Shallow Life [Limited Edition]

Lacuna Coil are an unusual band. With two members who's sole job is vocals it must be hard to constantly be getting the best of one without leaving the other one out too much. They also make great use of synths and keyboards without actually having a keyboard player live. These keyboards are more prominant than ever on this album, and I do not think that it is a bad thing at all. This album is a joy to listen to, full of catchy hooks and song-a-long choruses. However, there is a slight problem. I've never really been a huge fan of Andrea Ferro's vocals and sometimes on this album he can be very annoying. He's not brilliant live as I've seen when I saw them supporting Bullet for my Valentine and on their 'Visual Karma' DVD. But when you get past that they are a great band, after all; they have Cristina Scabbia to make up for it! Time for the track by track run through:

Survive - This is probably the strongest opening to any Lacuna Coil album to date. The huge rhythmic double-foot pedals really hit you and the synth laden riff is so powerful. Cristina's vocals are spot-on in the chorus and Andrea sounds good in the chorus. A very strong song and one that will no doubt be included in their live sets. 8/10

I Won't Tell You - Another quite synthy intro starts this song while some rather nice lead guitars gentley lie underneath. The vocals are top-notch on this song and the chorus is very catchy, definatley one to sing to. The synths that and quite prominant throughout are very effective and add another layer of depth to this great track. 8/10

Not Enough - Cristina's angelic vocals kick this song off with some very melodic piano which soon suges into a great, rhythmic song with nice guitar work and pounding drums. However, this is one of the songs where Andrea's vocals sound kinda annoying but it's not that hard to get over it and enjoy the song. 8/10

I'm Not Afraid - Another nice beat opens the song before the guitars start to swerve around creating a nice riff. The verse has some nice lead guitar lines underneath Cristina's voice. The chorus is sung as a duet between the two singers and Andrea sounds quite good here. Quite a catchy chorus but it reminds me of a song, but I can't remember which one! 7/10

I Like It - This is probably my least favorite song on the album just due to the fact that it's too cheesey. It's catchy no doubt about that but it doesn't belong to Lacuna Coil, it's kinda emmbarassing to listen to. I can imagine this being a reasonably big hit single and people who wouldn't usually listen to Lacuna Coil being obessed with it for a period of time. Oh well, if it gets them money... 6/10

Underdog - This song sports a rather crushing opening riff and verse, sung by Andrea. He sounds wierd here, I dunno if I like it or not but I suppose it's effective. The chorus is quite slow and sung by Andrea with Cristina harmonising in the background. One of the most Andrea-led songs on the album. 7/10

The Pain - Surprisingly, this is the longest song on the album at 4:01. It's a very electronic song with boncing synths dominating the mix. The two singers sing the chorus together with Andrea's vocals taking lead with Cristina sitting back providing some tasteful backing. 7/10

Spellbound - This is definatley the best song on the album and also it's lead single. Andrea sounds good on the verses and the chorus is very catchy and well sung by Cristina. The bass is very audible here and cuts a groove accorss the mix. There is also a guitar solo, not something that Lacuna Coil put in a lot of songs but it works very well here. 9/10

Wide Awake - This one is another piano-led ballady song. It works very well after the chart-worthy 'Spellbound' and Cristina's haunting voice relaxs the listener while they listen to it's beauty. She really is a very talented vocalist, despite not being in the same league of Tarja Turunen, Floor Jansen or Simone Simons. A very beautiful song. 8/10

The Maze - This is a pretty wierd song and is where Andrea really falls in to the pits of hell. His voice here does not sound very good at all. Oh well, the chorus is good when Cristina helps and she sounds like a breath of fresh air after his crooning. 6/10

Unchained - Not a band song at all but I fear that it's a little bit of filler! The chorus is very strong but the verses are weak and Andrea sounds bad. There's also another guitar solo, although it's kinda wasted on this song. 6/10

Shallow Life - This album's title track is quite melencholic and is not as heavy as some of the songs that have gone before. Cristina sings very well here and is acompnaied by some simple drums and synths. Andrea's haunting backing vocals are very effective in this song and it makes it a very good song to end an album on. 7/10

Overall, this is a very good album. It developes on the sounds tested on 'Comalies' and 'Karmacode' to make a very coheisive and tight album. I can imagine a lot of these songs working very well live and I would like to see them again if they come back to the UK.

Lacuna Coil are one of those bands that any good rock/metal fan know of (mostly due to Cristina) but rarely check out, which is a shame. Up until now their music has sometimes been dismissed as being ordinary and lacking originality, which is perhaps a bit harsh but nevertheless an interesting point. For Shallow Life they have taken a slightly different direction without losing their sound and has resulted in a very good album to listen to.

The start of the album (Survive) is a bit of a surprise with its heavyhanded nature, but is a good start and leads you nicely into Cristina's vocals and Andrea's chorus. It is also a sign of things to come as this is the majority of the format with Cristina providing the softer vocals and Andrea providing the heavier tones and they are stronger for it.

There are definite highlights, which is not to say there are many weaknesses in the album. Personal preference leads me to "I Won't Tell You", "I Like It", "The Pain" and "Spellbound" as the standout tracks but undoubtedly others will disagree. Perhaps the only weakness might come from Andrea's voice lacking emotion sometimes as I can never tell if he's being angry, moody or all of the above. Cristina's voice on the other hand seems to be maturing well and she is a much improved vocalist than LC's earlier material. Though in fairness this might be a reflection of the higher track quality.

Anyway, to the point. For the sake of a few pounds out of your pocket this is an excellent addition to anyone's CD collection and so comes highly recommended.

I really enjoyed this CD. My favourite tracks are The Pain, Spellbound and Unchained. If you like gothic/symphonic metal with a female voice, the album is great.