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It was the spring of 2004 and the news came like a bolt from the blue: two years after its release, "Comalies" entered the prestigious Billboard charts in the United States. Who would have ever expected that Lacuna Coil, so little praised at home, would make a splash in the USA? Perhaps all this happened in the wake of the Evanescence phenomenon, but unlike the American group, Cristina Scabbia & Co. reached this milestone after a long struggle.
A hard-won milestone, therefore, the result of the long work of a band active since the second half of the 90s. Nonetheless, the favor of the public must be sought out in any way, as it is well known that they do not reward non-commercial bands. Actually, Lacuna Coil has never planned anything; they have never been a band that made originality their strong point, but rather a group of six youths who have always put great passion into their work, continuing on their path, disregarding the criticisms received at home. Perhaps a thousand other bands from our country would have deserved that spot on the charts more than them, but what happened is easily understandable: as everyone knows, the American public is much more ignorant about metal compared to Europeans (just think that Lacuna Coil were welcomed as an "offspring" band of Evanescence).
The rest is history: following the sales boom, several tours took the band around the world (the Italian stop at Gods of Metal 2005 was perhaps the one where the audience was least enthusiastic) and finally, after four long years, a new album from the band arrives. To posterity, the difficult judgment: was their success a good or a bad thing for our Milanese metal music exporters? For some, it completely ruined an already unremarkable band, while for others it allowed them to make a qualitative leap. For me, the verdict remains unchanged: success or not, Lacuna Coil remains the same group, not exceptional but fairly good, as they were two years ago.
This new "Karmacode" thus places itself at the same level as its predecessor, but due to personal tastes (which I will explain later) I still prefer "Comalies." Musically, the album is much more direct (it's clear this album was designed for the American market) but at the same time much heavier in sound (notable is the use of guitars, which in the past played a secondary role, often being a simple background for the singers' voices), more original, and varied in the set of songs. The significant improvement in Andrea Ferro's voice, always the band's biggest flaw, left me speechless. A special applause goes to Cristina Scabbia, undoubtedly an important icon for the band, a sexy, intelligent, and charismatic girl, and endowed with a great voice (chilling low tones). Analyzing song by song we find many interesting ideas such as the use of Oriental melodies and Nu Metal rhythms which, although somewhat superficially inserted, make the listening less boring than in the past and the presence of a string quartet that enhances the songs at their best without ever overshadowing the other instruments. The songs that convince me the most are the ones with a darker mood: "Fragments of Faith" and "In Visible Light" are among the best Italian Gothic Metal songs.
Episodes like "Fragile," "Our Truth," and "Without Fear" are instead among the most personal compositions by the sextet, truly intricate compared to the group's standards. The tracklist closes with a cover of "Enjoy the Silence" by Depeche Mode. I have to admit I appreciated Lacuna Coil's version, truly fitting in the verses, at the expense of the original, which never conveyed anything to me. However, in my opinion, this experiment is not entirely successful. The same applies to the entire album, because despite all the above-mentioned merits, it also has equally significant flaws. First of all, we find, invariably in every album, the usual tiring, nauseating filler episodes: in this case "Devoted" (terrible) and "Closer." Moreover, the band demonstrates that they are not good with ballads: "Within Me" is a truly banal song (akin to the most mediocre pop standard), and this album is too cheerful in some tracks; for these two reasons, I continue to prefer "Comalies," which, despite containing many mediocre songs, always has a melancholic and dark aura.
However, it is not my intention to dismiss this "Karmacode": after listening to the 13 songs, I was pleasantly surprised by the band's evolution. Lacuna Coil is truly saying something new in the world metal scene, crossing the boundaries of a genre in extinction (Gothic Metal with female vocals) of which today only Tristania and few other bands keep the flag high.
An album to listen to, significant for the Italian metal scene. The next one could be even better.
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
01 Fragile (04:26)
What?
Damn you're right
Dare is about obsession
It's something inside
Wounds are bleeding in my hands
Turning blind
No one will ever stop this
Self-made decline
Nothing really matters
(He's watching me)
What if I look away and deal with it
Digging in my grave
I won't deny it
Fragile my crystal ball
Shattered on the ground
What?
Damn you're right
Learn is about rejection
There's nothing to hide
Wounds are healing in my hands
Turning blind
No one will ever scratch
My own state of mind
Nothing really matters
(He's watching me)
What if I look away and deal with it
Digging in my grave
I won't deny it
Fragile my crystal ball
Shattered on the ground
02 To the Edge (03:22)
Here I start to define it
As a sign on my skin that I just try to wash away
Reminder
Infected, it'll be painful to me
Life is so short
Close to the edge of another backdoor
Life is so sure!
Life will be ready to twist up your world
Here it starts to enlighten
There's a frame I can't change that I just have to watch again
Reminder
Repressed inside me, it keeps repeating
Life is so short
Close to the edge of another backdoor
Life is so sure!
Life will be ready to twist up your world
Life is so short
Close to the edge of another backdoor
Life is so sure!
Life will be ready to twist up your world
03 Our Truth (04:03)
Clock is ticking while I'm killing time
Spinning all around
Nothing else that you can do to turn it back
Wicked partnership in this crime
Ripping off the best
Condescending smile
Trying to forget
(Wasting my time)
We're falling right through
Lying to forget
(Telling more lies)
We're raising our truth
Go on and tease me
Clock is ticking while I'm stealing time
Can't you turn it back?
Stop the cycle let it free and run away
Silent sneaking along my path
Rugged the road but we
Feel it like we're flying
Trying to forget
(Wasting my time)
We're falling right through
Lying to forget
(Telling more lies)
We're raising our truth
04 Within Me (03:39)
Something about you that makes me feel bad
I wasn't there when a thin line destroyed your soul
I search every corner, there's nowhere to hide
How I feel, ignorant sacrifice
Some days, it's harder
Let's face it, it's all about me
Deeply into your own
Deep within me
Life's crawling and wasting my days
Another night gone
And I know there will be another way
I'm leading myself to be free
In this eternal goodbye
Something about you will make me stronger
Now I'm aware when a man falls rebound, my fault
I search every corner, there's nowhere to hide
How I feel, ignorant sacrifice
Some days, it's harder
Let's face it, it's all about me
Deeply into your own
Deep within me
Life's crawling and wasting my days
Another night gone
And I know there will be another way
I'm leading myself to be free
In this eternal goodbye, goodbye
Here I wanna be
No more lies
Here I wanna be
Here I wanna be
No more lies
Here I wanna be
Deep within me
Life's crawling and wasting my days
Another night gone
And I know there will be another way
I'm leading myself to be free
In this eternal goodbye
05 Devoted (03:52)
I'll be there
When there's nothing left
Night and day
Holding you
Harmony
Deep inside your soul
Meet me there
Can you feel me?
(Can you feel me?)
Can you feel me deep inside?
There's no time
To deny that I'll need you
And I'll be there
To inhale your delightful day
There's no time
To deny that I'll need you
That's why I'll be there
To relieve your painful day
Hiding well
Where the pain is real
Night and day
Growing in you
Anger is
Poison in your veins
Meet me there
Can you feel me?
(Can you feel me?)
Can you feel me deep inside?
There's no time
To deny that I'll need you
And I'll be there
To inhale your delightful day
There's no time
To deny that I'll need you
That's why I'll be there
To relieve your painful day
Deep inside.
There's no time
To deny that I'll need you
And I'll be there
To inhale your delightful day
There's no time
To deny that I'll need you
That's why I'll be there
To relieve your painful day
06 You Create (01:32)
Hope;
Seize the invisible,
Achieves the impossible.
If you look up,
There are no limits...
There are no limits...
There are no limits.
08 Fragments of Faith (04:10)
It's not the way to cross the faith
The promise has been broken
My disease, everlasting
Let me bleed forever
I have to wait
Come and get me
Lost in here, I'm nothing
Tie my hands
Let me feel alive one more time
Where is the pain?
Somewhere down
Can you feel it?
Don't you know there is no time?
Can you feel it?
Don't you know there is no time?
My halo fades
Sin is calling
The promise has been stolen
My disease, everlasting
Let me dream forever
My soul to take
Come and get it
Lost in here, I'm nothing
Tie my hands
Let me feel alive one more time
Can you feel it?
Don't you know there is no time?
Can you feel it?
Don't you know there is no time?
Can you feel it?
Don't you know there is no time?
Can you feel it?
Don't you know there is no time?
Never let it go
Can you feel it?
Don't you know there is no time?
Can you feel it?
Don't you know there is no time?
09 Closer (03:01)
Want to get closer, in too deep
Where there is something I wish for I’ll go through
Want to get closer into you
No hell to discover
I’ve got it all inside myself
Salvation you have preached is gone
No way, you can’t turn it around
Looking for a higher ground
Searching for this something missed before
From a higher ground
Will I fall in a right direction?
(Higher, searching for more)
Falling apart
There’s nothing real
That will convince me to change but I’ll go through
Want to get closer into you
No hell to discover
There is just nothing to betray
Salvation you have preached is gone
No way, you can’t turn it around
Looking for a higher ground
Searching for this something missed before
From a higher ground
Will I fall in a right direction?
(Higher, searching for more)
Looking for a higher ground
Searching for this something missed before
From a higher ground
Will I fall in a right direction?
(Higher, searching for more)
Looking for a higher ground
Searching for this something missed before
From a higher ground
Will I fall in a right direction?
(Higher, searching for more)
Looking for a higher ground
Searching for this something missed before
From a higher ground
Will I fall in a right direction?
(Higher, searching for more)
10 In Visible Light (03:59)
How can time still drain every little beat of my heart?
In my time of need I want to destroy anything you are
Grief is the light
I can''t deny I''m afraid of you
Grief is the light
I''m not afraid to deny
What have you ever denied?
Because you''re just the one that had it all
While I''m just the dice in your hands
And no, it''s not easy
Grief is the light
I can''t deny I''m afraid of you
Grief is the light
I''m not afraid to deny
Will I suffer in vain?
You''re feeding all my fears
I cannot escape
You''re here in my head
Grief is the light
I can''t deny I''m afraid of you
Grief is the light
I''m not afraid to deny
11 The Game (03:32)
Will I just tell you to give up?
No matter how you'll play this game
But I can handle the sorrow
Whatever time is running out
You wonder why
Our last goodbye
It's relieving my tears, it's so easy
I won't deny
Life changed my mind
Will I be such a dreamer?
No matter how I'll play this game
To get is symptom of giving
Whatever time is over now
You wonder why
Our last goodbye
It's relieving my tears, it's so easy
I won't deny
Life changed my mind
You wonder why
Our last goodbye
It's relieving my tears, it's so easy
I won't deny
Life changed my mind
12 Without Fear (03:59)
Se in uomo fragile
Nuove risposte tardano ad affiorare
Invisibili distante
E' inevitabile
Inevitabile risveglio
Dentro di me non c'è niente
Di fede immobile più niente
Here I am
I'm giving myself to you
Without fear
Invisibili distanze
E' inevitabile
Ricordano un addio per sempre
Dentro di me non c'è niente
Di fede immobile più niente
Dentro di me non c'è niente
Di fede immobile più niente
Dentro di me non c'è niente
Di fede immobile più niente
If in a weak man
new answers are long to appear
Invisible, distant
it's inevitable
inevitable awakening
Inside of me there is nothing
of immobile faith, nothing
Here I am
I'm giving myself to you
Without fear
Invisible distances
it's inevitable
they'll forever recall a farewell
Inside of me there is nothing
of immobile faith, nothing
Inside of me there is nothing
of immobile faith, nothing
Inside of me there is nothing
of immobile faith, nothing
13 Enjoy the Silence (04:05)
Words like violence
Break the silence
Come crashing in
Into my little world
Painful to me
Pierce right through me
Can't you understand
Oh my little girl
All I ever wanted
All I ever needed
Is here in my arms
Words are very unnecessary
They can only do harm
Vows are spoken
To be broken
Feelings are intense
Words are trivial
Pleasures remain
So does the pain
Words are meaningless
And forgettable
All I ever wanted
All I ever needed
Is here in my arms
Words are very unnecessary
They can only do harm
Enjoy the silence
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Other reviews
By Adil
The voices of Andrea and the charismatic Cristina blend perfectly, and the entire band seems even more cohesive and tight-knit than in the past.
Beyond Cristina’s aggressive yet graceful voice, Lacuna Coil can count on some lethally effective riffs and a rhythm section that in some instances recalls the best of Korn.
By Brizz89
The album is above average, a work that certainly has not disappointed neither the fans nor the critics.
Enjoy The Silence, a cover of Depeche Mode performed masterfully, with Christina’s voice perfectly interpreting the emotional aspect of the piece.
By tagtgren
"Lacuna Coil does not want to take risks, and they do wrong, precisely because the rhythm section is capable of decidedly greater performances."
"The single 'Our Truth'... too immediately recall various tracks from the previous album."
By absint
It is certainly an easy listening CD; we are not dealing with Dream Theater or Opeth here.
A record that’s easy to approach but requires at least a second listen to be better understood.
By Bisius
A piece of crap in capital letters.
DEAR LACUNA COIL, BUT I CAN'T LIKE ONE SONG OUT OF 13! DAMN! HEAL YOURSELVES!
