Lacuna Coil

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Lacuna Coil

Lacuna Coil "Dark Adrenaline" album

- Release date : January 2012 -

Dark Adrenaline is the sixth studio album by Italian metal band Lacuna Coil. The album was released on January 23, 2012 and was produced by Don Gilmore (Linkin Park, Bullet For My Valentine).

"Dark Adrenaline" album tracks and lyrics

"Dark Adrenaline" album reviews

Lacuna Coil fans can rejoice, as the band has unleashed their sixth studio album, ‘Dark Adrenaline,’ via Century Media Records. The disc is the Italian rock group’s follow up to 2009’s ‘Shallow Life.’

The disc starts off with mid-tempo songs, including ‘Trip the Darkness,’ the first single off the album, as well as the recently previewed ‘Kill the Light.’ Both songs are anthemic tracks featuring singers Cristina Scabbia and Andrea Ferro trading vocals with an impassioned intensity that sets the tone for the entire album.

Catchy, yet hard-hitting tracks, include ‘Give Me Something More’ and ‘Upsidedown,’ with choruses that are bound to replay over and over again in your mind.

‘Intoxicated’ is another highlight, with soaring vocals by Scabbia that create goosebumps and elevate ear drums to a whole new level. As the lyrics “In the world that I’ve created / I’m intoxicated” are repeated in the middle of the song, you’ll find yourself rewinding the track before it’s over in order to hear those impeccable vocals over and over again.

Darker, rebellious, heavy riffed tracks include ‘Against You’ and ‘The Army Inside,’ which highlight why Scabbia and Ferro work so well together as dual vocalists, and why guitarists Marco Biazzi and Christiano Migilore’s guitar riffs and solos continue to stay alluring.

‘Fire’ has a hip-shaking drum beat has a tinge of a dancy feel without losing its edginess. Scabbia sings the very appealing chorus “Let the fire enter / Let the anger start to brew / Let your instincts break the rules / Let it rise and consume / Give into yourself.” Its poetic rhythm and upbeat drum pattern makes the song that more enjoyable.

Slower like ‘My Spirit’ and ‘End of Time’ give the album even more depth and variety. Speaking of variety, there have been other covers of R.E.M’s ‘Losing My Religion’ but none like this. Scabbia and Ferro’s vocals give the song a menacing tone while still keeping true to the original song.

The album is not highly experimental or “out there” but many of the songs are incredibly appealing and there are aspects of the album that take Lacuna Coil’s sound to a new height, especially vocally.

If you want to see Lacuna Coil perform some of these new tracks, click here for a full list of dates for Gigantour, on which they will be sharing the stage with Volbeat, Megadeth and Motorhead.

*** by Liz Ramanand, Loudwire ***

Lacuna Coil's sound has evolved over the years, starting as gothic metal and gradually incorporating more mainstream metal and rock into their style. That peaked with their last CD Shallow Life, which garnered them airplay on rock radio, but lacked the punch and bombast of their previous work. Dark Adrenaline regains some of that metal vibe.

There are still plenty of very melodic and radio-friendly tracks like the opener “Trip The Darkness,” as Lacuna Coil is once again working with Don Gilmore (Linkin Park), who also produced their previous album. But as the album title suggests, some darker vibed and bombastic songs also make an appearance, such as “I Don't Believe In Tomorrow.”

Cristina Scabbia is the face of Lacuna Coil, but Andrea Ferro is an equal partner when it comes to the vocals, and on songs like “Against You” actually has the more important part. They have developed a great chemistry over the years, and the transition from one to the other is smooth and seamless. “Give Me Something More” is a good example of their synergy. Scabbia sings in a smooth, measured alto while Ferro provides the dynamics with some aggressive singing along with his normal tone.

“End Of Time” is a very catchy power ballad that features some brief harmony vocals, which is something I wish Lacuna Coil would do more often. When both vocalists are singing at the same time, at similar levels, it really adds a lot to the song. There are harmonies elsewhere, but generally one singer is much louder than the other.

The song on Dark Adrenaline that will draw the most attention is the cover of R.E.M.'s “Losing My Religion.” Lacuna Coil really puts their own spin on it, slowing it down and omitting the mandolin. Doing a karaoke version is the easy way out, while trying to inject some of your own style is much riskier. I think it turned out pretty well.

Lacuna Coil has struck a good balance with Dark Adrenaline. The songs are still very accessible and melodic, but add more edge and atmosphere. Non metal fans who discovered them on Shallow Life will still like what they hear, and the longer term fans who wanted more gothic and metal elements also get their wish.

*** by Chad Bowar, About.com Guide ***