Lacuna Coil -The 119 Show – Live In London

The passage of time becomes very apparent  when sitting down with this sprawling cd set. It is strange to hear thank-you for 20 years, I would not have pegged it at anything like that much time. Admittedly I lost touch with Lacuna Coil around the Karmacode album during their ascent. Lacuna Coil first came on the radar via a Terrorizer cover cd, they sounded so out of place among the various death metal and black metal at the time. The sublime vocals of Cristina Scabbia really made them stand out at a time when females were not all that prominent in metal.

Presented here is a live best of covering every element of their career to date. They also acknowledge their first recordings with tracks from their first ep “Soul into Hades “ and “Falling”, there are so many bands that do not recognise their early material especially in a pivotal release such as this.

The recording has huge sound especially around the drums and bass and it gives a real sense of being at the show which will be a wonderful keepsake for those in attendance. As with all live albums there will have been cleanups and fixes during the mix, however listening to the voices they sound mostly untouched. There are slight imperfections in some parts of the vocals which does not detract from the show but gives a sense of live.

All the favourites are here “Heaven’s a lie”, “Closer”, the big hit “Enjoy the Silence” from the earlier albums with “Comalies” and “Unleashed Memories” having the highest representation in the set. The later material has not veered too far from the original formula, it has become more refined, the hooks have gotten more immediate and they are that more polished. “The Army Inside” and “House of Shame” are stand out tracks from the later era and a solid progression, bands cannot stay still and Lacuna Coil have moved with the times and are producing high quality gothic tinged metal for the masses and they are very good at it.

This is a live album the fans will lap up and is a good starting point for investigating the band, it demonstrates the full breadth of their material and showcases the outstanding musicianship and songwriting to the full.  This album is accompanied by a dvd of the show to ensure complete immersion in the 20 year anniversary.

Tracklisting

1              Intro
2              A Current Obsession
3              1.19
4              My Wings
5              End Of Time
6              Blood, Tears, Dust
7              Swamped
8              The Army Inside
9              Veins Of Glass
10           One Cold Day
11           The House Of Shame
12           When A Dead Man Walks
13           Tight Rope
14           Soul Into Hades
15           Hyperfast
16           I Like It
17           Heaven’s A Lie
18           Senzafine
19           Closer
20           Comalies
21           Our Truth
22           Intermezzo
23           Falling
24           Wide Awake
25           I Forgive
26           Enjoy the Silence
27           Nothing Stands In Our Way

Line-Up

Cristina Scabbia – Female Vocals
Andrea Ferro – Male Vocals
Marco Coti-Zelati – Bass Guitar, Guitars, Keyboards, Synths
Ryan Blake Folden – Drums
Diego Cavallotti – Guitars

www.lacunacoil.com