Lacuna Coil – Broken Crown Halo
Lacuna Coil are a gothic Italian metal band backed by a symphony full of violins, pianos, and synthesizers. In 1994 Lacuna Coil (previously called Ethereal) burst onto the European metal scene sporting unique gothic and grunge-like lyrics. This sound is like a bastard child of bands Three Days Grace and Nightwish and tackles dark themes with a Korn-esc backdrop full of heavy distorted baselines, and a symphony of violins, pianos, synthesizers, and guitar riffs. Each song has a seesaw of vocals from front-man”Andy” Ferro andn Andrea and front-woman Cristina Scabbia. By 2012 Lacuna Coil’s unique sound amassed a large following. This momentum only continued when the band’s album Dark Adrenaline won an award for “Best Album” courtesy of the Female Metal Voices Fest.
One year later Lacuna Coil is back and ready for action. Their newest album Broken Crown Halo takes some of the best parts of Lacuna Coil’s sound, and throws them onto an eleven-track CD. Their dark and unique recording and onstage style landed them a spot on Revolver’s Hottest Chicks in rock tour to promote their most recent album. Lacuna Coil’s nine previous albums were all well received and sent shockwaves through both the U.S. and European metal communities. Scabbia’s romantic lyrics also appeared on albums along-side artists such as Megadeth, Alter Bridge, and Apocalyptica. Her Hard but feminine vocals give Lacuna Coil a unique touch letting them stand above other European metal bands. If that doesn’t sound heavy enough for you, Andy Ferro is there with his deep and guttural sound to fill out the bands vocal spectrum. He puts the band’s latest album on the map letting it appeal to a much more metal focused audience.
Broken Crown Halo has a few slow melodic lulls, but it sure makes up for them with several intense tracks. In “Die and Rise” Marco “Maki Coti-zelati takes his bass and synthesizer skills to the next level. The track is full of thick baselines and deep gothic lyrics. This is one of the few tracks Andy takes a primary role, and it truly shows off his vocal ability. This track is one of the heaviest on the album, but Cristina Scabbia grabs a backup mic and throws in a few Italian lyrics into the mix along with her feminine flair. Overall Broken Crown Halo is consistent with Lacuna Coil’s gothic sound but doesn’t spice things up enough. The vocal dichotomy between Andy and Christina is better than ever, but it’s been done before in the band’s previous nine albums. Broken Crown Halo is full of re-hashed grungy gothic lyrics with an electronic backsplash, but without the originality factor of Lacuna Coil’s previous work, nothing is out of the ordinary. This album keeps its metal sound but falls below expectations. Lacuna Coil is currently on a U.S. tour giving fans a chance to hear the new material, but die-hards will probably just stick to belting the lyrics to “Our Truth” and “Closure”. By the Barricade recommends Lacuna Coil’s newest album Broken Crown Halo if you are a fan of grungy melodic metal tracks with just a sprinkle of synthesizers, especially if you are already a fan of the band’s previous work. We look forward to seeing what the band can pull out of their sleeve next time around to change things up.
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