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Rating: Nothing to say. These Lacuna Coil do not remotely resemble those of "Karmacode". Completely different music, completely different mentality, pure originality, zero commercialization.
Lacuna Coil is a Milanese quintet, composed of the beautiful Cristina Scabbia (vocals), Andrea Ferro (vocals), Marco Coti Zelati (bass), Cristiano Migliore (electric guitar), and Cristiano Mozzati (drums). A respectable career behind them, which began in 1994 when they were still called Sleep Of Right, and recently sullied only by the already mentioned Karmacode. First of all, it must be said that this is not an original album: in fact, it is an unusual mix between their debut album ("Lacuna Coil", 1998) and the subsequent "Halflife" of 2001. In simple terms, this album was essentially created to gather some euros, but leaving aside the economic issue, this CD is a fusion between two masterpieces of Italian and gothic music in general. The first six songs belong to "Halflife", the next five to "Lacuna Coil". And all eleven songs reflect truly exceptional skill, to paraphrase Abatantuono, and above all are made with the intent to entertain and have a good time without secondary purposes (such as attracting the favor of fifteen-year-olds).
The album starts with "No Need To Explain", a song that begins quite eerily and then opens with a gothic riff halfway between a dark sound and a bright sound. The combined voices of Cristina and Ferro are accompanied by sporadic piano interludes, of rare beauty, and the violence of Coti Zelati's five-string bass. Undoubtedly a piece that reflects more than good harmony between the two singers and positively highlights the extraordinary vocal qualities of our fellow countrywoman Scabbia (no jokes, please). The second track is "The Secret..." and it's a somewhat unusual song at the beginning, as it opens with a bass line decidedly out of the ranks of the Spiral Void, followed by a guitar riff that unpleasantly recalls fake punk, fake pop, fake rock bands (you get the idea). But the chorus is decidedly enjoyable, with Cristina and Andrea's voices blending perfectly once more, splitting the singing parts equally. The astonishing end-of-song solo, performed by Migliore with a slight background of castanets, is a highlight. You arrive feeling fully satisfied at the third composition, namely "This Is My Dream", which this time leaves you a bit disappointed, as it resembles the previous piece very much regarding the vocals and especially the bass riffs (exactly the same as "The Secret..."), and the only thing that stands out from this song is, once again, the successful solo.
"Soul Into Hades": a fourth song that starts with a harsher cut and once again flows into softer verses, with the lightening of the guitars and the insertion of imperceptible piano nuances. Around two and a half minutes, Coti Zelati explodes in a sufficiently fierce solo to bring us back from the gothic dreamy mists of our thoughts to reality. But it's a flash in the pan; soon the guitars leave space once again to the intertwined voices of the two Milanese. The end is a bit abrupt, as the song stops suddenly without warning, but all in all it's once again a well-done performance. The fifth song is a fairytale, the masterpiece of the entire EP in my opinion, titled "Falling" (and notice that Evanescence, two years after this song, will title their album "Fallen"). This is a track steeped in melancholy, with dark guitars in the background while Cristina dominates the scene with her superb voice once again. Instruments such as the piano and even harp are present, never so icy and melancholic (indeed, listening to the track gives an idea of golden coldness), and the final result is undoubtedly wonderful, with the concluding part bringing back the sound of a whistling gust of wind. The sixth track has a misleading title ("Un Fantasma Fra Noi") since there's no Italian (all lyrics are sung in English): it's an instrumental lasting over five minutes, in perfect gothic style, with Migliore and Coti Zelati outdoing themselves, cutting raw riffs and sweet chords simultaneously. For those who understand poetry, this is a continuous oxymoron, ending with the sound of muffled cymbals. A masterpiece. The seventh composition, titled "Halflife", has a wonderfully oriental beginning (System of a Down in gothic style) that persists throughout the song. It is definitely the rawest piece on the album, as instrumental virtuosity alternates with Ferro's growls and Migliore's violent segments: a definitely unusual but, in my opinion, very fitting experiment.
The eighth song, titled "Trance Awake", arrives, and this time the title is not put coincidentally, as it’s another mystically flavored instrumental, completely devoid of big guitars and dominated by keyboards and distant violins. You cannot recover easily: "Trance Awake" ends after very little time, and the magic of "Senzafine" begins peremptorily, a song entirely in Italian that is light-years away from the obscenities of "The Game". The verses indeed sound very suited to the song (contrary to the Karmacode track), which is accompanied once again by just right violent guitar riffs and dreamy keyboards that swirl in the atmosphere. Definitely a positive surprise. "Hyperfast" is the tenth composition, and unfortunately, it’s a downside, since the melody is not immediately assimilable, unfortunately similar to the previous tracks. Cristina Scabbia has once again free rein to exalt her voice, only sporadically interrupted by Ferro's hoarse shouts, which are also repetitive. We remember, however, that this is a track from their debut album, so they were still inexperienced Lacuna. And we reach the concluding song, "Stars", which has an absolutely identical beginning to "No Need To Explain", but subsequently veers in a completely different direction. The guitars do not cut as they should, and the result is that, instead of being gothic, the song slightly declines into pop. Not that this is a very serious defection, since Cristina sings divinely again, but surely they could have done better.
In conclusion, an album of which I highly recommend the purchase, as with a bit more than fifteen euros you can have two milestones of the career of our native quintet. I don't regret it, and if you follow my advice, I don't think you will either. In any case, enjoy the continuation.
Tracklist and Lyrics
01 No Need to Explain (03:39)
I got the key to open all the gates I see
I want this power inside of me
This passage is full
of different gates I see
Just try to be yourself
Try to destroy all what you feel inside
Take and hold this hand
What you feel inside
Is another dream
Want you give me a part?
Let me say you're truly raspy
but I'm living to discover your soul
Just try to be yourself
You've got to be strong
Live in an harder way
Now
Take and hold this hand
What you feel inside
Is another dream
Want you give me a part?
Let me say you're truly raspy
but I'm living to discover your soul
And I know you're scared about the life that comes
Look in the mirror the fear is a part of you
Stronger and strong
I'll help you to choose the way
Can't you let me go
away
02 The Secret... (04:17)
A shot in his eyes
A silver sky
His blood is in my hand (in my hand)
I blessed this one
I know he's died
But now I'm feeling
So strange
I know
You'd better believe
That everything you do
You can't understand it
Or ever justify
I don't want to be you guide
But stay with me and think for a while
Again
Loosing my life
A matter of time
Refusing all this game (all this game)
I know
I can't understand this joy inside of me
You can't understand me or ever justify
I just cannot be your guide
Just stay with me and think for a while
Again
The secret belong to a part of me
Increase my anger and my pain
Just close my eyes and live your life
Your tears are so sweet for me
Stay with me
I'll take you into another world
I'll bring your heart into another world
The secret belong to a part of me
Increase my anger and my pain
Just close my eyes and live your life
Your tears are so sweet for me
04 Soul Into Hades (04:54)
Mother the day has come
Someone is trying to take my life away
And you've got to know
That now I'm feeling worst
It seems to dream
I'm still standing here in front
Of your soul
Looking into your fireless eyes
Right now I'm one too many
It's hard to say you may believe it
That everything I'll do for me
Will be in the name of your lonely tear
But stay now
I'll do
I believe in your power
Will you believe in me?
It is something for...
We are living no more
Can't you tell me girl
What I should say and where I'll go tonight?
Maybe in a dream
I'll go between the sun and shining stars
don't worry
I'll be there with you whenever you are
Right now I'm one too many
It's hard to say
You must believe it
That everything I'll do for me
Will be in the name of your lonely tear
But stay now
I'll do
I believe in your power
Will you believe in me?
It is something for...
We are living no more
Deep in you heart so alone
05 Falling (05:40)
I stand, looking at my hands
I talk with these lines
That's not the answer
I cry and now I know
looking the sky
I search an answer
So free, free to be
I'm not another liar
I just want to be myself... myself
And now the beat inside me
is a sort of a cold breeze and I've
never any feeling inside
around me...
bring my body
carry it into another world
I know I live... but like a stone I'm falling down
Damned, looking into the sky
I can feel this rain
right now it's falling on me
fly, I just want to fly
life is all mine
some days I cry alone,
but I know I'm not the only one
I see that another day is gone
I don't wanna die...
Please be here when I arrive, don't die... please
07 Halflife (04:57)
I don't want to be just a branch of the tree
I just want to learn how to grow my own seed
My horizon so hard to be outlined
Riding all my time I'm still draining my day away
You've got a natural healing
How do you get so strong?
Who is this lord of the feeling?
How did he get so big?
So fragile this feeling to be broken in two
It's really weird to say that here in the future
We're not living all our life
It's just what I know
We're incomplete despite of a new millennium
Wonderful to say that you'll never know when the world
Is going to fall and that
Is all i know
We're incomplete despite of the new millennium
I don't want to be just a cure for a need
Here into my prison I'm searching the key
My horizon so hard to be outlined
Riding all my time I'm still draining my day away
You are an unnatural savior
Self-abuser hurt your own
All the answers sweet seduction
Chaos keeper out of control
So special this feeling to be common like you
It's really weird to say that here in the future
We're not living all our life
It's just what I know
We're incomplete despite of a new millennium
Take off your veil I'll be your fate
Wonderful to say that you'll never know when the world
Is going to fall and that
Is all I know
We're incomplete despite of the new millennium
09 Senzafine (03:54)
Scorre lento il mio tempo
Che scivola sul velo della mia pella nuda
Se oltrepassassi il confine che mi hai dato
Forse io non sarei qui
Da adesso ormai che senso ha
Cercare di abbracciare un passato più puro
Guardando avanti rischierò
Ma riesco a rispondere ai miei perché
Tutto cio che sarai
Era già stato scritto
Se davvero esiste
Questo dio ha fallito
Ogni parola pronunciata
Sarà lo specchio del tuo dolore
Riflette la colpa
Alimenta l'odio
Madre
Il mio destino scelgo
Se riesco a resistere
Sono ancora in piedi in questo istante di pura follia
Non so più se desiderare il bene o il male
Anche se il peccato forse più mi da
Da adesso ormai che senso ha
Opporre resistenza a un destino segnato
Non resterò a guardare senza
Riuscire a resisterti
Risvegliarmi
Madre
Il mio destino scelgo
Se riesco a resistere
Risvegliami
Non c'è scelta senza me
Non c'è vita senza me
10 Hyperfast (04:57)
Hyperfast
A storm is brewing here right by my side
I've tried all sorts of disguises
I hope he cannot do wrong within my sight
My blood is flowing as oceans
When I breathe my freedom
Words of the big religion
Simply what I need
Is what I need�
You reject defaults
In a vision of non-life
This silent overcomes
Your defensive shades is gone
Floating bubbles are laying down on me
False beliefs are drawing all my tears
Beyond sub-life
Beyond decline
Beyond this wave of rising
Beyond hard times
Beyond love bites
Beyond the day I'll face myself
A hyperfast reaction
Is playing with me
I'm so confused
But I knew
I could hold on
Just a lack of experience
Just a lack of pride
That makes me blind again
Sadly destroying everything I've done and
everything remaining is burning in my fire
That's the way we are
Now I'm going to explode
I will choose remorse in my life
What is happening is enclosed in my fire
That makes me blind again
I'll face myself
11 Stars (04:39)
Is it asking too much to be given time
To know these songs and to sing them
Is it asking too much of my vacant smile
And my laugh and lies that bring them
As the stars are going out
And this stage is full of nothing
And the friends have all but gone
For my life my god I'm singing
We'll take our hearts outside
Leave our lives behind
I'll watch the stars go out
Is it asking too much of my favorite friends
To take this song for real
Is it asking too much of my partner's hands
To take this song for real
Is it asking too much
Is it asking too much
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