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Rating: So, we all know that talking impartially about Lacuna Coil isn't easy because being an important Italian metal band (especially) abroad, there’s always the notion that Italian metal should be supported, no matter what. It's a good thing that I don’t care too much about this, haha. Furthermore, being familiar only with this album of theirs, I can consider myself more impartial and objective than someone who already has a preconceived opinion about the band (whether positive or negative) before even listening. Even so, it's not easy to give a fair judgment on "Karmacode."
Let's start by saying that it is certainly an easy listening CD; we are not dealing with Dream Theater or Opeth here. In this release, Lacuna presents themselves as a rather easy listening band. They aim to captivate the listener with simple refrains, truly excellent production, and rightly rely on the beauty of singer Cristina Scabbia's voice. However, these aren't the only strengths of the band: there's also a confident rhythm section, which is extremely precise without slip-ups; the male voice is used a lot in some tracks, focusing mainly on the verses, while it's almost absent in others, like "Our Truth," the first single extracted from this album; the guitars do their job by adequately weighing down the sound with a character close to nu-metal, so forget about solos and virtuosity in favor of great precision. Moreover, the album starts well with "Fragile," which from the very first seconds already tells us that the singer is good and the rhythm is catchy.
Now, however, let's get to some of the sore points of the album. First of all, not all the songs are at the same level; there are missteps, like "Closer," which starts with an intro entrusted to the skilled bassist (nothing transcendental, we're certainly not at the genius levels of the historic intro to "Damage Inc." by Metallica from "Master Of Puppets," but one can't expect too much) and then leaves a lot of room for almost dance-like keyboards that clash too much with the rest of the album and don't really fit with the genre the band plays.
The album risks at certain moments to bore the listener, partly due to the not too subtle similarity of one track to another. Lastly, the impression one gets while listening to this Italian Lacuna Coil work depends a lot on one's predisposition towards it; if one expects a masterpiece, they will inevitably be disappointed, but if approached with a lighter heart, the impression will be better. At the end of the album, there's a track sung in Italian, "Without Fear," and a cover of "Enjoy The Silence" by Depeche Mode, which is quite well conceived.
In short, a record that's easy to approach but requires at least a second listen to be better understood, which probably won't make history in the metal world, won't satisfy the most extreme metalheads, but can surely entertain those more open to experiments and listening to various genres. Regarding the "support of Italian metal" discourse, let's say we can be satisfied with having a capable, precise, and clean band at home. However, I expect improvements in the next release. I'm also looking forward to seeing them live on September 24, 2006, in Rome at the Palacisalfa, because I have the impression that they might give their best live.
Tracklist Lyrics 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 Bisius
A piece of crap in capital letters.
DEAR LACUNA COIL, BUT I CAN'T LIKE ONE SONG OUT OF 13! DAMN! HEAL YOURSELVES!
By lovelorn
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.
Karmacode is an album to listen to, significant for the Italian metal scene.
