Review by HanSathanas on May 13, 2026.

Lacuna Coil, or simply translated as “empty spiral,” is anything but empty. Although I’ve never considered myself a serious fan of gothic music, these melancholic musicians from Milan proved me otherwise.

Okay, I’ve seen that most of the ratings for this album are fairly low, but I have my reasons for giving it a 9. I’ve listened to many different kinds of music over the years, and that probably makes me a bit more liberal and eclectic in my tastes (though I’m not calling myself mainstream crud either). I had never heard of Lacuna Coil until I came across their promo single “Shallow End” on the Darkness We Feel cassette compilation released by Century Media Records back in 1998. I found myself listening to Lacuna Coil over and over again, and from that moment on, I started searching for these Italian musicians in my local record stores—but to no avail. Metal records were forbidden from being sold openly in my country at the time. Honestly, it sucked. It felt restrictive and incredibly frustrating.

Comalies combines the natural gothic aesthetics of The Gathering with the lush heaviness of early Paradise Lost. The single “Swamped,” which was also featured on the soundtrack for Resident Evil: Apocalypse, immediately pulled me in with its hooks. Their music is simple, catchy, and finely produced. With its clear and vibrant production, Comalies feels like a confident step toward the mainstream without sacrificing quality.

Cristina Scabbia’s vocals are smooth, timid, and incredibly easy to listen to. I found them thoroughly enjoyable, even if her voice naturally invites comparisons to Amy Lee. I’m talking about metal here, so don’t get me wrong for bringing up a name from outside the traditional metal scene. Still, Cristina’s performance on this album is outstanding, and to me it showcases some of her best work—especially on the second single, “Heaven's a Lie,” particularly during the unforgettable chorus: “Set me free. Your heaven’s a lie.” The verses may sound slightly monotonous at times, but as the chorus approaches, the synthesizers step in beautifully and reinforce the song’s delicate structure.

As for the male vocalist—whose name I embarrassingly forgot at first—Andrea Ferro never sounds completely out of place. At times, his vocals become harsher while still maintaining the album’s flowing melodic pace. Frankly, his voice isn’t nearly as impressive as Cristina’s, and at times it feels like he contributes more through contrast than outright performance. Still, he serves his purpose within the songs.

Drums are one of the most important elements in metal music, and if they fail, the entire foundation can suffer. Thankfully, the drumming on this album is solid and surprisingly prominent. The occasional double-bass patterns and cymbal variations help solidify music that is softer, less aggressive, and far from brutal, which actually works in the album’s favor. The bass and rhythm guitars also perform admirably, backing up the riffs with a thick and sturdy low-end presence.

Perhaps its lack of aggression is what pushed this album away from many “true” metal listeners, and I strongly believe many people condemned Lacuna Coil for their radio-friendly approach. Then again, some probably paid more attention to Cristina’s magazine covers than the music itself. Whatever the case, I would never judge them unfairly. Any band that embraces metal while incorporating progressive and gothic elements, as Lacuna Coil does here, deserves far more respect than dismissal simply because they’re accessible.

So for any metal newcomer looking for something easy to get into, this album is an excellent place to begin.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Review by Adam M on May 24, 2025.

This album is very important to female fronted metal with its dark atmosphere and melancholic moods. There are songs like “Heaven’s a Lie" that are among the best of the band and really make this a standout recording. The singing of Christina Scabbia is perhaps revolutionary for the genre and a highpoint on here. This is a dark recording and that is what makes it appealing.

The musical performances are solid with catchy guitar playing, solid drumming and a nice mixture of male vocals to go along with the female ones. The entire affair is reasonably potent as the production values are merely adequate. This is still one of the more well-conceived and executed female fronted metal albums musically.

If there is a flaw to be fond here, it’s in how the band does not surpass the other greats at the style like The Gathering’s How to Measure a Planet. It does not have the purity of that particular album, but it carves its own nice regardless. This is not the greatest album ever, but it is a solid attempt at a darker and still yet pretty offering.

All in all, this is a relatively strong album of dark alternative metal that set a standard for the genre. It is still a bit mainstream sounding and nit perfect. It is a moody album that has its highpoints and very important for metal it is still simply a very good album and could be highly improved upon.

Rating: 7.5/10