The follow-up to 2002's gold-selling Comalies, Karmacode signifies a major step forward in the goth-metallers' evolution. Patience in the recording studio has resulted in a captivating, masterful sound far superior to their previous work.
"Fragile" opens the album with a bass sound set to rupture your heart, accompanied by wails from female vocalist Cristina Scabbia. Male vocalist Andrea Ferro leads the fiery verses with metaphors comparing daring and learning to bleeding wounds. Their vocal interplay meets up beautifully during the song's chorus, "He's watching me / What if I look away digging in my grave?"
Filled with hooks courtesy of guitarists Marco Biazzi and Cristiano Migliore, and disco beats from drummer Cristiano Mozzati, "To the Edge" has a catchy, constant groove from start to finish. Orchestrated back-tracking builds momentum for Scabbia's Middle Eastern chants as the heavy and melodic "Our Truth" takes off, with Ferro and Scabbia harmonizing, "Lying to forget (telling more lies), we're raising our truth," during the emotive chorus.
Karmacode closes with a cover of Depeche Mode's "Enjoy the Silence," balancing Lacuna Coil's stylized sound while paying homage to the original song structure.
With Karmacode, Lacuna Coil once again execute the power to emotionally captivate an audience.
