Lacuna Coil

In a Reverie (Century Media)
by Scott Hefflon

You can see how this came to pass: The Gathering did well and people seem to really dig metal bands slowing down, adding piercing layers of female vocals and growling, black metal-lite vocals to the mix of brooding “Goth rock.” Trouble is, most of this shit ain’t proper Goth (and they’re a strict bunch, ya know?) and it ain’t really metal anymore either (and metalheads, while becoming more open-minded in recent years, still prefer the crunch to the lilt, dig?). So while Lacuna Coil have nice melodies and harmonies (mostly layered, belted-out female vocals punctuated by a growling guy), it’s just not Goth enough to be Goth, and not technical or brutal enough to be metal. Maybe middle-of-the-road Goth/metal kids’ll dig this cuz it’s easy to swallow, but I was never under the impression that either genre was supposed to be secretly enjoyed by parents. So while it’s got the look and feel of the supposed crossover of Goth and metal, it’s got all the depth of buying your “freaky” wardrobe at the Hot Topic in your local mall.
(1453-A 14th St. #324 Santa Monica, CA 90404)