By: Tanya Vazquez

Lacuna Coil
Karmacode

If you like gothic/symphonic metal like I do, you’re probably wondering if Lacuna Coil’s Karmacode is an album worth checking out. Out of all the albums Lacuna Coil has released, Karmacode is my least favorite. The combination of guitar lines, keyboard work, and contrasting dual female/male vocals help create their melodic sound. The thing I like best about Lacuna Coil is that they always seem to create music that goes perfectly with Scabbia’s voice. However, in this album they keep the same beat and rhythmic patterns time after time which makes the album really boring. It would seem they have abandoned their old music style to satisfy the likings of a more mainstream audience even though they are pretty well known. I’m not very happy with this album due to this sort of “selling out”. I wouldn’t recommend this album to new fans of this band. If they liked the newer stuff more, it’s not a good thing because they will be missing out on timeless classics from the band.

Even though most of the songs were very repetitious I really liked “To The Edge.” “Life is so short/Close to the edge of another backdoor/Life is so sure/Life will be ready to twist up your world” makes me think about how life has its twists and turns opening new doors for us. If you want to check out Lacuna Coil’s best work, listen to Comalies.

Gretchen
In The Meantime

In the Meantime that Evanescence and Lacuna Coil has let us down with their latest work, Gretchen doesn’t. The American trio combines female vocals, very pop influenced music, balancing heavy guitar tones and mature song writing. That mix fits lead singer Mia Richard’s voice. Richard’s sounds similar to Christina Scabbia from Lacuna Coil but has more power and higher vocal range. The background music gives it a bit of a hard rock sound to it allowing Richard’s voice to be heard clearly.

With lyrics like “Staring at my reflection I’m becoming numb/I barely recognize this thing that I’ve become/All alone, in the dark, feel the beating of my heart/I’m fading inside lately/I can not seem to find myself again/I’m fading inside lately/I can not find myself” make the listener think about when they have been lost or in a similar situation since they can relate to the lyrics.

When I listen to these lyrics, they make me think about those times where I felt I was alone and didn’t have anyone there for me. Richard’s lyrics really makes those times come back in a reminiscing way.

Within Temptation
The Heart of Everything

Within Temptation’s The Heart of Everything is definitely a turn around from the band’s previously released album and once again, the Dutch sextet takes Goth, metal and 14th Century renaissance music to a whole different level allowing it to perfectly accompany lead singer Sharon Den Adel’s voice. In this album however, Sharon shows her versatility as a singer. There are times when she sings with immense amounts of power like in “The Howling” and others like a siren enchanting her subjects as in “The Cross”. Sometimes she sings emotionally and sensitively like in the title track. The band has also enhanced “Our Solemn Hour” with clips from Winston Churchill’s “Be Ye Men of Valor” speech making it sound much more 14th century.

The bands hit single “What Have You Done” with guest singer Keith Caputo has been

a huge success all over Europe. With lyrics “I, I’ve been waiting for someone like you/But now you are slipping away…oh /Why, why does fate make us suffer/There’s a curse between us, between me and you” reminds us of all those heartbreaks we have suffered when we thought we found the one. If you are new to the Goth/symphonic metal crowd or are just looking for something new, Within Temptation’s The Heart of Everything is definitely for you.

Type O Negative
Dead Again

Often times when someone hears the terms “gothic” and “metal” they think of girl lead singers with a melodic voice and music to perfectly accompany her. Type O Negative comes pretty close to that but instead of a female lead singer they have a male. Type O Negative sounds somewhat like Sonata Arctica except that Peter Steele has a deeper voice than Tony Kakko. I will admit that when I first listened to Type O Negative the change in voice was startling at first and still is.

I didn’t really like this CD but if I had to choose a favorite song it would have to be the title track. I really did like the minor haunting chords but Steele’s voice really made me jump back in my seat. I would definitely recommend this CD to anyone who wanted a change in gothic metal.