Lacuna Coil has passed the thirty-year mark.

At the beginning of its existence, the Italian band spent a few years under the name Sleep of Right then Ethereal, but renamed itself in 1997, and has since been led by bassist/keyboardist Marco Coti Zelati, and vocal duo Andrea Ferro and Cristina Scabbia. Accompanied since 2019 by drummer Richard Meiz (ex-Genus Ordinis Dei), they announce the release of their eleventh album Sleepless Empire for 2025, via Century Media Records.

The album opens with The Siege’s intriguing sounds which suddenly ignite into majesty, leaving Andrea‘s screams and Cristina‘s gentle voice to fill the atmosphere. The vocal duet is as effective as ever, coupled with the catchy rhythm, but the young woman ends up stealing the show from her counterpart with intense high notes before giving way to Oxygen, where more modern groovy influences are at work, accompanying heady parts. The riffs offer us regular waves of power, just like on Scarecrow where the choruses soften the ambient tumult that also offers us darker touches to contrast with its fleeting sweetness. Gravity opens with some ritualistic chanting, but is soon followed by a heavy, imposing sound, accompanied by ethereal keyboards that lead perfectly into I Wish You Were Dead, where a kind of unhealthy quietude sets in, thanks in part to the track’s name. Andrea remains mainly in the background on this track, then the band welcomes Randy Blythe (Lamb Of God) to give Hosting The Shadow, an already fat composition, an extra, wilder dynamic. The original duo reunite on the majestic In Nomine Patris, where bewitching passages rub shoulders with jerky riffs, but again the band accommodates perfectly and doesn’t hesitate to push the contrast before leaving us to catch our breath on the finale, closely followed by the eponymous Sleepless Empire. It obviously remains in the band’s vein and lets the two vocalists dance together on motivating sounds, then the sound darkens again with Sleep Paralysis and its hypnotic leads that will temporarily replace the double vocals of the vocalists. The song comes to a reassuringly gentle close, but In The Mean Time once again sets the sound ablaze with Ash Costello (New Years Day), and even though the track is already well known to fans, it’s still extremely catchy. We end with Never Dawn, which gives us a moment’s respite and then a simple piece of advice (“run”) before melting down on us and conscientiously crushing us, barely slowing down during the choruses and steadily intensifying.

Lacuna Coil‘s sonic evolution reached its apogee with Sleepless Empire, so consistent does the band seem in their blend. Fans of Gothic roots won’t be disappointed, and neither will those who want powerful riffs!

85/100

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