Lacuna Coil - Broken Crown Halo [Review]

I have been a fan of Lacuna Coil for several years now. While I don't recall the exact year that I started listening to them, I believe that it was 2006 because I believe that it was very shortly after Karmacode was first released. I had heard "Daylight Dancer" from Comalies on a Century Media two-disc sampler and was instantly intrigued. After hearing more songs, I bought all of the band's albums, and being a Coiler has been a rewarding experience ever since. Since Karmacode, three albums have been released by the band (Shallow Life, Dark Adrenaline, and now Broken Crown Halo) because the band does not leave fans waiting for monstrously long periods of time for new material, and I have always appreciated that. HIM is the same way. Broken Crown Halo fails, in my opinion, to live up to standards that were set by earlier albums such as Comalies and Karmacode, but it is still a very strong album all the same, especially with highlights such as the opening track "Nothing Stands in Our Way," and "I Forgive (but I Won't Forget Your Name)." It's definitely one of the band's loudest and most guitar-driven albums to date, and I both like that and dislike that. It's full of energy but ultimately lacks the magic that earlier albums such as Comalies and Karmacode have. If, for example, you're looking for the theatrical sound of "Tight Rope" or the catchy groove of "Fragments of Faith," you're probably not going to find that here on Broken Crown Halo. It's Lacuna Coil exploring new territory on the same terrain, which is not necessarily something about which I am wholly complaining. I think that Lacuna Coil manages to gracefully put out something new and exciting while still keeping me feeling nostalgic.

As aforementioned, "Nothing Stands in Our Way" opens the album, and both lyrically and melodically, I see it as Lacuna Coil at one of its strongest piques. The first verse hooked me instantly the very first time that I heard it: "We're still struggling halfway through this journey. Our eyes are burning, but we're not slowing down. I wish we could have all the time in the world, but we have come too far to give up who we are." Not only was I instantly attracted to the blunt and honest, heartfelt lyrics, I was also attracted to the catchy melody. The refrain, which consists of fragmented words, such as "Lifelong roadblocks, high walls, teardrops...,"is, if nothing else, memorable because of its brevity. I just love that song so much and think that it was smart to open the album with such a powerful track. The second track of the album is "Zombies," a song of which I didn't think much the first time that I heard it; it, however, grew on me, and I now really like it. The guitar sounds choppy and distorted like a Korn song, which is not surprising because I know that the band has, in the past, cited Korn as an influence on them. The guitar solo more than halfway through is, for lack of better words, really cool and is an example of how this album is very guitar-driven in comparison to earlier albums. Cristina's refrain, "We are alone. We are the night. We are the ghosts that come to life. We will scare away reality when walls are falling down...," is quite catchy and is what eventually made me realize that I actually really like the song. The third song, titled "Hostage to the Light," is a song that I immediately liked the first time that I heard it. The refrain is very catchy, and it's about the closest that the album comes to old-school Lacuna Coil.

The fourth track is titled "Victims" and is very different for the band. It's still the same horror metal that the rest of the album features (with lyrics such as "Stumbling, I almost fall walking blind in this decay. It's sending shivers down my spine again."), but Cristina has a part near the end of the song that comes pretty close to rapping, a new feat for the band: "People told me I was weak. I told them I'll never quit. I will never quit..." It's kind of more spoken than it is sang, and I love that part, but I don't much care for Andrea's refrain. "Die & Rise" and "I Forgive (but I Won't Forgive Your Name)" are two of the album's highlights, which makes sense considering the fact that both are singles. "Die & Rise" begins sounding electronic before the guitars come in, pumping the song up to Lacuna Coil's usual brand of metallic volume. Andrea chants, "Die! Die!" The song is very catchy; I find "Nothing Stands in Our Way" and "Die & Rise" to be the two catchiest songs on the album, in fact. I plan to use "Die & Rise" on my upcoming fanmade Buffy the Vampire Slayer soundtrack, in fact, because it's so perfect for it, with lyrics like: "Blonde hair in the red light, she's getting down, getting down. She'll never turn me down. Put another stake into my heart..." "I Forgive (but I Won't Forget Your Name)" will also be used on an upcoming release of mine, my Maleficent mix. Cristina's soaring vocals in the refrain are absolutely beautiful, and the song is basically about exactly what its title would suggest that it's about. The speaker seems to be saying that people hurt him or her (I can't say because both Andrea and Cristina sing parts) and he or she forgives them, but what this one particular person did was so despicable and heinous that he or she wants justice (or is it revenge?). My favorite part of the song is the breakdown when Cristina sings, "Let it rain, let it rain, let it rain into my heart..."

"Cybersleep" is an interesting one. It begins with Cristina's warped, autotuned vocals, which are fitting to the song. Like "Hostage to the Light," this is another one that, at times (especially during the refrain), reminds me of old-school Lacuna Coil. It's not very heavy in comparison to some of the other songs on the album, and something that I do really like about it is that it is sang entirely by Cristina; Andrea is not featured at all. I don't mean that as an insult to Andrea, but I tend to prefer Cristina's vocals. "Infection" starts sounding electronic with piano, and I really love this song. I really love Andrea's whispery vocals on top of which Cristina's singing is layered. It sounds to me like a song about a toxic relationship causing an infection, and it sounds very Karmacode-esque to me, and I just love the little bit of resonant piano in it. "I Burn in You" starts sounds very dark and almost creepy, almost like the theme to a horror film (something that is prevalent throughout the album on tracks such as "Nothing Stands in Our Way," "I Burn in You," and "One Cold Day"). I adore Cristina's refrain in this song as well as her crying notes out over distorted guitars. It ends with the dark with which it begins (it sounds like it might be played on a keyboard). "In the End I Feel Alive" features another dark instrumental accompaniment that I really love, but aside from that, it's really one of the album's weak spots. Its follow-up, "One Cold Day," is much better. There isn't a better way to describe "One Cold Day" other than to say that it is haunting, and it's a perfect way to end the album. Written in dedication of ex-band member Claudio Leo, who passed away, the song features a melody reminiscent of a music box with lyrics that speak boldly of grief: "Sometimes, it's hard to let go. It's hard to move along the scars of life. Memories are blooming in the gloom as I'm feeling so cold inside." Overall, Broken Crown Halo is a really fantastic album with very few weak spots. I give the album an overall rating of 7.5/10 stars.