Delirium

With the news that Lacuna Coil is in the studio to make their next album, I feel that it was finally time to talk about the album that had the second lowest score out of LC's discography. "Delirium" was actually one of my most anticipated albums of 2016 mainly for being a big fan of Lacuna Coil and considering how much I really enjoyed "Broken Crown Halo." It would be the best thing I heard until I discovered Trees of Eternity and a bunch of other bands. However, I was also skeptical about this album after listening to one of the singles "Ghost in the Mist" because I almost felt a little betrayed that Lacuna Coil incorporated elements from metal core, subgenre I despised so much. However, the song was still enjoyable and catchy. "Delirium" after listening to the album upon release... twice, I felt that it was still an enjoyable successor to the band's previous album. Despite still being good, as much as I want to give this a higher rating for this album, I still feel that the album has flaws.

"Delirium" marked the band's first major changes since their early career. It is the first album to not feature three of its members: Cristiano "Criz" Mozzati, Cristiano "Pizza" Migliore, and Marco Biazzi. The two Cristiano's left due to family related reasons, and Marco leaving for which I am unsure of. It is the first album to feature they're new drummer Ryan Folden, and the first album to be produced by Marco "Maki" Zelati the band's bassist. Also, because the recording of the album was absent of guitar players, it was the first to feature guest musicians since "Dark Adrenaline" one of which is Myles Kennedy.

The music for "Delirium" has been generally positive for me. Lacuna Coil definitely made an aggressive metal album since "Unleashed Memories" but heavier. The music is still catchy and the breakdowns are also actually catchy despite my hatred for breakdowns. Granted, LC did add more metalcore elements, and it definitely made the band heavier, but at the cost of not being completely gothic metal. Atmospherically, there are moments in the album that sound dark, but what made "Broken Crown Halo" more darker than this album was the sadness in the atmosphere, the guitars, and the fact that it didn't have to go to fast tempos. "Delirium" was a little let down from a gothic metal perspective, it was the sound of a band that was searching for something new to be aggressive. Thankfully not the kind of searching from the ever-so popular "Shallow Life." It only had small parts of darkness in the album and I felt that it was buried with the more aggressive music. I will give a shout out to "Take Me Home" for being disoriented and twisted. I personally love music that tries to go for a twisted musical approach and "Take Me Home" was really good. There were also times where the band used electronic sounds like in "Blood, Tears, and Dust" that seemed out of place with the entire album. Most of the Songs in "Delirium" I actually really enjoyed, but a few Songs that really sounds dragging like the title Song and "You Love Me 'Cause I Hate You." So from a gothic metal perspective again it was a letdown, but for another style of metal on the other hand is still a good album.

I will also take a moment to discuss the vocals heard in "Delirium." One of the reasons Lacuna Coil was such a unique band during the early 2000s was the fact that you had a male and female fronted band that was unlike the many beauty and the beast bands at the time. Andrea Ferro did a different spin by being a singer himself and sounded clean throughout the majority of the band's records. The point in "Delirium" is that that unique style for gothic metal also went out the window too. Ferro decided to do more growling in this album. However, because of the music sounding a little metalcore it doesn't even sound like beauty and the beast, but sounds like good cop/bad cop. Ferro and Cristina Scabbia's singing is still good nonetheless. It is not that the album lacked a little power from the two singers, but it wasn't as good as the previous album. Its unique for Lacuna Coil to have more growling in this album to show more aggression and I wouldn't say it hindered the album, but it isn't the best experimentation either.

Lets off course talk about Lacuna Coil's biggest problem again, which is the lyrical themes. While the album does have music that is almost better, the lyrics in "Delirium" is also another reason for my rating. I've said this in previous Lacuna Coil reviews that the band don't really have any creativity when it comes to the lyrics. I get that the concept of the album suppose to have that mental institute and mental illness visual themes, but most of the Songs are not really related to those themes. It just seems like the previous releases which were about rising up and being strong, and also has some moments of despair. Like in the Song "Broken Things" the lyrics are really not good, the chorus seems to have cliched lines that seem a little tired. To LC's defense, it's not the worst lyrics the band has written, and still has its moments. So lyrically, the album is mixed to negative.

Overtime, after being so exposed to gothic metal I realized "Delirium" wasn't that big a deal. I also feel that the album was another point in the band's career where they abandoned their classic gothic metal sound heard in their older albums. It was a shame especially during a time of the album's release where gothic metal desperately needed a new spark. From a different metal perspective, it is still a solid release and I personally enjoy listening to some of the Songs on this album. It definitely has good moments and isn't dead on arrival, but it is still a flawed album that felt like a borderline selling out point. Thankfully not entirely selling out. I would still recommend this album for a good taste of Lacuna Coil, but not gothic metal.

One question remains about Lacuna Coil's upcoming album... Will they for goodness sake have better lyrics?

Favorite Tracks: "Downfall", "Take Me Home", "Ghost in the Mist", "My Demons"

It's no secret Lacuna Coil went from amazing to shit in the span of a decade. Shunning their highly original, laid back and unique sound for a sterile, radio friendly, Americanized rock vibe, irrevocably destroyed their credibility with the underground that spawned them.

There are pros and cons to everything however. In this recording the pros are Cristina continued vocal performance, Andre actually being present, and guitar solos. That's it. Everything else about this screams suck. In a nutshell, this album sounds like Cristina walking in on a Max Cavalera fronted Meshuggah. Except the guitars sound utterly toneless and almost like background noise. Barely distorted poly-rhythmic, modern place holders to add something in the spaces where the vocals aren't.

Andre has always sounded similar to Cavalera (especially live) but this album takes it to another degree of absurdity. He had a decent growl prior to the bands brief foray as 'Ethereal'. It made a few welcomed appearances during the bands first three albums but was forcibly vacated when the band went pop. Now, he sounds like he's either trying to be core or trying to not be core as his voice literally walks a very fine line between the two. It could be a case of this is what he can do or it could be a case of this is where he's trying to go.

The band is clearly Marco's baby. He's the primary song writer and on this album, the primary musician. He decided to bring a handful of poser sessions guitarists in as well. None add anything worth noting. Instead of finding a permanent replacement or just doing everything himself he opted to use hired guns. Which is fine in a live setting but not when recording.

The Coil's have never been known for profound lyrics and this album is no exception. Juvenile anthems of supposed insanity and sad feelings just don't cut it unless you're writing Twilight fan-fic. Seriously, who is their target audience? Are they trying to reach the tween demographic? The mindless youth with the attention spans of mating gnats? How are they making a living from this music?

Musically this album is just a sterile joke. There's no soul or emotion. There's nothing redeeming past a couple of seconds here and there. There are no traces of what Lacuna Coil were on this. The band has repeatedly said there were bits of their older style/sound in this album but where it's hiding is anyone's guess. There are bits of 'Karmacode' and the modern poser sound they're happily displaying, but that's it. And that doesn't count as "older". Andre growling doesn't count either. So, apparently 2006 is when the band considers itself established.

Everything in this is forced. The would-be darkness, the teen angst, the passion, etc... The things that aren't forced are the Korn fueled bass flatulence and the desire to suck. The bands plastic and soulless sounds are all you'll get here.

I cannot see why this album scored so low in the charts. It's ridiculous, 'Delirium' is a gem of a release and my favorite Lacuna Coil release. Yes, it's more rock than metal, but that doesn't mean that their "concept" album is a complete waste. It's absolutely awesome. Sure the tempos throughout the whole release is slow, but the vocals and the music were the highlights. I could get into the lyrics as well. It's cool how they actually wrote this about a sanitarium in Italy, but I don't know how much of it was true. Nevertheless, they're still kicking ass as a band though their musical style has changed. I actually like them more now then as an alternative metal act.

It's Cristina's voice that I absolutely love, the male vocals give the album more variety and intensity. But the female vocals are so angelic makes the music more palatable. The music is slow, but back and forth between male and female vocals are the Eisenstein joy of the record. The words go well with the audio. They just augment it. And I thought this release was well thought out. The words reflect deeply disturbed mental patients that possibly once lived which is where they got the ideas of how to construct concepts within disturbed and untreated ill individuals. The trade-offs between the vocals gives me chills.

Even though it seems musically that the album doesn't change much, though the lead guitar is fiery. I'll admit that, the slow paced rhythms fit the vocals really well. The concept that were trying to achieve have achieved it on here. Just because it's not as rigorous musically, it's still somewhat heavy. "Ghost in the Mist" is one of my favorite tracks on here. But all the songs blow me away. It's a shame that not many people wrote about this or thought highly of it. I wish their was some justice done for this release. But I'm writing this to give it at least a "B" rating. These Lacuna Coil fans shouldn't put this one so down.

I was just so sick about this release getting such poor ratings when the band did so well in my ears and eyes so let that be said and read. These guys busted their butt to write an original release that went viral in 2016. Upon release, I have never stopped liking this album. I thought every track was worthy of mention and worthy of praise. They did their research on the mentally ill and sanitariums in Italy then to write about it brought even more magic. Their songs on here will never die and the gauntlet has been thrown and the faculty of answers had answered this one people not liking or liking it doesn't matter. They stayed true to this intellectual faculties.

Italian rock-stars Lacuna Coil formed in Milan back in 1994, but their moniker remains well-known. Their fusion of gothic metal and alternative rock has become a staple in the music world, and they’ve grown to be one of the most famous of their kind; albums such as “Karmacode” in 2006 and “Dark Adrenaline” in 2012 have scored relatively high positions on rock charts worldwide, and the band itself grown a massive following over the decades. In 2016, their eighth full-length record “Delirium” would be added to their long-lived collection.

Lacuna Coil has always been a mixed bag in my eyes. Singles including “Trip the Darkness” and their cover of Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy the Silence” are rather solid, and their music had this interestingly dark atmosphere to them overall. On the other hand, their last full-length release “Broken Crown Halo” was a complete drag. The musicianship was dull, the production was weak and blurry, and the songs themselves were utterly soulless and forgettable; simply put, listening to it was a chore. Now that their latest album has hit the shelves recently, I figured I should at least give the band another try, and gave the record a couple listens. Although it is a notable step up from some of the band’s previous work, it still leaves a lot to be desired.

For starters, aside from the vocals, the musicianship is very lacking. The guitars are particularly bland; they're quite generic and repetitive, mostly consisting of one-dimensional djent-like riffs and chugs with little energy or ferocity to them. Once in a while there’s a guitar solo inserted to breathe more life into the music, but even then, they sound so pedestrian in context of the heavy rock genre that they have no effect. The same goes for the drums; I actually played through a few of the songs on my electronic kit, but after about thirty second, I found myself getting bored. Not that the percussion has to boast any complex patterns and whatnot, but just like with the guitars, they sound so flat and simplistic that they leave little to no impression whatsoever.

Speaking of sound, the mixing in "Delirium" is watered down and somewhat uneven at times. The album was produced by Marco Coti Zelati (The band’s guitarist, bassist, and keyboardist), and while his mixing in here is an improvement over “Broken Crown Halo” (Which had Jay Baumgardner [Seether, Papa Roach] as its producer), it still comes across as muddy and a bit off. The guitars sound especially buzzy, particularly during their chugging moments and lower-notes, examples including “The House of Shame” and “Ultima Ratio,” and the drums have no meat to them; they lack resonance. On the plus side, however, the vocals are rather crisp, albeit a little too quiet on occasion. More on those later, but in the meantime, the mixing comes off as murky and somewhat colorless.

This leads into to the biggest problem with “Delirium:” How uninspired and passionless it is. Although said problem isn’t quite as prominent here as it was in the band’s previous release, it’s definitely still here. There’s this painful lifelessness to the music that makes it incredibly difficult to get any sort of emotional impact out of it. The musicianship, production, and writing all feel so tired and cookie-cutter that personally, I felt almost nothing after listening to it. Even the majority of the song names themselves are blatantly generic! Titles such as “You Love Me ‘Cause I Hate You,” “My Demons,” and “Bleed the Pain” are beyond stereotypical, and the music itself doesn’t help matters any. Lacuna Coil’s age really seems to be getting the better of them, with their music’s severe lack of energy and creativity weighing their craft down tenfold.

To be fair, however, this isn’t to say that the album doesn’t have a few glimmers of light to it. For an example, the pre-chorus melody in “Broken Things” does bring about this gloomy, potent ambiance that the record is clearly trying to conjure up, courtesy of the guitars and vocals. The choruses in “The House of Shame,” “Delirium,” and “You Love Me ‘Cause I Hate You” wield decent hooks as well; Cristina's voice is especially smooth and elegant in these particular scenes, and it really helps dish out the music's emotional weight. I just wish the rest of the album held at least just as much energy and emotional atmosphere; it's heart-breaking to see what could have been an impressively dark and ambient piece instead come out so tired and toothless.

In addition to that, one of “Delirium’s” key saving graces are the vocals. Both the male and female vocals clearly have more energy put into them than the guitars and drums. Andrea Ferro’s vocals also holds up quite well, an example being in “Broken Things,” where his roars immediately set the dark tone for the track, followed by Cristina’s softer but no-less potent singing to help carry the music’s bleak and somewhat industrial atmosphere. Although they’re not enough to make up for the album’s mountain of flaws, they prove to be a major redeeming factor of aforementioned album, at the very least.

While “Delirium” fares better than its predecessor, it’s still a very slightly-above-average record at best. At its worst, it comes off as bland and ordinary, and that's sadly the realm the album dwells in the most. Granted, there are some moments of emotional power and noteworthy writing, but those don't happen often enough for them to make up for the rest of the album's exhausted pallor. Lacuna Coil’s Fire is dangerously close to burning out for good, and it’s going to take a giant leap forward in order for them to be able to stand the test of time for much longer. Until then, maybe if you’re a serious fan of the gothic or alternative rock genres and are very forgiving and tolerant, this might be worth a shot. Other than that, it’s not awful, but there are so many other releases out there that are more deserving of your time; I’d give this one a pass.


Originally posted on: metaljerky.blogspot.com

I won't claim to be an expert on the back catalogue of these gothic metal mainstays. But Lacuna Coil did peak my interest years ago, around the release of "Karmacode". The twin-vocal attack and oddly soothing melodies, combined with a wholesome metal rhythm section was at least fresh at the time. Apparently, the quality of their releases has certainly wavered more than a little over the years - but the Italians seem keen to shake the 'pop metal' tag off. Unfortunately, 'pop metal' seems to be the most accurate description of latest effort "Delirium"...

The few clips I'd heard of this album ahead of its release were heavy - almost alarmingly so. The de-tuned, bass-heavy guitar tone was satisfying and almost seemed to say "Nay" to the band's naysayers. Unfortunately, this only birthed jibes about their similarity to nu metal pioneers Korn. I can't even disagree! Indeed, the resemblance to Munky & co. is obvious to say the least. From the clicky fretboard on the bass guitar, to the one-note grooves - this is outright "Issues"-worship! I usually wouldn't have a problem with this - but the pop sensibilities that plague this album are irritating at best.

The quartet pull a sneaky trick by luring the listener into their world with opening track "The House of Shame". This is the most energized, interesting and fluid song on the record. Even with its one-note riffs, it's a joy to nod along to. Also, Andrea Ferro's 'supporting' vocals have clearly become more integral to the band's sound over the years - making him the star of several tracks on the album. "The House of Shame" is where his grunts shine most. The production quality is pretty superb too; even with the over-compressed drums, the buzzing guitar tone and ethereal keyboards manage to take the limelight.

Annoyingly, the tempo and pace set by the great opener are too soon reduced to a slug's crawl. And here it shall remain! I swear, every bloody track is about 70bpm. It gets stale quick, and all the songs bleed into each other, becoming indistinguishable. By the time the djent characteristics of "Ghost in the Mist" kick in, I've zoned out. Admittedly, "Broken Things" does attempt to liven up the pace with its vicious riffage - but the chorus is so inanely dull, that potential is quickly lost. If you cut to any point in this album, you are guaranteed to hear a simple 4/4 rock beat played at a snail's pace, with a basic one-note riff chugging along in drop B - usually with a female crooning somewhere over the top.

I'm not seeking to disparage the talents of Christina Scabbia - but her voice is so low in the mix, she is like a ... ghost in the mist (sorry!). She also seems to be taking second-podium to Andrea's ever-maturing vocal performance. At least on "Ultima Ratio" she wails a wonderfully melancholy chorus the way only she can. As a closing track - this is also nothing special. The frantic snare drum opening leads us to believe this may be the only track on "Delirium" that isn't the consistency of mud. Alas, the velocity is all too brief, and the one-note, mid-tempo groove returns right up to the album's closing moments.

I'd like to make more detailed observations on some of the delicate intricacies within the music itself. But y'know? I'm just so goddamn bored! The hype built around the album was unjustified - considering the result is what would happen if Korn fell into a cement mixer with Within Temptation. A heavier guitar-tone you may have, but there's only so many one-note riffs, twelfth-fret rape, and verse-chorus-verse-chorus structures I can stand.

I don’t understand why these guys don’t just quit. Lacuna Coil took a nosedive into irrecoverable disaster beginning with Karmacode and shit just went downhill from there. At least this time they are able to live up to title of their latest output, Delirium.

Indeed, the opening track shows exactly what is wrong with everything that this band has done for the past few years. Instead of composing tolerably enjoyable tunes like those that they did in Comalies, Lacuna Coil has decided to sharpen their sounds to the max according to nu metal blueprint. Now, I used to praise this band a lot back when I was exploring metal but eventually, I’ve had enough of them when all I get when their materials sound a lot like Korn rip-off more than anything else.

What is this kiddy shit on ‘Take Me Home?’ Just the kind of track that law enforcement used to lure pedophiles out from hiding. Cringeworthy is not even the word for it. Andrea Ferro sounds emasculated throughout this album as can be heard on this song. I can’t stand it. Seriously. I think they should have just fired Andrea Ferro after Karmacode because his screams are downright obnoxious and they don’t make the songs sound any better.

The production is of course glossy through and through. As I said, you can hear Korn tingling on the bass lines, occasionally driven by pummeling double bass on select few tracks. Above all, there is nothing worth praising here. The performance is nowhere near exceptional. The instrumentations can be passed off as just another tough-guy ‘jumpdafuckup’ type of thing. While keyboards are primary mainstay of Lacuna’s sound, on this album they only serve to rape the songs even more. Just listen to the opening of ‘Ghost in the Mist’. Each track is nothing short of verse-chorus-verse backed by translucent-sounding keys, sodomized by Ferro’s constipating growls and chugga-chugga rhythms that are pandering to the lowest common denominator. If you don’t believe me, go and listen to ‘My Demons’.

The version I am reviewing comes with three bonus tracks. One of which is a cover of Madonna’s Live to Tell from the album ‘True Blue’. The original song penned by Satan’s concubine deals with childhood trauma and it should be obvious why Lacuna Coil has decided to rework, or should I say, engage in a circle jerk for over five minutes on this song. Not only does it sound dissimilar from the original, the added keyboards serve as a speculum in Madonna’s every orifice. It is that horrible. The other two tracks, ‘Breakdown’ and ‘Bleed the Pain’ are just as forgettable as most of the tracks on this delirious album.

Media fucks you up but you have the responsibility to maintain your integrity even when everyone else is drowning in fame and fortune. Of course, you may attract new, younger fans who know nothing, let alone appreciate your early works. Younger fans who would buy into anything plastered with Lacuna Coil, thinking it is cool to do so. As for me, I am going to sell this album at a higher price to any kids in my country because they don’t know any better because they are whom this album is intended for.