Lacuna Coil's latter-day career has been an exercise in resilience and reinvention. After a mid-career wobble, where albums like Shallow Life missed their earlier spark, the Italian gothic metal icons came storming back with Black Anima. Their heaviest album to date, it was dark, uncompromising and full of bite, reminding the world why Lacuna Coil have always been more than just scene staples.
Now, with Sleepless Empire, they’ve gone even heavier, delivering an album packed with bone-crushing riffs, haunting melodies, and the kind of unrelenting energy that feels fresh yet unmistakably theirs.
The Siege crashes in with dense riffs and primal energy. Andrea Ferro’s guttural growls anchor the chaos, while Cristina Scabbia’s soaring lines slice through the mix with surgical precision. Oxygen and Scarecrow follow, their djent-inspired grooves and subtle synth layers adding depth without dulling the aggression. Scarecrow in particular is hypnotic, balancing weight and atmosphere to draw you further into the album’s microcosm.
Lacuna Coil excel in making the heavy sound hooky. Gravity is brooding and dark, but its anthemic chorus feels tailor-made for festival pits. On the crushing, groove-laden In The Mean Time, featuring New Years Day’s Ash Costello, Cristina’s fiery chorus provides the perfect counterpoint to Ash’s fierce delivery.
Marco Coti Zelati leaves an indelible mark on Sleepless Empire. Not only do his crushing riffs and bass form the backbone of its sound, his layered synths and sharp production tie everything together. The sonic palette balances raw intensity with rich textures – a hallmark of Lacuna Coil’s modern era.
Andrea’s vocal performance deserves its own spotlight. His career-spanning adaptability as a vocalist shines here, as his growls reach new depths of intensity. Relentless, raw and commanding, he’s the perfect counterpart to the album’s crushing weight, his brutal, gutteral vocals meeting the sonic swell head-on. It’s a standout showing that cements his role in the band’s harder-hitting direction.
Not everything lands perfectly. Hosting The Shadow, featuring Randy Blythe, feels more like a showcase for the Lamb Of God frontman than a cohesive Lacuna Coil track. But even here, the explosive chorus reminds you why the band still dominate. Ironically, the title track channels LOG’s energy even better, evoking the pummelling intensity of 512.
Elsewhere, I Wish You Were Dead leans into sleazy 80s glam rock swagger, while In Nomine Patris delivers all-out stadium grandeur. Cristina’s triumphant cry of ‘I’ll build my empire’ is pure gothic metal theatre, and the shredding guitar solo that follows is a chef’s kiss moment. Sleep Paralysis, with its eerie atmospherics and Andrea’s unrelenting force, leaves another lasting impression.
With Sleepless Empire, Lacuna Coil dive headfirst into their heavier side – and it works. This is a band that’s unafraid to evolve, to experiment and to hit hard. Gothic metal’s crown isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
Sleepless Empire is out February 14 via Century Media. The band play Bloodstock Festival in August and tour the UK in November. For the full list of tour dates visit the band's official website.
