Website: Lacuna Coil
The Inside Pulse:
Italy’s Lacuna Coil has been around longer than most recent Ozzfest attendees may realize. Releasing their first EP in 1998, the six-piece quietly worked its way into a cult following overseas, leading up to the slow-built success of 2002’s Comalies. Ozzfest didn’t hurt their exposure, either.
However, it’s clear that Ozzfest made a big impact on the band’s style itself. Where previously Lacuna Coil was most certainly Euro-centric in musical structure, Karmacode brings a healthy dose of the chugga-chugga into their repertoire. Gone are the meandering and “pretty” pieces, as well as songs in their native Italian which always speckled prior discs. Instead, Lacuna Coil opted to take a more US radio-friendly route, presumably to capitalize on their newfound legion of American metal fans.
The result is disappointing to long-time Lacuna fans, but altogether pleasant and eye-opening to those whose casual metal tastes don’t stretch very far across the Atlantic. After endless (inaccurate) comparisons to Evanescence, those first exposed to the band via this disc may find Karmacode to be all that they wished Evanescence could have been. However, those who have been listening for years will certainly notice the change in direction, and it’s not encouraging.
Positives: “What I See” is likely the one song on Karmacode which retains most of the feel of Lacuna Coil from days past. Its ridiculously catchy hook-laden chorus enhances the newfound tightness in songwriting. Also, their cover of Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy the Silence” is pleasantly inoffensive to fans of the original, adding their own touches but not ruining a classic.
Negatives: Regardless of new fans or old, there’s one pervasive issue with the album, and that’s blandness. Most of the songs take ridiculously repeated listens to even begin to tell them apart. It’s fair to say that without Cristina Scabbia, Karmacode would be interchangeable with pretty much every current third-tier US metal act. It’s not bad, but the complete change in direction will definitely shock those who have been following the band for years.
Crossbreed:
A blend of Coal Chamber, Trapt, Disturbed, and/or VAST enhanced with gorgeous female vocals.
Reason to buy:
You’re an Ozzfest-style metal fan, you appreciate great multipart vocals, or you’re a longtime Lacuna Coil fanatic who doesn’t mind rolling with the changes.
