Review of the Album "Black Anima" by Italian Heavy Metal Band Lacuna Coil

Milan Italy’s Lacuna Coil went from a mostly Gothic rock/Gothic metal band and they have adopted a heavier and in some cases a more industrial type of sound. I just got into their brand new 2019 studio album called Black Anima.

“Anima Nera” starts with this electronic sound and this may come as a shock to the systems or bodies of lots of fans of the band. I know why, because listeners have been used to hearing high quality heavy rock from these Italians. “Sword of Anger” is a song that will especially shock many listeners who may be thinking thoughts such as “what the heck is this” or “what happened to these guys?” What you are about to hear is a heavy and dark kind of album that has influences ranging from heavy rock to industrial metal and a touch of thrash metal so give Black Anima a chance like I did.

Sword of Anger has the kind of start musically that resembles Fear Factory and Andrea Ferro’s voice has really matured. Just because a certain album is different it does not mean it is a bad album. I also understand the frustration that many Lacuna Coil fans would have as this music is a complete 360 degree turn and abandonment of their former Gothic rock style but still, the music is decent enough. We could even refer to Black Anima as a nu-metal or industrial metal release but unlike bands such as Prong that can get stale at times, Lacuna Coil still manage to make things at least somewhat interesting even at their weakest moments. That is the sign of an elite band!

Writing this review makes me feel extremely grateful that Lacuna Coil is still around after 25 years! Cristina Scabbia is a very talented woman and she is more than a great fit for this band.

Hearing Cristina’s voice throughout this album, she has stepped away from the softer, purer kind of voice that she used back in 2001 when Unleashed Memories was released. She shows her range but she sings in a different way. Cristina’s voice is higher but not like an opera singer. Her voice is in a higher range but she keeps it under control without wailing. For me, having sat through this album so far, this is the darkest record that Lacuna Coil has released to this point. It may sound like Cristina is screaming but she is trying to extend her voice and she does a decent job with it.

I know that Italy sometimes isn’t a country that gets as much recognition from people for heavy metal and rock and neither is metal totally dead in Italy. But Lacuna Coil has been the greatest heavy rock export from Italy that has managed to establish a bigger presence in other regions of the world especially North America. I could say that there is a good certainty that there are no happy songs in this album Black Anima. I read in an interview that Cristina recently gave in which she said that she lost both of her parents in a short amount of time and these two losses were very devastating for her. She revealed that the darkness is revealed in the music and she also said that darkness isn’t always bad. When darkness occurs it is possible to see the light. Even though Lacuna Coil is not Fear Factory or some other nu-metal band, stylistic changes have not dramatically weakened the band but instead these changes have enabled the band to construct a decent modern rock album.