Disco de Lacuna Coil: “Shallow Life [Deluxe Edition] [Bonus CD]”

I'm a new Lacuna Coil fan within the past two years. I picked up their back catalog and really enjoyed "Comalies" and "Karamacode." It took a bit longer, but I think "Karmacode" is a better (musically) designed album. A lot of my favorites come from "Comalies."

I can understand why 'old school' Lacuna Coil fans would dislike "Shallow Life" -- it definately continues the trend from "Karmacode." But with that said, I Like It. (See what I did there?) :)

My complaints are that the songs are far too brief -- 4 minutes is a long song on this album -- and there are several duds (The Pain, Underdog) that do nothing for me and all sound alike. But there's plenty to like, including I Won't Tell You, Not Enough, I Like It, and Spellbound.

I've no idea why the male vocalist gets so much air time; Christina is the reason you listen to Lacuna Coil. I don't hate the male vocals -- they provide a nice contrast -- but come on, with her voice I shouldn't have to wade 30+ seconds into a song before she comes on board and essentially "saves" the track.

If you're a new fan and liked "Karmacode" you'll probably like "Shallow Life." Everyone else needs to come to grip with the fact that the band -- and their sound -- is evolving.

I just wanted to provide a bit of a contrasting opinion, many reviewers seem to suggest (and dislike) that this album follows in the tracks of Karmacode. I began listening to Lacuna Coil with the release of Comalies, and went so far as to acquire their previous albums too. They quickly became one of my favorites. With the release of Karmacode, they became firmly rooted as my favorite; thats right, I liked Karmacode, I liked the "nu metal" sound they chose for it, I think it is their best album thus far.

If, indeed, Shallow Life were in the same vein as Karmacode, I should end up liking it too. It isn't, and I don't.

Thats not to say it isn't at least worth a listen, and a few of the tracks shine out above the rest, I Survive, Spellbound, and if you spring for the extended edition, the extra track Oblivion does too. These are the best of the album, unfortunately, they aren't quite up to Karmacode standards.

There are other tracks that are a good enough listen, but hardly striking the way Lacuna Coil's music has been to me in the past.

Where are the problems? Like others have said, it seems uninspired and often repetitive, and I'm very disappointed with the decision to move Andrea into a more central vocal role. The major draw for me with Lacuna Coil has always been Christina Scabbia, and seeing her relegated to such a limited supporting position in this album is far from satisfying.

I still hold out hope for the future, and I'll still buy Lacuna Coil's next album, but some words of advice for them; feel free to be as poetic with the lyrics as you want, dump the pop producer and go back to Sorychta.

I've been a fan of Lacuna Coil since their debut EP, and thought their 2006 album

was probably their best release to date, so I was very much looking forward to the band's follow-up album - 2009's Shallow Life. I was dying to know if the band would return to their gothic metal roots, continue the head-banging nu-metal direction of Karmacode, or opt for something totally different.

The answer to all three is yes...sort of. Shallow Life is a mish-mash of styles. There are classic sounding songs like "Survive" and "Spellbound" that could have fit on

or

. Then there are more modern sounding tracks like "I'm Not Afraid" and "I Won't Tell You" that carry on in the direction of Karmacode. And then there are songs like "I Like It" and "Underdog" that don't sound like Lacuna Coil at all. Were these suggested by their new producer Don Gilmore in an attempt to recreate his work with Linkin Park and Avril Lavigne? Whatever the reason, they come close to totally derailing Shallow Life, killing the album's early momentum and just leaving me cold. There are a couple of stronger tracks towards the end ("Spellbound" and the title track), but the album as a whole seems very uneven and completely unfocused.

I like at least half of the songs on Shallow Life, and love one or two ("Not Enough" and "I'm Not Afraid"), but this is the first Lacuna Coil album I've been less than thrilled with. I think it's way too early to write the band off, and they're clearly talented and driven enough to bounce back from a lackluster album. I just hope that happens sooner rather than later.

Lacuna Coil have long been one of bands dragging fans of the Rock scene into the Metal scene and so far every release has been quality. Shallow Life continues to show this band is far from their prime and even adds some more aggressive that went unseen on

. Still lots of melody and I am happy to hear that Andrea has more vocal parts contrasting Cristina beautiful as ever tones.

Right off the get go Lacuna Coil kick things off with an eerie bit of female vocalizing and acoustics that explodes into a barrage of riffing and pummeling double bass on "Survive". Right off the start you know this album is going to be much heavier then their previous release. Cristina's vocals are amazing as usual with her hitting some impressive notes in the opening tracks insanely addictive chorus.

I had thought maybe Andrea just had a bigger part in the opening pack but in the second track he is heard again having a big part of the vocals during the Bride and Chorus. The third track "Not Enough" opens with Christina putting down some incredible vocals and turns into easily one of the most emotional duets between Cristina and Andrea in a long time. By this point I am remembering Lacuna Coil's earlier works when both vocalists had more of a center role where as Cristina had taken the reigns on the past couple recordings.

"I'm Not Afraid" brings back the attitude from the earlier tracks and even has Andrea belting out some yells, again reminiscent of his vocals on earlier albums. This is another track that has a chorus so catchy you'll find yourself singing along after a listen or two. "I Like It" is a very upbeat track and since their debut this is the first track in their history that really has a hint of pop rock to it, this could easily be a single, music video to support the album and bring in new fans.

Then as to say "We aren't pop!" the next track erupts with some hard riffs and bombastic drumming and still both the male and female vocals continue to run off one another with this time having Andrea taking charge on the chorus. The seventh track on the album opens with some low creepy keyboard work not far off from something you'd heard in 80's pop/goth music, then some excellent guitar fades into the mix and one of the most haunting and dark tracks on the album takes flight. "Spellbound" kicks the tempo up with some roaring riffs that create the sound scape for the album's first single that had been the first taste of the album fans had got, through various digital downlaod's the band offered.

"Wide Awake" is a beautiful ballad that Cristina's voice soars and we hear some very charming classic piano, all in all one of the most charming songs by Lacuna Coil since before

. "The Maze" kicks off with some gritty bass and harmonic female vocalizing but then turns up the attitude again mainly fronted by Andrea with Cristina only singing during key points. The guitars on "The Maze" are gritty, low and crunchy backed by some nice drum patterns and some pleasantly complex Bass work.

The album begins to close with "Unchained" a mid paced ballad with a very catchy chorus. The song is mainly fronted by Andrea and again only features Cristina at key points and we even get a nice bit of soloing ending the track. The album closer and title track "Shallow Life" is a beautiful, melodic track that has a groove to it unseen on previous albums. The album ends with some amazing symphonic keyboard work and haunting vocals by Cristina. If you get the Limited Edition, you'll get the bonus track "Oblivion" which is a great ballad between Cristina and Andrea and features some of the best guitar riffing, soloing on the album. I suppose several dollars more for one song might be overkill to some, might want to try and find the MP3 on the net and just buy it alone.

When all is said and done this is the most I have enjoyed a Lacuna Coil album since

back in 2002. Shallow Life has just the right mixture of Melody and Attitude to remind old fans of older albums yet still holds the keyboard/synth work more prominent on later releases. Just the fact that the older style of Male vs Female vocals has returned should be enough to pull in fans of the more aged albums. Thank you for reading and if my review helped or at least interested you please click Yes below.

-A Loyal Lacuna Coil Fan

I just downloaded Lacuna Coil's latest studio album: Shallow Life, and gave the album a couple of good listens before reviewing. Musically, as many have stated, it is a mix of old and new, which isn't bad in itself. I am a fan of Lacuna Coil, not necessarily of the genre of music they have been placed into. Their vocal quality and pronouncation are better than ever, with extra kudos to allowing their male vocalist Andrea Ferro to have some more air time. However, what is quite evident on this record is that the depth of their lyrical content has deteriorated considerably from Karmacode. Some songs are almost laughable at the redundancy and choice of words. It's really quite sad, since their previous albums were very rich in their content, especially Comalies. The producer Don Gilmore, who apparently helped with the lyrical content, needed to realize that Lacuna Coil and Linkin Park are very different. Linkin Park is an angry lyric-driven band. Lacuna Coil's lyrics are driven by angst, two very different emotions. As someone on another review site stated, this is not Lacuna-Park.

My favorite tracks on the album are I Survive, Wide Awake, Spellbound, and Shallow Life. Though they are not nearly as stellar as Heaven's a Lie or Our Truth. These particular tracks get my seal of approval for sticking to a lyric formula that works for them and not attempting to mainstream it down too much. The songs that drive me nuts, however are I Like it, Underdog, and The Pain. The lyrics are so annoyingly repetitive (especially I Like it) that they stay in your brain for hours....like an eye tiche or a muscle twitch.

Overall, the album is average. It flows well, and is addictive for the first few rounds, but after a few listens the lack of depth will start to show and have you shelving this album for the much better Comalies or Karmacode.