Comalies

Lacuna Coil has always been just enough metal to keep me hooked... just enough progressive to keep me hooked... and always enough Cristina Scabbia's vocals to keep me hooked!

If you're looking for lightening fast riffs... this is not you're band. The music (for metal) can be slow as molasses at times. But the great thing about Lacuna is that everything is in context. It all sounds like it all belongs together - fanstasic arrangements.

Oddly enough (catch the pun?) I think the best tracks are the odd numbered ones 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 and the title track.

Track 1 "Swamped" starts out with rocking riff and the back and forth vocals of Cristina and male vocalist Andrea Ferro. I've always thought the combination of Ferro's rough vocals and Scabbia's angelic voice worked well together and this opening track showcases it. The line "its just a melody - it bleeds in me" describes the track well - a fantastic melody to this jewel.

Track 3 "Daylight Dancer" is another example of the fantastic vocal overlay of Cristina and Andrea. The precussion work during the chorus is fantastic and the song is relatively slow, but retains a "heavy" feel to it. Absolutely enchanting vocals here with some wicked work on the drums - no overplaying - this is something LC understands - its about the group - no one instrument is accented over another.

Track 5: Self Deception (my personal fave..) This songs rocks. I love the lyrics here. Crushing riffs during the verses and then again... Cristina's lush voice for the chorus - her emotion comes through loud and clear here. The bass work really shines on this track as well. A short song,with no filler - a nice 20 second guitar riff/solo at the 2:40 mark.

Track 7 "Tight Rope" - my favorite part of this is all the double bass kicking during the chorus. The formula here is the same as other places on the disc - male vocals for the verses and female for the chorus. Heavy, vibrating guitar throughout. During the bridge (2:40 to 3:10) there is the same guitar riff followed by a different precussion fill - absolute genius here!!

Track 9: "Unspoken" The "get up and dance" track on the CD. You just can't sit still while listening to this track. Andrea and Cristina sing together on the chorus here - with most of the volume going to Cristina. Crunchy guitar work during the verses and a beatuifully orchestrated chorus.

Track 11: "The Prophet Said" : Crunchy, heavy riffs all the way through. I think this is Cristina's best track. When she breaks into "This is my harmony.. I'm in your heart again" at 2:20 you really get a showcase of her voice -- and then the incredible, angelic overlays of her voice from 3:00 to 3:45 are stunning - all followed a heavy, crunchy riff leading to the trailer of the song.

I wouldn't want to forget the fantastic lyrical content of "Entwined" or the force in Andrea's voice in "Angel's Punishment" The growling "Can't you take me away from your lies?" works very well for the penultimate track - a case of agression used well.

Buy it now - get them all from Lacuna Coil: The EP, In a Reverie, HalfLife, Unleashed Memories and Comalies. Now if only this band will come back and tour the states!!


One of the best albums of 2003..   August 2, 2004
fowldogg (NC, USA)
9 out of 11 found this review helpful

I bought comalies about half a year ago and i still find myself listening to it almost every day. Listen, they might have a gothic sound, but im not in any way a gothic person! this album is so catchy that you could be any type of person and love it! This album is definitly a step up from Unleashed Memories in my opinion. The main reason is because it still has that beautiful melancholy sound like the others, but is HEAVIER. This band has definitly produced an original sound unlike a lot of bands. Comalies' tracks will slowly pull you into LC's world, almost as if you were floating!
Here's a review of each track:

Swamped 9/10: Very good song to start out the album, it shows you the melancholy/heavy side which you'll experience a lot in the rest of the album. Good range of vocals by Cristina.

Heaven's a lie 10/10: Could very well be the best rock song ever with a female vocalist! This is a well-developed song with even a background orchestra on the chorus. Its heavy, melodic, and the vocals are flawless by both singers!(which you dont hear often with this group) what more could you ask for in a rock song?

Daylight Dancer 9/10: One of the more heavier, darker songs of the album. Im not gothic at all, but i still think its a catchy song. Its probably a good one for all you goths out there.

Humane 8/10: The first soft song of the album. Its ok but i dont really care for the keyboards in this one.

Self Deception 9/10: Another solid, heavy song. The elements of this song sound like the heavy ones from unleashed memories. I like the straight up riffs of the guitar with Andreas voice, and then how it breaks down into the chorus with Cristinas vocals. Cristinas vocals are also amazing on this song.

Aeon 10/10 : Beautiful instrumental work. This song shows you what Lacuna Coils music is all about..It almost makes you feel like your floating into their world of melancholy, but absolutly beautiful music.

Tight Rope 7/10: The heaviest song on the album. I give this a 7 though because it lacks the melody you hear in the rest of the album.

Ghost Woman and the Hunter 9/10: Going back into the gloomy melody. Cristina does a good job going solo on this song. This song can be catchy, but it takes a lot of listens in my opinion.

Unspoken 9/10: Another harder song with the accompaniment of violins. Good, hard, melodic as ever..no other way to put it.

Entwined 10/10: Along with Heaven's a lie, this is tied for my fav. LC song! This song is absolutly flawless! it shows you that this band can do a softer metal song, and have both vocalists performing at their best. For all you guys out there with a woman, i reccomend you listen to this one with your girl, its a good song to make love to....

Prophet Said 9/10: Back to the heavy stuff again. This songs layout is similar to track #5 with the straight, heavy riffs throughout the verses. The end of the song is especially catchy, because it goes into this beautiful breakdown with Cristina.

Angel's Punishment 8/10: My least fav. song of the album, only because of the lyrics. I think the band just got depressed and upset, and decided to write this song. Another good gothic one though for you people.

Comalies 10/10: A perfect song to end the album. This is prob my second favorite song on the album. Cristina shows off her sexy italian vocals and then breaks it down in english on the chorus. A beautiful song, and another decent one to listen to while making love!


Melodic and haunting.   June 19, 2003
TensionExperiment (East Coast)
8 out of 11 found this review helpful

Lacuna Coil is a band that deserves much more recognition that they receive. Comalies is by far their best work and their love for the project shines through on almost every track. Cristina is still one of the most talented front women in rock, and her voice remains haunting and emotive. Musically the CD is rife with richly textured melodies and surprisingly effective string arrangments. Every song on the disk is worth listening to, and the more you listen the deeper you feel the music. It is quite a testament to the creativity and synergy of a band when you can listen to a song and always get something different from it. If you are a fan of Evanescence or the Gathering, then you owe it to yourself to pick up a copy of Comalies. You will be glad you did.

Standout Tracks:

Swamped
Daylight Dancer
Aeon
Tight Rope
Entwined
Angel's Punishment


Some of the best metal to come out of Europe   October 24, 2003
Cade Rarick (Indianapolis, IN)
8 out of 8 found this review helpful

In the last year I have gotten very into European metal, specifically metal that has female vocals. Lacuna Coil is easily my favorite. They are like no other band I have ever heard, Evanescence doesn't even come close. Their music is melodic, yet at the same time something you can bang your head to. Christina's vocals are incredibly clear and sweet, an absolutely amazing voice. And Andi's singing mixes the best sounds from a James Hetfield type of singing to the death metal growling of Morten Veland of Tristania and Sirenia. This past summer I had a chance to see them perform in Columbus, Ohio. All I can say is that they put on an amazing show. If you ever get the opportunity to see them, jump at the chance. While there I also got a chance to talk with Christina and Andi for a few minutes. They are truly nice people. The whole band was waiting in the lobby meeting their fans as they left. It says a lot about a band when they make an effort to meet the poeple that love their music.


Absolute crap   July 1, 2004
7 out of 16 found this review helpful

Boy, this band is overrated. Just because they have a pretty lead singer, they get to be on Ozzfest and in every rock/metal magazine? I bought this cd out of curiosity-Big Mistake!! The band sounds like they just learned how to play their instruments last month. There are absolutely no riffs, just bar chords chugging along very uninspiredly, backed up by Casio-sounding keyboards. Kinda sounds like Europe (remember "The Final Countdown"?) with a (more) female singer. Don't waste your time. Makes a great coaster, though!