The G Spot: Reviewing Lacuna Coil's "Shallow Life"
- Written by TerriG on Thursday, April 23 2009 and posted in Features
THE G SPOT
4/23/09
I admit that I wasn’t too excited to hear Lacuna Coil’s new effort, “Shallow Life” after their previous album, (2006’s “Karmacode”) failed to measure up to the very excellent “Comalies.” But because I loved them so much at one point in time, I gave it a shot. The opening track, “Survive” caught me as a particularly catchy tune, leaving me hopeful for the rest of the album. However, it just goes downhill from there.
Producer Don Gilmore should have realized that he is working with a talented band that knows how to put a song together, and not bands like he’s previously worked with like Linkin Park (who have always been a product of the studio in my opinion) or Good Charlotte. Apparently Gilmore helped contribute to the writing process, and it shows. The music becomes increasingly bland, forgettable and “mainstream” sounding. I’m not usually one to criticize production values but “Shallow Life” indeed does sound shallow and flat. I wish they hadn’t gone for this sort of approach because the Lacuna Coil I am a fan of has a much richer, wider palette. It’s just a continuation of the downtrend that Karmacode started.
“Wide Awake” isn’t a bad ballad, and songs like “Not Enough” and “I’m Not Afraid” are pretty listenable. Cristina Scabbia has indeed honed her skills in the pronunciation department, and her voice is generally impeccable (but overproduced). But I just can’t shake the feeling that I lost the band I saw opening for Type O Negative five years ago, and the change is not for the better.
-TerriG
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Shallow Life (Lacuna Coil)
Label: Century Media
Rating: 5/10