LACUNA COIL – Sleepless Empire (Album Review)

When you think of Italian gothic/alternative metal, you almost certainly think of Lacuna Coil. After all, the quintet has been going strong since 1994, releasing nine studio LPs stretching from 1999’s In a Reverie to 2019’s Black Anima. Despite enduring multiple lineup changes in that time, they’ve never lost their signature sound, and that remains true with Sleepless Empire. Very much picking up where Black Anima left off, it’s another solid – if unsurprising – sequence from the genre masters.

The band describes the LP as “captur[ing], through our eyes, the chaos of a generation trapped in a digital world that never stops, where social media consumes identity and every day pushes us one step closer to becoming soulless zombies.” They continue: “We find ourselves in between, having witnessed a full analogic world and the modern one, confronting the evolution and searching for a true meaning of it all. Throughout every song, the journey is an undercurrent of rebellion, a desperate cry to reclaim oneself in an era that seems to have lost its sense of time and reality.”

That’s certainly a relevant and impactful message on which to build an album. Thankfully, they do it justice from beginning to end, with new guitarist Daniele Salomone (who replaces Diego Cavallotti) – as well as guest appearances from Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe and New Year’s Day’s Ash Costello – spicing things up so that the record never loses steam.

Often, Lacuna Coil stick to their tried-and-true recipe of having Andrea Ferro’s guttural eruptions permeate the verses while Cristina Scabbia’s clean singing radiates during the choruses. That’s far from a bad thing, though, as it still works quite well, especially on the downright demonic (and catchy as hell) “Oxygen,” “Gravity,” and “Sleepless Empire.” As the saying goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” and while these tracks could do a bit more to distinguish themselves from each other, all of them pack a satisfyingly hooky and hectic punch.

Elsewhere, Scabbia has more of a leading role, with tunes such as subtly atmospheric opener “The Siege” and “In Nomine Patris” placing her front and center the entire time (with Ferro popping up here and there for some brief dueting and solo outbursts).

Interestingly, Sleepless Empire also embodies the furthest extremes of Lacuna Coil’s sound, as the overwhelmingly heavy “Hosting The Shadow” is an almost relentlessly brutal track punctuated by Blythe’s accompaniments. In contrast, “I Wish You Were Dead” and “Sleep Paralysis” are – for the most part – relatively soft and radio-friendly, if not borderline poppy. There’s also the LP’s most multifaceted composition, “In the Mean Time,” which benefits not only from Costello’s leads and harmonies but also from some particularly dynamic and intricate instrumentation.

Sleepless Empire could certainly do more to differentiate certain tracks from each other, not to mention add more variety and innovation to its arrangements, production, and compositions overall. Yet, by this point, Lacuna Coil have obviously perfected their formula enough to give longtime followers exactly what they want.

Likewise, it’s equally clear that there’s still plenty of passion and chemistry between the band themselves, so while Sleepless Empire is a majorly familiar ride, it’s also a thoroughly engaging one that deserves praise from Lacuna Coil devotees and gothic metal lovers in general.

Released By: Century Media Records
Release Date:  February 14th, 2025
Genre: Gothic Metal

Musicians:

• Cristina Scabbia / Vocals
• Andrea Ferro / Vocals
• Marco Coti Zelati / Bass, guitars, keyboards
• Richard Meiz / Drums
• Daniele Salomone / Guitars

Sleepless Empire Track-Listing:

1 The Siege
2. Oxygen
3. Scarecrow
4. Gravity
5. I Wish You Were Dead
6. Hosting the Shadow (Featuring Randy Blythe)
7. In Nomine Patris
8. Sleepless Empire
9. Sleep Paralysis
10. In the Mean Time (Featuring Ash Costello)
11. Never Dawn

Order Sleepless Empire here.