Lacuna Coil – Dark Adrenaline

Label: Century Media

Release Date: January 23, 2012

Rating: 8/10

Reviewed by: ToddStar

These cool Italians have a winning formula. I love this disc as much as the previous offerings from this great band. They really are pioneers in the area of symphonic metal that utilizes both female and male lead vocals. They never disappoint, and the latest offering is no different.

“Trip The Darkness” is one of the stronger songs and an appropriate disc opener. You are launched into the song with crunchy guitars, which are followed by the back and forth of Andrea and Cristina’s vocals. This song comes off well live, I might add. “Against You” is another good song from these guys, but not one of the stronger songs here. Luckily, “Kill The Light” comes along and adds that flare that makes a Lacuna Coil disc special. “Give Me Something More” starts off a little different, but that is good. It shows these rockers are flexible and don’t stick with one pattern. This is one of the best examples of how this band has made itself different from its peers.

“Upsidedown” brings it back to basics and allows the band, especially Cristina, to do what they do best. Great vocals from both counterparts and solid guitar work here. “End Of Time” starts off with a beautiful intro… earthy and real. Then the band kicks in and the song keeps its earthy and innocent feel. Amazing is the only way to describe my thought on this song. Cristina really sings and even Andrea shows his mellow side and allows us to appreciate his talent. He always seems to take a back seat to Cristina, but is very talented in his own right. This is hands down my favorite song on this disc. “I Don’t Believe In Tomorrow” is fair, but again, not a favorite. It just doesn’t do anything that breaks it apart from other songs in the back catalog. The only thing really going for this tune is the solid playing of the rhythm section through the breakdown. “Intoxicated” kicks off with a twisted intro and even more twisted sound emanating from Cristina’s voice box. This one jumps up and makes you pay attention. At least the band has surrounded the couple average songs with great songs that grab you.

“The Army Inside” does for Andrea’s vocals what “Intoxicated” did for Christina’s. This song leads with his killer sounds, and only moves forward from there. The two vocalists truly play well together here. “Losing My Religion” is a cover of REM’s hit that sounds TONS better than the original. To be fair, I don’t like REM, but much like Lacuna Coil’s previous cover of Depeche Mode, this group of rockers can take a song, make it their own, and make it better. They have done it here. “Fire” has more if an industrial sound to the vocals in the beginning, but again, a solid performance from there metal mongers. The vocals are strong, musicianship is top notch, and the song is chunky and riff driven, just like a good rock song should be. “My Spirit” ends the disc, but not your desire to hear more. When I heard this song first time through, it made me instantly go back to track one and go through the whole disc again.

If you aren’t familiar with Lacuna Coil, this is as good a starting point as any, but if you only know stuff back stuff, you are doing yourself a huge injustice by not checking this disc out. If you get the chance, check them out of tour too. They are as good as live as they are recorded.

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Tags: Cristina Scabbia, Dark Adrenaline, Italian, Lacuna Coil

Category: CD Reviews