Lacuna Coil - Sleepless Empire (Album Review)
Lacuna Coil - Sleepless Empire
Released: February 14, 2025
Line Up
Andrea Ferro // vocals
Marco Coti Zelati // bass, keyboards
Cristina Scabbia // vocals
Richard Meiz // drums
Daniele Salomone // guitars
Online
It’s a pretty crazy ride being a Lacuna Coil fan, as the gothic themed Italians have regularly cycled through drummers and guitarists while the core trio have stretched their original vision to include symphonic, death and nu-metal alongside industrial, hard and pop rock. It means a new Lacuna Coil album could sound like just about anything. 2019’s Black Anima was unusually (but wonderfully) brutal with Andrea Ferro really growling his way through some damn heavy songs. As aggressive as that album was, their most recent recording project was the re-recording of songs from their classic Comalies, in which the band slowed down, sped up, darkened or shortened the tunes. There’s that air of experimentation throughout Sleepless Empire, as the band seek to put a twist on the classic Lacuna Coil sound.
The crux of their sound remains the dual vocalists – Ferro and the iconic Cristina Scabbia. Opener ‘The Siege’ features the duo at their best, with Ferro growling and Scabbia providing soaring cleans. It’s a classic track of empowerment with a massive hook. The back and forth between them remains essential listening. ‘Oxygen’ is a straight up head banger, with Cristina’s distorted screams adding to the song’s claustrophobic atmosphere, while Ferro roars on the verses. In terms of sequencing the album works best when they mix it up, rather than falling into a pattern of growl verse and clean chorus. They bring back some nu-metal elements and FX for the bouncy ‘Scarecrow’. Even if Ferro’s intro for the song is bonkers, Scabbia rescues the concept and it’s a great use of the duo’s different styles as the song switches between them.
The album soars when they take their gothic tendencies to a cinematic scale. ‘Gravity’, with its string backed Italian intro, is a standout. Marco Coti Zelati’s songwriting ignores genre boundaries, combining riffs and synths to craft universal anthems. Ferro and Scabbia inject their own emotions into the song, completed with a quiet Italian chant before the final chorus and strings outro. Just superb and a worthy addition to their essentials playlist.
Those who enjoyed Black Anima for its harder, darker edge will get their fix when Randy Blythe (Lamb of God) joins in ‘Hosting the Shadow’. Despite making the band a vocal trio on this one, his identifiable rasp fits among the group’s established aesthetics. The band back him with a deep groove and thrash verses, as he duets with Ferro, before Cristina takes over for the massive chorus. ‘In Nomine Patris’ uses the Latin phrase for “In the name of the father” to return to their gothic roots, with a modern twist thanks to the pulsating double kicks. Equality dramatic is the title track, ‘Sleepless Empire’, with melodic guitar and some fantastic vocals from Ferro before Scabbia soars on the chorus.
Fans of their more well known hits are serviced too, with Cristina Scabbia largely singing solo lead ‘I Wish You Were Dead’. It’s got a great hook, however it’s a little pedestrian. It just lacks that bit of drama that gives other tracks some depth. Fans of the frontwoman will also marvel at her powerhouse vocals on ‘Sleep Paralysis’, though it was one of the few songs I felt dragged on.
The album oddly ends with the two first singles: 2023’s ‘Never Dead’ and 2024’s ‘In The Meantime’ (ft Ash Costello of New Years Day). Both are classic Lacuna Coil ragers, with ‘In The Meantime’ the more melodic of the two and ‘Never Dead’ leaning towards a heavier vibe. It does make for a strong finish with two songs that fans have had longer to digest and singalong with.
Sleepless Empire is another fine addition to the Lacuna Coil legacy. It encompasses the breadth of the sound they’ve cultivated for over 25 years, particularly when the dual vocalists combine in interesting ways. Fans who like their metal with a spicy mix of fresh passion and pathos will find it thrilling as they embrace the darkness.
Lacuna Coil – Sleepless Empire tracklisting
1. The Siege
2. Oxygen
3. Scarecrow
4. Gravity
5. I Wish You Were Dead
6. Hosting the Shadow (ft. Randy Blythe)
7. In Nomine Patris
8. Sleepless Empire
9. Sleep Paralysis
10. In The Meantime (ft. Ash Costello)
11. Never Dawn
Rating: 7.5 / 10
Sleepless Empire is out February 14, 2025 on Napalm Records. Pre Order here.
Review by KJ Draven @kjdraven
