Lacuna Coil Album: “In a Reverie [Japan Bonus Tracks]”

I purchased the Lacuna Coil - In a Reverie (Extra Track) import last week. I have not been able to remove it from my cd player since then. Christina's vocals are amazing! (Track 5 and Track 9 she sings solo). The remainder of the contains goth-style "duets" between Christina and a male voice - a great contrast between brusque goth-metal and Christina's ethereal voice. If I had the "power" to change two things about this album, I would (1) have liked to hear MORE songs (more than 2) with Christina as the sole vocalist, and (2) I would have like to hear songs with just the male vocalist (to contrast the ethereal female solos). Lacuna Coil is a wonderful band and this is clearly shown in this album ("In a Reverie").

I have all four Lacuna Coil albums and In a Reverie is the most consistent. Their are outstanding songs in each of Lacuna Coils four albums but in my opinion this album has all quality songs with no filler. This is Lacuna Coils first full length album and it's still my overall favorite. Don't get me wrong, subsequent releases Unleashed Memories and Comalies are both super releases but I rate - In a Reverie - just slightly higher, on the basis of having the most songs I really like, such as Falling Again, Circle, Stately Lover, Cold and the incredible To Myself I Turned. These are all 5 star songs and the rest are at least 4 star.

Unlike most other Italian bands, like Rhapsody, which concentrated on epic power metal, Lacuna Coil devoted themselves to melodic gothic, hence heroic, folkloric influences are missing. Female singer Cristina Scabbia and singer Andrea Ferro share the mic and do a very good job at it. They supplement each other perfectly and give each song a special kick. Cristina's voice, while not quite on a par with other European divas such as Floor Jensen, is quite pleasant to listen to. It is deeper than most and a quality that fits Lacuna Coil's music(which is somewhat progressive)perfectly. Needless to say Lacuna Coil would not be where they are today without Christina.

It seems to me that of all the wonderful goth-metal bands of Europe, Lacuna Coil has the best chance of making an impact in America. They have many songs that would not be out of place on an alternative, heavy metal or even top 40 radio format and they have a small but growing following in the states. This summer they are touring the states as the opening act for Danzig. It seems that Lacuna Coil is bigger than Danzig but I guess not in the states.

Comparisons to other bands seem useless but I will try. Within Temptation, Delight, Artrosis, Entwine, L'ame Imortelle, Dreams of Sanity and Flowing tears are all in the same sub-genre but are not that similar. I'm not saying Lacuna coil is better, they're just different. Maybe the closest group would be Greek goth band On Thorns I Lay but you're probably more likely to have heard Lacuna than Thorns

This album is a winner and if you don't already have it, you should get it or one of the others.