Century Media
2009
1. Survive
2. I Won't Tell You
3. Not Enough
4. I'm Not Afraid
5. I Like It
6. Underdog
7. The Pain
8. Spellbound
9. Wide Awake
10. The Maze
11. Unchained
12. Shallow Life
Lacuna Coil are treading on shaky ground with the metal community to say the least. With the last album Lacuna Coil took on a noticeably more commercial sound, at least in production and guitar/bass sound. While I enjoyed Karmacode for the most part, I would also admit that it was a bit of a decline in quality from the spectacular Comalies. Comalies seemed the pinnacle of Lacuna Coil as the production quality improved without sounding too modern/mainstream. This band has always been a favorite by me so of course I hoped for more of this.
Unfortunately, the guitar is still chuggy and some of these songs have more in common with radio rock. The sound change of the last album is still mostly present. while the band still has a good sense of melody and I still enjoy the album overall, it has to be seen as at least somewhat of a disappointment. The streamlining of their sound into something more in vogue and radio friendly does lead to a lot of the songs just not standing out. I also notice that this album seems to rein in Cristina Scabbia as she doesn't really belt out the lines in soaring and epic fashion and it's definitely a detriment to the album. Just doesn't have as much kick to it with her more backrounded and I miss songs like Swamped which started out with her forceful projection. The best moments of this album really as the ones that recall the old like Not Enough which is an interesting step back to a sound that reminds me of Unleashed Memories. The music is way more subtle and atmospheric than most of the album and Cristina's vocals shine. Such a great song it's fairly frustrating because I know the band still has it in them to write like this if both Century Media and themselves would let them write like this more. Spellbound is also a worthy track with a nice flow to it that reminds me of Comalies.
In the end the verdict is that this is not a bad album, but it's an underwhelming one considering I know what this band can do. Lacuna Coil is just a band that needs to shake off this push to be more radio acceptable and try to keep their own identity. It would certainly help a lot to remember it was the soaring melodies and powerful vocals of Comalies that got them success in the first place.
Highlights: Not Enough, Spellbound
Rating - 3.0/5
2. I Won't Tell You
3. Not Enough
4. I'm Not Afraid
5. I Like It
6. Underdog
7. The Pain
8. Spellbound
9. Wide Awake
10. The Maze
11. Unchained
12. Shallow Life
Lacuna Coil are treading on shaky ground with the metal community to say the least. With the last album Lacuna Coil took on a noticeably more commercial sound, at least in production and guitar/bass sound. While I enjoyed Karmacode for the most part, I would also admit that it was a bit of a decline in quality from the spectacular Comalies. Comalies seemed the pinnacle of Lacuna Coil as the production quality improved without sounding too modern/mainstream. This band has always been a favorite by me so of course I hoped for more of this.
Unfortunately, the guitar is still chuggy and some of these songs have more in common with radio rock. The sound change of the last album is still mostly present. while the band still has a good sense of melody and I still enjoy the album overall, it has to be seen as at least somewhat of a disappointment. The streamlining of their sound into something more in vogue and radio friendly does lead to a lot of the songs just not standing out. I also notice that this album seems to rein in Cristina Scabbia as she doesn't really belt out the lines in soaring and epic fashion and it's definitely a detriment to the album. Just doesn't have as much kick to it with her more backrounded and I miss songs like Swamped which started out with her forceful projection. The best moments of this album really as the ones that recall the old like Not Enough which is an interesting step back to a sound that reminds me of Unleashed Memories. The music is way more subtle and atmospheric than most of the album and Cristina's vocals shine. Such a great song it's fairly frustrating because I know the band still has it in them to write like this if both Century Media and themselves would let them write like this more. Spellbound is also a worthy track with a nice flow to it that reminds me of Comalies.
In the end the verdict is that this is not a bad album, but it's an underwhelming one considering I know what this band can do. Lacuna Coil is just a band that needs to shake off this push to be more radio acceptable and try to keep their own identity. It would certainly help a lot to remember it was the soaring melodies and powerful vocals of Comalies that got them success in the first place.
Highlights: Not Enough, Spellbound
Rating - 3.0/5
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