SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: LACUNA COIL – BLACK ANIMA

Lacuna Coil
Black Anima
Red Music

With over 20 years as a powerhouse in the metal scene, eight studio records, and a few lineup changes, Italian gothic metal outfit Lacuna Coil are back with their ninth release,Black Anima. While many bands may start their career with a thunderous and fiery presence only to slowly fizzle out as the years pass, Lacuna Coil are proving to be accomplishing the exact opposite. With each album they release, their sound gets increasingly darker, heavier, and much more aggressive.

Black Anima is proof of exactly that. While there are certainly signature components to the Lacuna Coil sound that make them stand out, namely richly melodic choruses that allow for dueling vocalists Cristina Scabbia and Andrea Ferro to show off what they do best; for Scabbia to truly belt out those long notes and for Ferro to counteract with roaring death growls.

Lately, the bass from Marco Zelati and guitars by Diego Cavalotti have been the driving force to give the band that new sinister edge. Ferro has also clearly stepped up his vocalist game lately as well. The first single, “Layers of Time”, as well as tracks “Now or Never” and “Sword of Anger” make all of this very clear.

This new release holds some of Lacuna Coil’s best work yet with barely a weak song on the album to speak of. Personal standout songs include “Apocalypse” and “Veneficium” for being quintessentially the essence of Lacuna Coil embodying everything that makes the band great – beautiful melodies, strong vocals (Scabbia’s voice is also getting progressively stronger with each album, hitting new ranges she hasn’t hit before), incredible driving guitars, and dynamic base.

As a whole, Black Anima is following a similar trajectory as their previous album Delirium, though this album definitely feels a lot more like a descent into hell rather than just a descent into madness.

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