Lacuna Coil's 'Sleepless Empire' - Album Review

Italy's Lacuna Coil were probably one of the first gothic/alternative metal bands I got into - having first started listening to them back in 2007 or 2008. I saw them opening for Bullet for My Valentine in 2008, but I feel that I was already somewhat familiar with them by that time - and 2006's Karmacode was a big favourite of mine around that time. Listening to them soon led me to other bands such as Nightwish and Epica, so they remain an important part of my musical journey, but in recent years I have not listened to them anywhere near as much. My interest did lapse somewhat during the early 2010s, even though I continued to pick up their albums (albeit perhaps not as they dropped), largely as I was just preoccupied with other things. I have grown to appreciate all of the band's albums now, but at the time I just wanted something more from my metal - and other bands were happy to provide plenty of bombastic albums to hold my attention. It was 2016's Delirium (which I reviewed here) which brought me back on board properly - and it also seemed to be the album to stabilise something of a popularity decline and see Lacuna Coil given a newfound respect, even if they had dropped from their late 2000s heights somewhat. Delirium came following quite a big line-up shift, which had seen three of their 'classic' line-up depart in the preceding years - and saw bassist Marco Coti Zelati become the band's main man. In truth, he probably always had been - but the songwriting had become a bit more band-driven on the preceding albums. Delirium saw him basically playing everything on the album with the exception of the drums and a few guitar solos - and the slimmed down band produced one of their best albums as a result. There was a much heavier focus throughout Delirium, which brought the best out of co-frontman Andrea Ferro in particular - with many of the nu-metal and pop trappings of the past cast aside for a denser, more gothic sound. With the later additions of guitarist Diego Cavalotti and drummer Richard Meiz, the band would build on the success of Delirium with 2019's Black Anima (which I reviewed here) - which upped the heaviness again and introduced some modern djent-esque elements into the band's core sound. It continued the rebirth started on Delirium, and the heavy riffing of both albums have dominated the band's setlists in recent years. I saw Lacuna Coil for the first time since 2008 in 2019 and they put on a great show, despite somewhat being upstaged by Eluveitie, and the newer material generally came across better than some of the older classics. I was looking forward to where the band would go next, then, but it would take them six years to follow up Black Anima - and their tenth album Sleepless Empire was released last month. Some of the songs from the album have been floating around as singles since 2023, though, so clearly this was quite a lengthy project - but it continues the heavy sound of the last couple, albeit with less of the djent-esque sounds introduced last time out. Cavalotti's relationship with the band lasted for just one album, and he clearly took his tech metal influences with him, meaning that Sleepless Empire is much more organically heavy - with Coti Zelati once again basically handling all of the instruments here apart from the drums. Current live guitarist Daniele Salomone (D with Us; Inverno) contributed a couple of guitar solos - but this is generally another stripped down album in terms of personnel.

It is hard to say for sure, but Sleepless Empire could be the band's heaviest album yet. Ferro's presence has generally increased since Delirium, when he started to use harsh vocals a lot more, and he sounds great throughout this album. The vocal balance between him and co-frontwoman Cristina Scabbia is much more even these days - and Sleepless Empire may contain his best vocal performances to date. This is evident throughout the opening number The Siege - a powerful track which showcases the band's recent heaviness from the off. Distant vocals and synths set an early gothic tone, but there is little standing on ceremony here - as once the guitars kick in Ferro is already in full flow, his growls against a dark rhythm guitar backing and fast double bass drumming. There is very little time for the song's instrumental side to show as the vocals of the two singers dominate. The early section is very much Ferro's domain but, following a brief change of tone, Scabbia takes over for the verse proper - which is much more atmospheric, with plenty of synths and hypnotic guitars. This verse part is somewhat reminiscent of the band's older sound, albeit with less of a pop approach, but the chorus is very much rooted in the now - with Ferro's growls backing the powerful cleans of Scabbia. There are plenty of vocal hooks despite the heaviness, though, and the song is a great mix of atmosphere and heaviness which kicks off the album in fine fashion - even if there are no real standout riffs or musical motifs. This is very much not the case with Oxygen, though, as the song opens with a grinding riff - which is one of the heaviest things to grace a Lacuna Coil album to date. A bark from Ferro announces its arrival, too, and the mid-paced riffing is packed full of groove - before the pace is upped somewhat and Ferro takes the lead for a metalcore-adjacent verse packed full of snappy riffing and tortured guitar leads. The verses here are very much Ferro's territory, but Scabbia takes over for the soaring chorus - which slows the pace down somewhat, introduces more of an atmospheric backing, and contains a number of strong vocal melodies. The light and shade here is very characteristic of the band's current sound - and Ferro really is at his best here, unleashing a number of venomous ad-libs during something of a breakdown later on. The strong chorus is sure to ensure that the track becomes a live favourite, too, and it is one of the overall standouts here. Scarecrow is more of a groove-based piece, with a programmed beat opening things up - before Ferro barks the opening vocal line and a snappy riff kicks in, under which Meiz lays down an off-kilter drum groove. This riff and drum combo forms the basis of the verses, which Scabbia sings - her cutting tone perfectly suiting the hard-driving and pacy riffing of the piece. She has lost none of her alluring tone over the years, and the verses here stick in the brain as a result - whilst Ferro handles a heavier pre-chorus and adds a counter to the later chorus. I really like the vocal arrangements on this album - and generally this is something the band has excelled at in more recent years. Ferro was often a glorified backing vocalist in the past - but his strange croon of that era was never all that appealing. He fares much better as a harsh vocalist - and songs like this showcase why, even if Scabbia still dominates this number.

Gravity slows things down somewhat, at least at first, and opens with some choral vocals which do feature Ferro's croons of old. They work well in context, though, with him and Scabbia harmonising gently, before another big riff kicks in and he returns to his harsh vocals - with which he dominates the verses. Despite the track still being on the heavy side, it is not as fast-paced as some of the others here. The main riff and verses are quite grinding, with lots of juddering bass drum work from Meiz and plenty of slower grooves in the riffing. The harsh vocals help to add something of a gothic/doomy edge to the verses, then, whilst the chorus feels much lighter overall - with Scabbia taking over as a strong synth backing adds a warmth to the arrangement. The harsh vocal verse/clean vocal chorus is a metal trope as old as time, but it usually works well - and that is often how Lacuna Coil operate these days. I Wish You Were Dead is a much poppier track overall, and it feels like a bit of a hark back to the band's earlier days. I could see a slightly synthier version of the track sitting nicely on Karmacode and not sounding too out of place - although in truth there are already a lot of synths in the arrangement here. The guitars take on much more of a supporting role, with the drumming being very straight forward whilst pulsing bass and synths form a basic backing for Scabbia's strident vocals. She basically sings the whole song, with Ferro only really adding some harmonies during the chorus. This is another reason why the song feels old-school. Ferro's croon is back here, albeit sparingly used, and the heaviness of the rest of the album is replaced by and old-school nu-/alternative metal synth backing. It feels retro but the song is only short, with a very hooky chorus, so it does not derail the album's core sound too much. Hosting the Shadow features the vocal talents of Randy Blythe (Lamb of God) - meaning that the song is a triple-threat in terms of vocals, with both Blythe and Ferro duelling for harsh vocal supremacy during a snappy and headbanging verse before Scabbia takes over for the chorus. It is testament to Ferro's vocal improvements over the years that he more than holds his own with Blythe - and, in truth, the song would have likely sounded just as good without Blythe. The harsh vocal power is immense, though, whilst the gothic tones of Scabbia's chorus is an earworm as usual - with the song being another hooky anthem packed with groovy riffs and plenty of atmospheric depth. In Nomine Patris slows the pace down somewhat - and is another which does seem to hark back to the band's older sound somewhat, albeit with added harsh vocals. Scabbia dominates again vocally, with Ferro taking more of a backseat, and there is much more of a synth presence throughout - as well as simpler riffing and more straight forward drumming. Ferro does have a few brief moments in the spotlight, but generally he provides backing growls and harmonies throughout - whilst the dense keyboards give the track a different sound to many of the songs here. The band's historic gothic depth is very much on show here, despite the lack of the nu-metal grooves which were often present. It also features one of Salomone's guitar solos. Lacuna Coil are rarely a solo band, but they are used to good affect occasionally - and the melodic guitar leads here add a lot to the song's already melodic feel.

The title track returns more to the album's core sound, although it does also retain some of the more straight forward feel of the previous song. It is much heavier from the off, though, with Ferro once again taking the lead during the verses. Like the album's opening song, there is no big riff or anything to really kick things off, with Ferro leading the charge from the off whilst the verses grind away beneath him. Some parts of the verses are a bit more stripped back, with simpler guitars and prominent synths, whilst elsewhere there are big riffs and plenty of double bass drumming to add some groove. The chorus is a simpler affair, too, with more synths and a gothic backing - which allows Scabbia to unleash some hooky melodies and siren-like wordless vocal sections, even if Ferro is still present to add some big growls here and there. Sleep Paralysis is generally a slower-paced and more atmospheric piece - which again harks back to the band's older sound somewhat, whilst managing to maintain a heavier overall atmosphere. Scabbia sings the vast majority of the song, although Ferro makes his presence felt by using his voice like an instrument during the chorus, but generally this is one for Scabbia to really let rip - with lots of long-held notes from her which suits the slower burn of the track and the plentiful synths. It reminds me a bit of an updated version of a song like In Visible Light. It has the slow-burn of that song, and the gothic vocal talents of Scabbia, but there is a heaviness added to it thanks to Ferro's occasional growls and the meatier guitar tones and overall production style used throughout. Salomone's second guitar solo is used here, too, with his chaotic shredding adding to the song's strange vibe. In the Mean Time features some vocals from Ash Costello (New Years Day). Given that Lacuna Coil are not known for their guest vocal spots it seems strange to include two on this album - especially as neither Blythe nor Costello really add anything that the band's singers could not do themselves. Ferro dominates the song anyway, his growls filling both the verses and the pre-chorus. It is another pretty heavy track, then, with grinding riffing during the verses and a simpler chorus with more synths which Scabbia sings. Costello and Scabbia sing something of a bridge together, and there are some nice harmonies between the two, but the former does not make much of an impact here. The album then comes to a close with Never Dawn, a track which opens with some dense, swirling synths that create a lengthy intro. There is nothing else like this on the album, so it helps the closer to feel a bit different and more grand, but once the song kicks in proper it is another pretty typical modern Lacuna Coil track - with snappy, harsh vocal-led verses and a soaring chorus which Scabbia nails. The chorus is hooky, though, with a few vocal twists and turns which are not quite the norm, which further helps the track to stand out. Apart from the intro, though, the song does not really do anything especially different so it does not feel like an epic closing statement - despite it being a good example of Lacuna Coil's current sound. As an overall album, though, Sleepless Empire is another strong one. It continues this current, heavier era of the band nicely and is has already grown on me quite a lot since first hearing it a few weeks ago. There is a lot to like here for sure, and I am looking forward to hearing some of these songs live when I see the band again later in the year.

The album was released on 14th February 2025 via Century Media Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Gravity.