Lacuna Coil - 'Shallow Life'

Lacuna Coil is a metal band ripe for mainstream success, and their latest CD Shallow Life may be the one to push them over the top. They enlisted producer Don Gilmore, who has worked with pop artists like Avril Lavigne and Good Charlotte, and recorded the album in Los Angeles.

Shallow Life is packed with hooks and instantly memorable melodies. There's still plenty of bombast and guitars, but it's also a move toward the mainstream. Songs like "Not Enough" and "I Like It" are mass appeal, catchy, and would sound right at home on Top 40 radio.

"Underdog" and "The Maze" are more in the vein of previous Lacuna Coil albums, with a little more intensity and a darker vibe. There are only a couple like that, with the majority of the songs more accessible and rock/pop oriented.

Lacuna Coil streamlined their lyrics on this CD, making them less poetic and more direct and hoping to create a stronger connection with the listener. That fits in with the more direct melodies, although takes away some depth.

Cristina Scabbia is always the focal point in the band, and her vocals are good. She sings dynamically and with a lot of emotion, especially on ballads like "Wide Awake." Andrea Ferro is often overlooked, and his melodic vocals add color and contrast to the songs.

Shallow Life will draw criticism from some quarters for its accessibility, but will also gain them additional fans because of that mass appeal. Lacuna Coil wasn't exactly extreme metal before, and I think their current musical direction is more of a natural evolution than a drastic change.

(released April 21, 2009 on Century Media Records)