Lacuna Coil: Sleepless Empire

Italian metal act Lacuna Coil released their 10th studio album, Sleepless Empire, in February.

The 5-piece is a band I’ve been aware of since Cristina Scabbia featured on Megadeth’s re-hashed version of "A Tout Le Monde" in 2007. Scabbia has a great vocal range and ability, so much so I don’t think I’m going out on a limb to say her vocals are the ‘One Wood’ of Lacuna Coil’s sound. Stylistically Lacuna Coils instrumentation and arrangements have always been a mix of Modern Metal, and an almost gothic/symphonic approach. Having two vocalists allows the band to cover plenty of ground, and for that reason listening through their latest album is always something to look forward to. Sleepless Empire delivers on all my expectations for a new Lacuna Coil Album.

The eleven tracks on this album are all pretty concise (3-5mins) so whilst the 11 track listing might be a little long on paper, the album feels like a well put together, well sequenced release. On Sleepless Empire we have a mix of tracks where Andrea Ferro leads with his mid-range growls and tracks where Scabbia leads with her more melodic approach. To my taste the Scabbia-focused tracks are the highlights, with tracks like "In Nomine Patris" and "Sleep Paralysis" being my favourites. Guest vocals from Randy Blythe of Lamb of God ("Hosting the Shadow"), and Ash Costello of New Years Day ("In the Mean Time") offer points of interest too. Both tracks benefit from the collaboration, which isn’t always the case. If I was going to be critical of the release I’d probably single out the lyrics, which is often something that can be problematic when international bands from non-English speaking countries choose to sing in English. Tracks like "Scarecrow" and "I Wish You Were Dead", leave me a little uninspired with their overly predictable rhymes etc.

All in all there are enough highlights on Sleepless Empire to have me happily hitting the repeat button. This is a solid release that offers plenty to those who choose to check it out.

Track Listing
1. "The Siege"
2. "Oxygen"
3. "Scarecrow"
4. "Gravity"
5. "I Wish You Were Dead"
6. "Hosting the Shadow"
7. "In Nomine Patris"
8. "Sleepless Empire"
9. "Sleep Paralysis"
10. "In the Mean Time"
11. "Never Dawn"

Added: May 8th 2025
Reviewer: Chris Reid
Score:
Related Link: Band @ Bandcamp
Hits: 318
Language: english

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