Over the years the massively successful Italian act Lacuna Coil have received more than their fair share of small minded criticism (most often from people who haven’t actually listened to the band) for being a typical female-fronted metal act trading on the looks of Christina Scabbia rather than innate ability. It has always been an indefensible accusation, not simply because Lacuna Coil are excellent tunesmiths but also because it unfairly overlooks the essential role of joint front-man Andrea Ferro whose presence is essential to the core sound of the band and quickly distinguishes them from the female-fronted acts Lacuna Coil are so often ignorantly lumped in with.
For those who have missed the point of Lacuna Coil entirely, ‘Dark Adrenalin’ makes it firmly by having Andrea’s rich voice open the album on the bombastic ‘Trip the darkness’ which is already doing the rounds as a promotional video for the album. It’s a great opening track, heavy, memorable and rich in melody and detail and it instantly sums up Lacuna Coil’s velveteen appeal. The production is, as might be expected, immaculate, and the music surging but restrained enough to maintain the slick appeal of ‘karmacode’ and ‘shallow life’. It is metal, but very much pop-infused, and as Lacuna Coil operate more-or-less in a field of one, it’s fair to say that no-one does it better. The next track, ‘against you’ cements this feeling with some rather lovely lead guitar work and a grinding riff backing up the harmony-laden vocals and you can imagine it being a big hit in metal clubs across the country; it also happens to be one of lacuna Coil’s best songs with a real sense of the guitarists being let off the leash to indulge their talents which are by no means insignificant. ‘Kill the light’ comes roaring from off the blocks next, another fast-paced number, and you have just a moment to reflect that this is the most vital Lacuna Coil have sounded in some time – there’s an energy and vitality to ‘Dark Adrenalin’ that suggests the band have dug deeper than usual (with no disrespect intended to their previous outings) to craft what may well prove to be their best release yet, topping even cult-hit ‘Comalies’ and fully justifying the use of the word ‘adrenalin’ in the title.
Electronics stutter and surge on the intro to the poppy ‘give me something more’ which is part Madonna part Korn and much better than that description makes it sound before the heavier sound of ‘upsidedown’ kicks off with Andrea’s angry vocal offering the grit before Christina sweetens the chorus in her inimitable fashion. It highlights that Lacuna Coil 2012 are a heavier, louder prospect than they were at the time of the release of ‘Shallow life’ with more solos, heavier riffs and great songs flying thick and fast. It’s only around track six that things slow down for the mid-paced rock-ballad ‘end of time’ – the sort of irritatingly catchy song that only a bath in bleach will fully remove thanks to a melody so insistent that it should be on a Bon Jovi album! It’s a true lighters-in-the-air moment and a nice break from the generally heavier flow of the album thus far. A brooding intro brings back the surging, biting guitars for ‘I don’t believe in tomorrow’, a nice piece of minor-key aggression which the band do so well with Christina on fine form, her voice sweet but possessed of a gentle menace which gives the track a subtle undercurrent of threat even before the vocalists swap out for the heavy chorus.
‘Intoxicated’ has a gloriously odd, music-box introduction before the guitars once again smash in only to slide away for the verse, allowing Christina plenty of space for the song’s complex vocal gymnastics. Andrea roars out the opening lines of ‘the army inside’ but interestingly the overall feel of the song is a rocked-up version of Depeche mode, a band with whom Lacuna Coil’s similarities became apparent following the ‘enjoy the silence’ cover on ‘Karmacode’, although a sublime solo nicely breaks up the relentless wall-of-guitar approach. There is only one mis-step on the album and it is, funnily enough, not an original song but a cover. Never strangers to picking on well-known and ambitious songs to tackle (see above) Lacuna Coil misjudged when they chose to rework the impossibly popular ‘losing my religion’ for, despite substantially reworking the melody, the lyrics are so inextricably tied in to REM’s majestic original that your mind automatically takes you back to that version with the effect that Lacuna Coil’s update jars uncomfortably where it should be triumphant. It’s a small blot on an otherwise unblemished copybook, but you can’t help but feel that this would be better as a bonus track or as a b side, although you have to admire their courage in tackling it at all. Things get back on track for the pounding ‘fire’ which is classic Lacuna Coil with melody and aggression in equal measure and the vocalists enjoying trading lines back and forth across the track. The album draws to a close on yet another high with the chunky, mid-paced ‘my spirit’ – with Andrea taking the lead on the verse and turning in a fine performance in the process, whilst Christina’s soulful, understated chorus is given depth by the harmonies introduced and the band hold their fire to give both vocalists the opportunity to shine.
‘Dark Adrenaline’ is not going to change your mind about Lacuna Coil – if you have already dismissed them then this isn’t going to change your view, but if that’s the case it’s certainly your loss. ‘Shallow life’ was by no means a bad album, but it certainly showcased a lighter side to the band whereas here we find Lacuna Coil on top form crafting a powerful, memorable album of top class pop-orientated metal; the guitars shine more, the solos are better and the vocals are first-rate as ever. As slick and as sumptuous as the band’s ambitious videos and powerful with it, ‘Dark Adrenaline’ is Lacuna Coil’s strongest album to date.
