it is a catchy song with a lot of vocals on the vocals and subtle atmosphere.  It sounds great and this type of song has been the band’s bread and butter for awhile but it’s hard to deny why. 

“Scarecrow,” drops huge riffs but they are very integrated into the atmosphere, which makes the song groovy and yet another banger.  Scabbia’s vocals are smooth as water among Andrea’s violent outbursts.  The guitars and bass alternate between groove, tight rhythms, and more introspective moments where they hang back to let the vocals shine through.

“I Wish You Were Dead,” is a short song, under three minutes, but it stands out as a curveball among the songs.   This one leans more heavily into the Gothic side of their metal, with the vocal patterns and chorus flirting with poppy sensibilities. I think it works pretty well and I can see this song being huge live, the ground shouting along with the chorus.

“In Nomine Patris,” is one of the best songs they have ever done.  Everything about it just hits the right notes for what I expect of the band.  It’s intense in a way that only Lacuna Coil can do, without being overly abrasive.  Scabbia and Andrea’s vocals alternate the lyrics in a way that reminds me of earlier albums.   During Andrea’s parts, the song rumbles along but is more atmospheric during Scabbia’s.  The solo is a nice touch, too, something the band doesn’t do all that often. 

The title track is another modern classic for the band.  The subtle use of keyboards is effective at foreshadowing the coming seconds while building up momentum.  There is yet another catchy chorus to be found here, nestled nicely between the more ‘extreme’ elements and Andrea’s arresting performance.   Scabbia absolutely nails the chorus with her trademark high register vocals. 

Proving the band provided as much care with their deep cuts as they did the singles, the final song, “Never Dawn,” is another song that I would say is among their recent best.  The build up is great, neither too long or short, and around the one minute mark, all hell breaks loose.  This is a pervasive, unrelenting song that perpetually moves forward and it ends the album on an abrasive (for them) moment that is striking.  

Lacuna Coil’s “Sleepless Empire,” is an example of how a band with such a long, storied career can remain relevant by looking at all their eras and still coming up with engaging songs that set the band on a new path while honoring how they got here. 

Rating:  Great