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Band: Lacuna Coil
Album: Comalies XX
Release date: 14 October 2022
Label: Century Media Records
Genre: Alternative Metal, Gothic Metal
Tracklist:
Disc I [CD1]
01. Swamped XX
02. Heaven's A Lie XX
03. Daylight Dancer XX
04. Humane XX
05. Self Deception XX
06. Aeon XX
07. Tight Rope XX
08. The Ghost Woman And The Hunter XX
09. Unspoken XX
10. Entwined XX
11. The Prophet Said XX
12. Angel's Punishment XX
13. Comalies XX
Disc II [CD2]
01. Swamped
02. Heaven's A Lie
03. Daylight Dancer
04. Humane
05. Self Deception
06. Aeon
07. Tight Rope
08. The Ghost Woman And The Hunter
09. Unspoken
10. Entwined
11. The Prophet Said
12. Angel's Punishment
13. Comalies
The first disc consists of rearranged and re-recorded versions, the second disc is the original Comalies album (2002).
I can hardly believe it has been 20 years since Lacuna Coil released its monumental album Comalies. And to celebrate this anniversary, the band has a decade to honour it by not simply making a remastered version but re-do the whole thing. There was a lot of marketing done over it, so I daresay we have all been anticipating it eagerly. Now that it is here, there seems to be a plethora of mixed feelings about it.
Comalies was a wrap-up for the »old« Lacuna Coil, if I may say so, as its successor, Karmacode, delivered a radically different aspect of the band's sound - they drifted apart from the gothic-esque vibe more and more with each album and peered more profoundly into metal waters. As for the fanbase - well - some of us prefer the old, romantic style to the new-found harshness of it. However, the younger generation embraced the unique sound the band has evolved, and Comalies XX is to bring us the best of both worlds.
Long forgotten are the romantic keyboards, the use of acoustic and electric guitars and the intertwining of Cristina's and Andrea's clean vocals into breath-taking melodies. Compared to the original version, Comalies XX was to create a much more eerie atmosphere. For most of the songs, the tempo slows down, the melodies shift in a different direction, and the vocal work has a whole new face as well - Cristina sounds as passionate as ever and clearly shows how her vocal abilities grew stronger and stronger over the course of two decades. On the other side, Andrea changed his course completely and switched from clean vocals to growling, yet managed to deliver a very powerful and impactful performance. While they both sound phenomenal and bring a whole new sphere to the newly created songs, one cannot help but miss the original entwinement of the two voices combining in a far more zealous manner.
Comalies XX is a very strong modern metal record, filled with dominant and rhythmic riffs and subtle keyboard melodies flowing gently beneath the sound of harshness. But (and there is a but) for me, who has known Comalies since its beginning, the biggest gap I cannot overcome is the change in how they approached the melodies, especially when it comes to choruses. The revised versions are simply in some sort of conflict with the originals, and when listening to this album, with each track, my mind wants to sing the melodies that I'm familiar with, no matter how many spins I take and how hard I try to go along with the newly established style.
There is no doubt the sound of the album is crisp and sharp. The production is flawless, and the album certainly has its soul. Yet the lack of originality outweighs the effort to create a smooth blend of old and new. ''Angel's Punishment'' was always so dear to me, and with its vile intro missing, no matter how hard they tried to make it sound heavier, it does not sound darker due to heaviness. ''Aeon'' has lost its loring and heart-breaking appeal, while fan favourites ''Heaven's A Lie'' and ''Tight Rope'' differ quite much from the originals as well, and somehow the appeal gets lost. The eponymous ''Comalies'' is presented almost as a brand-new song - while it still carries a strong emotional atmosphere, it lacks the delicacy and sheer emotion that are so apparent in the original.
Re-working such a classical album is a risky thing to do, and in no way am I suggesting Lacuna Coil did not meet its standards. The band has shown immense evolutionary changes looking at the timeline of its existence, and as a unity, they stand strong and proud - as they should be. And heads up to them, for not only remastering an album but embracing this idea and pulling it through, as XX delivers a decent, melodic and enjoyable way to commemorate such a monumental release. Comalies XX is a vigorous and powerful album; I am sure those, who encountered the band after its big break-though, will find it stellar. As for the rest of us... I know I will always let the sentimental value of Comalies get to me.
The review was written by Ines
Rating: 6/10
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