My Italy senses must’ve been tingling this week!

I wrote about being a third generation Italian-American, and completed this week with a brand new album from the legendary Lacuna Coil.

If you’ve been following me for sometime, you know that I am a metal fan. I love many genres of music, but metal seemed to be the one that pulled me out of especially dark places and helped me celebrate the joyous ones. There was something for everything.

When it comes to Lacuna Coil, I’ve been following them since 2006 and started with Comalies – and then dove into Karmacode. I researched their older albums, and followed them as they progressed from Shallow Life on.

I continued to be obsessed with their music largely for their willingness to experiment. I’ve felt a connection to Cristina Scabbia too, as she “looks” like me (another Italian!) and shares similar personal interests as me. Let’s be real, she can belt too! My vocal range is similar to hers, so it’s easy (and fun) to sing along with Lacuna Coil songs too.

That “willingness to experiment” that I mentioned did not stop with their newest release Black Anima.

Without giving too much away, I’ll just say that I can absolutely hear their love of Depeche Mode and Rammstein on this album. To my (pleasant) surprise, Andrea brings a lot of intensity to the growls you’ll hear sprinkled in the album. To me, this is the fiercest he’s ever sounded. Cristina shows off her impressive range as usual – no complaints there!

If you’re hoping that every song on the album sounds the same, it doesn’t. I think that’s a good thing. They mix techno sounds with heavy riffs and thunderous drumming here. You’ll also catch an operatic choir (see “Veneficium”).

We knew that, lyrically, this was going to be a darker album. That held true. Take a look at “Black Anima” for example…

It’s  time to let go

Release  all control

Destroy everything

Rebuild  it again

Let go

“Black Anima” – Lacuna Coil

In their trademark way, Lacuna Coil still acknowledges the “darkness” of life, while encouraging confidence despite it.

That is a big part of what makes Black Anima worth the buy.