Review by Sheri Bicheno for MPM
With a career as distinguished as Lacuna Coil’s, each release has always been like journeying through a different realm, growing and evolving with time and craft.
Now with 10th studio album Sleepless Empire incoming, the Italian gothic metal giants once more encapsulate their listeners into a trance of their iconic soundscapes, blending forces of mixing both modern and historic sonic assaults.
Intro track The Siege starts as an echoing suspense that folds into Cristina Scabbia’s haunting vocals before we’re smashed into a storm of riffs and visceral vocals from Andrea Ferro.
The harmonies displayed in this intro track are completely flawless with underlying keys that spring epic synths into the tone of the track, picking up depths of moods.

The epic sounds in this track grab your core and raise you straight into the air – we have catchy beats but still keeping that beautiful Gothic melodies that run strong through the track.
The dual vocals between Cristina and Andrea as always, run away together to create a balance between beautifully clean chords and stunning gutturals to emit both light and darkness.
What an opening track!!
Oxygen was released as a single around 3 months ago, it gives an apocalyptic edge with a LOT more intricate maddening guitar chords wielded by Marco Coti Zelati and Daniele Salomone.
There is a completely new feel with this track. There are heavier guitars hooked with super sharp grooves and tech fuelled riffs.
Richard Meiz displays some tight precision on the rhythm behind the kit with his double pedals controlling the pace of the track alongside the heaviness of the guitars.
About three quarters of the way through this song, there comes an ambient moment that instills that classic Lacuna Coil style of pure heaviness with ripples of catharsis that pull their listeners in,.
Scarecrow exhibits another surge of a futuristic intro that melts into some stunning melodics.
This one reminds me a lot of the Karmacode days in some ways – that fusion of soul binding emotions that Lacuna Coil have always put into their songwriting be it the vocal styles or composition of melodics that are injected into the right places amongst the heavy sections.

The drums here are outstanding! Richard displays blending of blast beats with tempo changing double kicks that turn melodic instead of just pure aggression.
The changes in direction here are so skillful and along with the subtle organ style keys, really outlines the light of the moods in this track.
Andrea’s vocals here also take on so much range in between Cristina’s. His roars are earth shaking and ombre against barking gutturals that heighten the heaviness and compliment Cristina’s heart wrenching crescendos.
Gravity serves as the newest single to date and incorporates the beauty of the Gothic side of Lacuna Coil with elements of industrial notes. Shifting from a chanting passage underlying melodic moods to a modern synth twist, the feelings injected into this track are uplifting yet heavy with notions that time is precious and we need to make the most of it.
The basswork here from Marco Coti Zelati takes some tones of beautifully deep but subtle tones to guide the weight of the heaviness along the track. Whilst low ebbed, the melodics of the bassnotes are hugely prominent and give this track a heavier depth.
I Wish You Were Dead is the next track and gives an anthemic vibe to the album but still keeps it beautifully melodic.
Cristina’s high vocals take on a powerful anthem style with underlying backing – a track without harsh vocals and gives an injection of lighter notes that are not too heavy on the synths and end with an echoing ripple.
The shortest track on the album, it’s a great direction of something a little different to the heaviness of Sleepless Empire.
It’s been said before but Lacuna Coil seldom collaborate on their releases with other Artists and this being the first collaboration of the album, Hosting The Shadow features Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe – an utterly solid decision to contribute to the album as they have shared the stage together over the years.
Hosting The Shadow starts as a synth and riff induced injection that’s showered with melodic harmonies and groove infused drumming.
Cristina’s harmonizing vocals put suspense into the track and then we’re hit with the unmistakable roars of Randy, bringing in dual gutturals in places alongside Andrea’s range.
This duet of harsh sonic intensity entwining with Cristina is utterly consuming and takes the listener deeper into the realms. The moods are totally addictive with the ripples of catharsis that run through the track and create such an absorbing energy.
In Nomine Patris is one of my favourite tracks of the album – starting off with a stunning orchestral cinematic feel with echoes of cultural chants, this track is the perfect storm of melodics and darkness that exhibit Lacuna Coil’s skills of new injections of soundscapes whilst keeping true to their styes.
The vocals are hugely raw and absolutely spellbinding with ranges of melodic and beautiful mezzo-soprano high and dark notes of Cristina, together with Andrea’s pouring so much powerful energies into his earth trembling roars to uphold that wonderful melodic momentum in a different light.
Musically, the strings and drums take me back to the Comalies era, however the injection of the visceral guitar riffs provide that newer level of heaviness to the brink amongst the orchestral passages of the track that give this such an emotion fuelled futuristic feel.
Title track Sleepless Empire focuses on the aggressive and really dark elements to the album that entwines with depths of melodies. This is another powerful message from the album, with the warning that we live in an evolution of a digital generation, and how we see human ignorance growing to what natural interaction was and the what the world around us is eroding into.
There’s an ethereal mood in this track that simmers underneath the speed bullet drumming and dual guitars that give a simultaneous tirade of pounding riffs and melodic chords.
Sleep Paralysis is another favourite of mine from the album. Addressing such a relatable feat of the unknown part of human experience and the mysteries behind it, however dark it can be – Lacuna Coil take this and craft an offering wrapped in mystifying auras and atmospheric textures.
The heaviness and melodics of this track go so, SO well with it’s subject – dreamscapes of light and dark notes with winding riffs and both contrast of vocal styles that blend in some of the most absorbing energies of the album that cast a hypnotic mood into the track.
Possibly my favourite track of the album by far, the composition of this track is to me, a perfect example of modern Lacuna Coil songwriting and ends with a lulling anticipation for the next song…
I hope that Sleep Paralysis makes it onto a live setlist.
The next track treats us to another collaboration, this time with Ash Costello of New Years Day. This also proves to be a killer choice of collaboration – Ash has vocals that compliment Cristina’s for In The Meantime with similar tones and beautifully orchestrated ranges through the track, they inject such clean power into the song to entwine with Andrea’s roaring tones.
The guitars here display so many tones of groove notes that flit in and out of changing tempos and melodics to underline the Gothic highlights of the track.
Anthemic in places, this is a really catchy track but also brings in some utterly heavy moments that creates an unapologetic and powerful storm that has you swept up into a chaotic mood.
The last offering on the album Never Dawn offers a conclusion to Sleepless Empire similarly to how it opened with The Siege – subtle chanting and almost folk infused injections before rippling seamlessly into an orchestral climax and a truly stunning symphonic experience before there’s a rainfall of tech infused riffs and Andrea’s vocals take you down into a vat of darkness.
Exploring the strength of the human mind and spirit and how we cope with the struggle of light and darkness in us all, this track represents a journey of survival.
The signature Lacuna Coil soundscapes are here and blend beautifully with the heavier elements of groove and tech notes to deliver an unforgiving and utterly mesmerising track to opens your minds eye.
Sleepless Empire has exposed the stunning abilities that Lacuna Coil have always harboured in evolving their song writing and is 100% an experience that takes you through so many doors to explore an eye opening journey.
The first album in 6 years to be released, aside from the beautiful re-written Comalies XX in 2022, this is absolutely a bookmark in Lacuna Coil’s discography that maintains their strength and evolution.
A stunning album.

Track Listing:
1. The Siege
2. Oxygen
3. Scarecrow
4. Gravity
5. I Wish You Were Dead
6. Hosting The Shadow
7. In Nomine Patris
8. Sleepless Empire
9. Sleep Paralysis
10. In The Mean Time
11. Never Dawn
Band Members:
Cristina Scabbia – Vocals
Andrea Ferro – Vocals
Marco Coti Zelati – Bass, Guitar, Synths
Richard Meiz – Drums
Social Media Links:
Facebook || Instagram || Twitter || YouTube || TikTok