Lacuna Coil: Karmacode
With their 2001 LP Comalies bringing them a higher profile in the industry and their latest single featuring on the soundtrack to the film Underworld: Evolution, Lacuna Coil’s new album Karmacode had a lot more hype to live up to than its predecessors. They’ve been working hard on tour as well and it is evident that the heavier, more hard-hitting sound of their live performances has been captured more effectively this time around.
This is immediately obvious with the two openers Fragile and To the Edge: dark, pounding moshpit-fillers that also include the trademark ambient keyboards and the dual vocals. Andrea Ferro, the male half of the vocal partnership, sounds much more professional than in days gone by and is much more convincing as a result. It goes without saying that Cristina Scabbia’s voice is as beautiful as ever and cements her reputation as one of the most respected female voices in contemporary rock and metal.
The aforementioned single Our Truth follows in the same vein with the guitars employing the drop-B tuning that was less used in their earlier efforts. This inevitably gives a noticeable drop in pitch of the songs, making them sound darker and heavier. Unfortunately it also makes them sound more like the more mainstream ‘nu-metal’ bands (the basslines have a very Korn-esque feel for instance).
While Lacuna Coil seem to have gone ‘mainstream metal’ in some ways they have explored their own territory further and in this respect Karmacode is an evolution of Comalies and their earlier material. The mellower Within Me (featuring an acoustic guitar!) ably demonstrates the band’s diversity, slowing the tempo and allowing Andrea and Cristina to demonstrate their talents without the wall of sound burying their lyrics in the mix. It’s a refreshing change that breaks the ‘heavy’ theme before the following track, Devoted.
Speaking of refreshing intermissions, You Create is an interesting instrumental short that segues into the majestic What I See and Fragments of Faith, two more headbanging offerings that feature more pounding grooves and drop-B tuned riffery. The latter has some great keyboard lines that add more to the sound of the song and give the band identity among their peers. Closer is a much weaker track in comparison howver, having a much more radio-friendly, commercial sound that feels quite out-of-place.
In Visible Light is another slow, loud-and-proud slab of amtospheric metal that gets the album back into its stride, complete with a live strings section that adds to its grandiose gothic vibe. The Game once again uses keyboards and powerful guitar riffs and even includes a guitar solo; Without Fear breaks the pattern completely when Cristina and Andrea deliver some of the song’s lyrics in their native Italian, not to mention some more inventive instrumentation.
This would have been a strong and memorable closing track for the album but there is the inclusion of a cover of Depeche Mode’s classic Enjoy the Silence to consider - it’s not the first time Depeche’s music has been covered but the female vocals and heavy metal guitars give an interesting take on the famous Violator single.
In Summary
The more obvious ‘nu-metal’ influence on Karmacode may be a disappointment to some long-term fans but Lacuna Coil still have a distinctive enough sound to stand out from the crowd. They have always experimented with different instruments and styles as well as producing the more conventional metal material and this album is no exception; while it does not significantly surpass Comalies in terms of quality it certainly takes their sound in new directions, which is the next best thing.
Tracklisting
- Fragile
- To the Edge
- Our Truth
- Within Me
- Devoted
- You Create
- What I See
- Fragments of Faith
- Closer
- In Visible Light
- The Game
- Without Fear
- Enjoy the Silence
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