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Lacuna Coil-Broken Crown Halo
'Broken Crown Halo' is the seventh studio album by Gothic/Alternative Metal band Lacuna Coil.
When I got the vinyl for this album on my birthday, the only Lacuna Coil albums I had heard were 'Karmacode' and 'Unleashed Memories'. I had not yet heard the previous weak offerings of 'Shallow Life' and 'Dark Adrenaline', so I came to this album with an open mind. Originally, I just thought it was okay, but it soon grew on me.
It's not like the over-polished blandness of 'Shallow Life' and 'Dark Adrenaline', and is instead focused on a balance between crunching guitar similar to 'Karmacode' and more melodic passages. The opening song 'Nothing Stands In Our Way' is a perfect example of this, with many well performed heavy-melodic transitions. Cristina Scabbia and Andrea Ferro's vocals blend very well together during the chorus as well. One of my favorites on the album is 'Zombies', where Ferro's vocals are very strong. There is also a great guitar solo, where it keeps the crunching riffing while the lead guitar plays over it. Another favorite of mine is 'Victims', which is more akin to some of the band's earlier work. Probably my favorite song is the finale 'One Cold Day', which has a very ominous intro with great piano and soft guitar work. Scabbia gives an amazing vocal performance, flowing well with the build-up.
The lyrics are very strong on this album as well, with songs like 'Nothing Stands in Our Way' and 'Victims' having lyrics about inner strength.
Overall, I personally find this a really good album and I highly recommend those who were disappointed with the last two albums to try and have an open mind. I'm sure fans of 'Karmacode' will enjoy this album, and maybe even fans of their early offerings. After all, I love their early albums.
Hope you found this review helpful, Feel free to comment!