01	Swamped						04:00
	02	Heaven's A Lie						04:46
	03	Daylight Dancer						03:50
	04	Humane						04:12
	05	Self Deception						03:31
	06	Aeon						01:56
	07	Tight Rope						04:15
	08	The Ghost Woman And The Hunter						04:09
	09	Unspoken						03:37
	10	Entwined						03:59
	11	The Prophet Said						04:32
	12	Angel's Punishment						03:56
	13	Comalies						05:01

Here it is: the third album of the band from Milan. Comalies, the mystical third album in a band's career which divides quickly dying starlets from real artists in the Olympus of music. Make it or break it: Of course, statistically there are as many debut or second albums also heralded as classics, but the third album has a certain mystique which becomes evident when you look at it from an artist's perspective. Granted: they could seek the chance to present themselves as a grown-up band. Probably they will even murmur something about having become mature in their interviews. But let?s be honest: the real chance Lacuna Coil have with Comalies is to carry their music beyond the hype as a very promising newcomer but also free themselves from excessive expectations of their audience. And so the band, around singers Cristina Scabbia and Andrea Ferro, took precisely this chance.

Instead of clinging to the sound that brought them the first positive reactions of the fans the Italians develop something in their atmospheric metal that is hard to be found in this genre: elegance. The duets between Cristina`s uncomparable, powerful voice and Andrea Ferro`s more and more charismatic sonorous voice are the centre of their gripping attacks to the audience's auditory nerves and fit into the dramaturgy of the compositions in a clever way. There is a nearly insidious jovialty in them: concise guitars push the powerful metal parts forward while the subtly used keyboard parts and the accentuated acoustic guitars help to modulate the atmospheric highlights.

For want of any better term, Lacuna Coil are often classified as Gothic Metal which insufficiently describes their emotional essence. Normally coming along as melodramatic picture puzzle with Lacuna Coil it radiates a diversity that can have its origin only in lived life. For that reason despite all the tonal gloom their music radiates a special kind of joy- joy that will only be created if you orientate your music by the character of your personality, not trying to create a dreamworld in which you can be the person that you always wanted to be (but never were). Comalies doesn't ask for liking by offering the listener a place of escape from his own life but is likeable for making the emotional ups and downs, the grandeur and despair of all human existence cognizable. In the music of Lacuna Coil the range of being human is audible.

The perfection of this album is not found in the spectacular moments but in its wide range developing from very catchy, seemingly vulnerable melodies to powerful refrains opening up in the ear and sensitively dispensed, stylistically variable implemented thrusts of harshness. With this album Lacuna Coil erect an altar for the good song. It was built in the temple of sound of Woodhouse Studios in Hagen under the technical supervision of Waldemar Sorychta with whom the Italians have formed a long-term, perfected artistic smybiosis. All we can do is to grant our appropriate deference to him.

Robert Muller, July 2002

Line-Up
Cristina Scabbia: vocals
Andrea Ferro: vocals
Cristiano Migliore: guitar
Marco Biazzi: guitar
Marco Coti Zelati: Bass
Cristiano Mozzati: drums

Homepage http://www.lacunacoil.it


Discography

Lacuna Coil 26.01.1998

In A Reverie 22.02.1999

Halflife 20.03.2000

Unleashed Memories 29.01.2001

Heaven's a Lie 02.09.2002

Comalies 23.09.2002


Lacuna Coil - Comalies
Country of Origin: Italy
Format: CD
Record Label: Century Media
Records
Catalogue #: 77460-2
Year of Release: 2002
Time: 51:51
Info: Click here
Samples: Click here

Tracklist: Swamped (4:00), Heaven's A Lie (4:46), Daylight Dancer (3:50), Humane (4:12), Self Deception (3:31), Aeon (1:56), Tight Rope (4:15), The Ghost Woman And The Hunter (4:09), Unspoken (3:37), Entwined (3:59), The Prophet Said (4:32), Angel's Punishment (3:56), Comalies (5:01)
If you could only listen to the first few notes of Comalies you might think Lacuna Coil's music is like Rammstein, but after 45 seconds it becomes clear that Lacuna Coil is quite different: their music is Gothic Metal oriented.

Although Lacuna Coil has played 'Dynamo Open Air' and in the past has toured together with The Gathering (same record company), none of their albums have been reviewed DPRP up until now, and that is a pity. Lacuna Coil started out as Ethereal in 1996 and upon releasing their first album the name Ethereal appeared to be taken, so their name was changed to Lacuna Coil. An equally named album was also released in (1997). After that In A Reverie (1999), HALFLife (2000), and Unleashed Memories (2001) followed.

Comalies was released in 2002. The tracks Swamped, Heaven's A Lie, Self Deception and The Prophet Said, all of which have a pretty pumping heavy metal guitar but what makes these tracks more than the standard gothic metal, is the interaction of the two vocalists, Andrea Ferro and Cristina Scabbia. The band certainly knows how to maintain a good mix between these two. Although I do like those tracks, Daylight Dancer appeals to me much more because of the tempo changes, and again the nice mix between the two vocalists give this song a pleasant extra.

Humane is one of my favourite tracks of this album. It is a 'moody' song that does not have the straight-forward guitars of the first two songs. Aeon is a bit strange, the acoustic guitar sound is cut as if the CD player is malfunctioning. The entire song is a prelude to Tight Rope, a more straight-forward guitar-based song. On The Ghost Woman And The Hunter Cristina is singing with herself in duet (oh those modern techniques). The sorrow of desolation described in the lyrics are amplified by the mood of the music. Unspoken is up-tempo, but certainly not cheery, the subject of the lyrics is not either. Entwined is a mellow track (but not soft or ballad-like).

Angel's Punishment is the odd one out of this album. Only the chorus makes it recognisable as a Lacuna Coil track, the rest of the lyrics are not sung, but spoken out loud. The music certainly is intriguing because the English pronouncation of the vocalists is flawless. Comalies is the only track in which Lacuna Coil's Italian background can be recognised as it has mixed Italian-English lyrics.

After someone pointed out their previous album to me, I certainly got interested in Lacuna Coil's music. I think I like Unleashed Memories just a tiny bit more, but still this album finds its way to my CD player often. I think people that like The Gathering, After Forever or Within Temptation will most probably be interested in this Italian band.

Conclusion: 8 out of 10

Dries Dokter