Lacuna Coil – Comalies XX
Release Date: 14th October 2022
Label: Century Media Records
Stream/Order
Genre: Gothic Metal
FFO: Type O Negative, Paradise Lost, Cradle of Filth.
Review By: Kira L. Schlechter
For hardcore Lacuna Coil fans, revamping the sacred cow that is 2002’s “Comalies” is as serious a proposition as Zeppelin deconstructing the “Zoso” album – it’s a big deal.
But the Italian gothic metal band – crystalline-voiced singer Cristina Scabbia, harsh vocalist Andrea Ferro, guitarist Diego Cavalotti, bassist/keyboardist Marco Coti Zelati, and drummer Richard Meiz (he and Diego weren’t in the band for “Comalies” the first time around) decided to take that risk on “Comalies XX.”
Some tracks are slightly shorter than the original versions; some longer. Some hew close to the original; others differ quite substantially. We’ll take a compare-and-contrast approach here, seeing in each version of each song the differences and similarities. So here goes:
“Swamped,” the original:
An overall note across the album: The mix is kind of shallow compared to the band’s current massive wall of sound; it’s emptied out, giving it more of a goth sensibility and less of a metal one. Granted, this is likely due to the advances made in studio technology over the past 20 years, so take any references to the mix with a grain of salt. Cristina’s voice is definitely not as developed as it is now – not as ringing, as siren-like – and the remade versions focus on the singer she is now and her more prominent position in the band.
XX:
So we’re much more fleshed-out now, a full-in-your-ears, more layered feel; – call this a CONstruction, rather than a DEconstruction. There’s a much more prominent drum presence and the breakdown makes a bit more of an impact. Andrea uses his harsh vocals now instead of his cleaner ones. And Cristina is the developed, confident self that we know now – she seems to inhabit this song – and the rest – more, through both her vocal and life maturity.
“Heaven’s a Lie,” the original:
The keyboard/orchestration in the intro is dreamy, meditative, almost light, but the tension in Cristina’s weary, resigned verses is apparent. Andrea sings the chorus in this look at a relationship on the rocks from both perspectives.
XX:
The orchestration is much more pronounced; the riffing bolder, and again, there’s more interest in the drum fills. Cristina’s voice is immediate and rich in the mix. We add harsh vocals to the pre-chorus, which adds more anger, more emotion, more desperation. The chorus too is done in harsh vocals and the two trade lines instead of Andrea doing it alone, which again really gets that anger across. There’s a bigger, longer guitar solo, but it’s not excessive (they’re never much for long solos anyway).
“Daylight Dancer,” the original:
As with a good bit of the album, this one too comes off almost light and chiming. Andrea sings and Cristina’s chorus is quick-footed and punchy.
XX:
There’s nothing light about this version – it’s fully crushing. The added double kick drumming is more in keeping with modern sensibilities. Andrea is all harsh vocals, which add to the agony of which he sings. And in a major change, the chorus is almost totally different, absolutely deconstructed structurally, with a slowed-down tempo. Lyrically, it’s similarly stripped down, with some lines abandoned altogether.
“Humane,” the original:
The drifting wordless vocals by Cristina and the keyboard melody again skew this more goth, as does the lilting swing in the slower, deliberate tempo. The two singers trade off verses and lines, giving the song a hypnotic, almost droning quality.
XX:
A similar drifting vocal starts the new version, but there’s much less of it, just as there’s some keyboards but much more guitar. Andrea does sing here, but with much more assertion, and Cristina’s wonderful vibrato really shines. The chorus gets huge and layered, and that droning quality isn’t as prominent. The vocal arrangement too is changed up – there’s much more going on, his harsh and clean takes intertwine with her billowing descant.
“Self Deception,” the original:
Very treble and very clean – and very alt-rock – version 2002 has lots of snare and a sprightly tempo. Andrea maintains his lead-vocal position. Cristina’s power is only hinted at, but her musing turn on the line “Liar, you tempt me” is really effective, as is her higher, almost falsetto register in the chorus.
XX:
Again we have a CONstruction – Mach 2 is more dense, with keyboards and detuned riffing. The tempo is maintained, if not a little quicker, in the verses, and again Andrea is all growl. The “liar” line disappears at first in favor of a twice-repeat of “I don’t know what to do” before the chorus, with which Cristina takes some interesting liberties melodically. Blast beats again bring this into the ‘20s and the “liar” line returns at the end – maybe she’s not as tempted these days.
“Aeon,” the original:
The acoustic main melody, and its electric counterpart, in this tiny near-ballad transitional track is hummably compelling. It’s open, barren, stark, airy and romantic and sensual. Cristina’s voice has an element of wonder, of near-joy.
XX:
Tiny hints of the original acoustic melody are present in the effects if you listen hard. This take is much darker, much more threatening, much shorter (and that’s saying a lot for an original that clocks in at under two minutes). And instead, Cristina sounds claustrophobic, uncertain.
“Tight Rope,” the original:
Terse and uncomfortable with the sound effects, this too comes down on the goth side with its keening organ and high-end guitar. The bits of really well-placed blast beats in the chorus are terrific, as is the solo section, which showcases some clever fills by former drummer Cristiano Migliore. Cristina is transcendent in the condemning chorus.
XX:
Take out the organ and this becomes much more metal in ‘22. Andrea’s customary gutturals are in place, and he and Cristina trade lines in the verses now. Like “Daylight Dancer,” the chorus here is changed profoundly – a totally different melody gives it a different feel, again, a maturity in some ways. The internal blast beats are gone, and it’s slowed down; the solo section is similar, with Richard adding his own brand of fills to the rhythm patterns.
“The Ghost Woman and the Hunter,” the original:
Cristina takes back the lead in this quietly tragic ballad; her force is restrained, even in the chorus, which signals the end of this relationship. She sings counterpart to herself in the penultimate chorus, alternating other lines in between its lyrics, thus adding more sonic interest.
XX:
Today’s take gets a weighty stomp added to it; it’s much beefier, with more textured drumming, and Cristina’s voice is assertive – her grief is more clearly apparent. A guitar solo and a moody interlude are added in place of the counterpart vocals.
“Unspoken,” the original:
Cristina is solo again on this one, a track that again falls more on the alt-rock side of the spectrum. The plucked-strings orchestration between the verses is a notable touch.
XX:
The remake has more presence; the original kind of comes and goes without making much of an impact, but this version is bigger and more blistering. Andrea’s growl is now leading the way, so subsequently, it sounds angrier; when he and Cristina alternate lines, the song becomes more of a conversation between the two wronged parties. The chorus is again changed dramatically, with a different melody and a more jagged rhythm; there’s less delineation between it and the verses.
“Entwined,” the original:
This sparse, slower track hints at the wall of sound the band would go on to favor – the chorus arrangement is layered and padded with riffing. Andrea sings with Cristina in that chorus, so you really get an idea of the futility of this situation, two lovers who can’t be together, yet can’t be apart.
XX:
Keyboards and a late guitar solo are added to this go-round, and it’s slowed even further. Andrea’s harsh vocals, well, entwine with Cristina’s in another very altered chorus; it’s more intense, Cristina exploring more of her upper register. Again, this version takes a late-album number and betters it, heavies it, boosts the emotion.
“The Prophet Said,” the original:
Decidedly gothic, this has Andrea back on lead in the verses (you have to enjoy the carefully-drawn sexual imagery in the lyrics). Cristina does the two-line chorus and the mesmerizing repeated bridge. It ends on an extended instrumental.
XX:
Cristina’s wordless vocal on the chorus melody starts it, then the original tempo is picked up dramatically; this is another example of a track that’s improved by a second look. Andrea’s growl makes the hinted-at sexuality a bit more explicit. Cristina still does that two-line chorus, but the bridge becomes an extension of the chorus; it modulates and shifts almost each time she does it. The instrumental outro is eliminated, giving it more focus.
“Angel’s Punishment,” the original:
This experimental late-album track starts and ends with spits of guitar effects that make it edgy and harrowing. Cristina’s spoken-word verses are catchy despite their somber message. She and Andrea (in harsh mode) trade off in the one-line chorus, and a brief solo plays off the main melody.
XX:
A set of similar sound effects carries over the old idea, but these are voices, in English and Italian – many references to the coronavirus bring it right into the present day and change its lyrical theme in the process. The groove is, of course, heavier. They kept the spoken-word part, and Cristina’s voice is weightier, grittier. But the second part of the verse is now sung, with Andrea growling along, and the one-line chorus is set to a completely different melody.
“Comalies,” the original:
At five minutes, the title track is also the longest. Delicate, dreamy, and meditative, Cristina sings sections in Italian, and the English lyrics are murmuring and caressing. Andrea’s “walk on by” line picks up the tempo just briefly before it drops back into its meandering feel.
XX:
No dreaminess this time around – Andrea’s “you walk on by” line is now an accusatory roar before the Italian lyrics start. That same line, filled with tension, picks up speed as before, aided by Richard’s pummelling beats.
The melody on the English lines is again completely altered, and so is the mood – this is pure rage and frustration. Cristina does dabble a bit in the original melody later on.
So was all this really necessary in the long run? Lacuna Coil didn’t mess with the really sacred cows too much (like “Heaven’s a Lie”), but what they did with many of the deep cuts definitely makes them better. But was it necessary? Maybe not, but it’s definitely fun to listen to each version and choose which you prefer. And it’s their music, so they can do with it what they wish, after all. 
(5 / 5)
