LACUNA COIL

After surviving for 30 years with both reputation and dignity intact, LACUNA COIL have little to prove to anybody these days. As gothic metal's most consistent exponents, the Italians have gone about their business with quiet determination, ably supported by a passionate fan base. Their status as heavyweights was pretty much sealed for all time after 2002's breakthrough success of "Comalies", but even though there have been moments when LACUNA COIL have coasted creatively, even their less auspicious records have been well enough received to sustain their position at alternative-adjacent gothic metal's pinnacle. Their last studio effort, 2019's "Black Anima", took a darker turn, and hinted that the band's long-standing formula was in a state of hopeful flux.

After an uncharacteristic, six-year gap, "Sleepless Empire" wastes no time. LACUNA COIL's tenth album begins at full throttle, with vocalists Andrea Ferro and Cristina Scabbia entwined in the spotlight, and big, meaty riffs driving the whole ethereal beast forward. "The Siege" is a show of strength: a demonstration of what this band are capable of after all this time. It contains little in the way of surprises, but as a perfect summary of what they do best, it instantly strikes the right tone. And yes, the heaviness that made parts of "Black Anima" so tantalizing is back again and at full force.

LACUNA COIL have always made great sounding records, but "Sleepless Empire" takes the biscuit. This thing is voluminous, intricately layered and, at its gnarliest, genuinely punishing. Intermittent death metal elements feel more purposeful and venomous. Andrea Ferro's caustic growls have never sounded more dominant. Cristina Scabbia's vocals and harmonies are more inventive and mesmerizing than ever, too, and are particularly effective over more brutish material like aggro-goth anthem "Oxygen" and the doom-driven "Scarecrow". The adventure really starts on "Gravity", a stately ballad embellished with thunderous groove metal riffs, fidgeting electronics, and sweeping strings. These are all things that LACUNA COIL have blended successfully before, but on several past albums, the balance between metallic oomph and alt-friendly experimentation never felt adequately nailed. Whatever happened in the six years since "Black Anima", it has clearly had a profound, revitalizing effect, because "Sleepless Empire" gets everything right.

Even the guest vocalists are inspired choices. LAMB OF GOD's Randy Blythe brings his cerebral menace to the glacial and dreamlike "Hosting The Shadow"; and NEW YEAR'S DAY's Ash Costello proves the perfect complement to the Scabbia / Ferro axis on the ultra-gothic cathedral grandeur of "In The Mean Time". Collaborations aside, the real story here is that LACUNA COIL have written their strongest set of songs in a long time. From the crushing but hook-filled title track, to the eminently relatable "I Wish You Were Dead", and the big-screen atmospherics and visceral riffing of the closing "Never Dawn", this is a startling but very welcome return to top form.