Sea Of Tranquility



The Web Source for Progressive Rock, Progressive Metal & Jazz-Fusion
  Search   in       
Main Menu




Lacuna Coil: Comalies

Italy’s Lacuna Coil have been very prolific ever since their first EP in 1998. Comalies is the band’s third full-length studio album overall and arrives only a year after the excellent Unleashed Memories. For those who haven’t heard Lacuna Coil, they have often been compared to the Dutch Gothic metal band The Gathering. Those comparisons may have been relevant just a few short years ago, but now Lacuna Coil are clearly their own band. One of the band’s trademarks is the duel vocals of Cristina Scabbia and Andrea Ferro. On Comalies, both singers sound better than ever. In fact, everything on Comalies sounds better than ever! Indeed, the production is superb and the mix is crystal clear. The band still writes songs of tortured romanticism along with somber treatises on loneliness and depression. But they have expanded upon their “old” sound by adding more distortion to the guitars and more prominent male vocals. I think this band would very much appeal to fans of the so-called nu-metal scene: bands like Staind, System of a Down or even Korn.

Comalies is comprised of thirteen lean tracks in which none of them are much over four minutes. But attentive listening reveals that this isn’t merely a simplistic pop metal album. It takes many spins to appreciate the subtleties and nuances that are brought forth by just the right mix of keyboards underneath the angry guitars. Nearly every track here is a winner but one of my favorites is "Angel’s Punishment". Cristina Scabbia breathily enchants the words “war-destruction” and makes them sound downright erotic! It has to be heard to be believed. Other highlights include "Heaven’s a Lie", "Swamped" and "The Ghost Woman and the Hunter". Any one of these songs would make for excellent singles or airplay on MTV. Unfortunately, talent is rarely acknowledged by mainstream media nowadays as we all know. Instead, the focus is based on image and it would be easier to exploit Cristina Scabbia’s great looks over her talent, not to mention the critical contributions from the other band members. At any rate, let the media do as it will and just kick back and enjoy the moody and intoxicating sounds of Comalies.

Added: October 5th 2002
Reviewer: Steve Pettengill
Score:
Related Link: Official Website
Hits: 4639
Language: english

[ Printer Friendly Page Printer Friendly Page ]
[ Send to a Friend Send to a Friend ]

  

[ Back to the Reviews Index | Post Comment ]

» SoT Staff Roundtable Reviews:

Lacuna Coil: Comalies
Posted by Ken Pierce, SoT Staff Writer on 2006-01-25 17:37:32
My Score:

When you first listen to Lacuna Coil you might be reminded in some fashion of the band Evanescence but if you dismiss them as merely another version of that band you are missing out entirely. While there might be a few vocal nuances in Amy Lee that you hear you will find that Christina Scabbia is a total powerhouse with a comparable if not better voice at the end of the day. I bought this album very late in the game but had seen the group open up as support for Type-O-Negative when they last toured but at the time I was not as open. New bands don't always thrill me and seeing them live is not my preferred means of my educating myself to their sound. However Lacuna Coil is a band that has been generating a much deserved positive buzz across the industry with their that are both heavy on drama and so easy to enjoy. Classified as "Gothic" or "Dark Metal" the CD Comalies is a treat to the senses. The riffs are tasty and Christina shares her powerful range with male counterpart Andrea Ferro. This works very well as each seem to compliment one another even though the true shining star is Ms. Scabbia. Hailing from Italy the band is rounded out by members Cristiano Migliore & Marco Biazzi (guitars), Marco Coti Zelati (bass & keyboards) and Cristiano Mozzati (drums). With this album the group shows a level of Rock strength and the ability to stand higher than some of their peers are able to do. When you listen to the release you will instantly be taken by tracks such as "Swamped" and "Heavens A Lie" (my favorites) and "Tight Rope". I did not find them as depressing as the Gothic label would imply and lean more towards them being "Dark" instead and this is due to the effective keyboard work of Zelati and the often haunting vocals of Christina. The only downside to the record is the overall similarity from track to track as each seem to visit a particular chord feel that is present in many of the other songs. This was also done by Evanescence for "Fallen" so perhaps this was also by design.

The album was released in 2002 but since then a new edition has been released that features a second CD loaded with bonus rare tracks and live performances and videos. Kudos are to be sent the way of Century Media Records for doing this as it makes owning this release a must do. "Comalies" is the third release by Lacuna Coil but is sure to be the album that all their future work is measured against. If it can stand in some fashion against this one the group is guaranteed a good frame of reference in the minds of fans today and going forward. Check it out.



Track Listing:
1. Swamped
2. Heavens A Lie
3. Daylight Dancer
4. Humane
5. Self Deception
6. Aeon
7. Tight Rope
8. The Ghost Woman And The Hunter
9. Unspoken
10. Entwined
11. The Prophet Said
12. Angels Punishment
13. Comalies

Bonus CD:
1. Heavens A Lie (radio edit)
2. Swamped (radio edit)
3. Heaven's A Lie (acoustic)
4. Swamped (acoustic)
5. Unspoken (acoustic)
6. Senzafine (acoustic)
7. Heaven's A Lie (live acoustic on WAAF)
8. Senzafine (live acoustic on WAAF)
9. Aeon (live acoustic on WAAF)
10. Heaven's A Lie (video)
11. Swamped (video)






© 2004 Sea Of Tranquility
For information regarding where to send CD promos and advertising, please see our FAQ page.
If you have questions or comments, please Contact Us.
Please see our Policies Page for Site Usage, Privacy, and Copyright Policies.

All logos and trademarks in this site are property of their respective owner. The comments are property of their posters, all other content © Sea of Tranquility

SoT is Hosted by SpeedSoft.com