My favorite release from one of my favorite bands.
trashcanman | Hanford, CA United States | 04/27/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"In the last five years, there has been no band I've listened to more than Lacuna Coil. I'll never forget arriving at Ozzfest and almost immediately ditching my friends because I absolutely had to go see where that beautiful sound was coming from. Ethereal goth-goddess Cristina Scabbia has the most alluring and gorgeous voice I've ever heard and the band's sound and arrangements are unique to them. Co-vocalist Andrea Ferro provides a great male counterpoint to Scabbia's sirensong that gives the tunes a little extra texture and tension. Not everybody's a fan (chicks and metal don't mix and all that macho BS), but if you haven't heard these guys, you owe it to yourself to at least check them out.
This disc, entitled "The EP's", is an amazing collection of songs consisting of the two mini-albums (or EP's) that sandwiched Lacuna Coil's incredible full-length 1999 debut album In a Reverie thoughtfully brought together on this one disc.
The first half consists of the untouchable Lacuna Coil debut EP. "The Secret..." is my favortie LC song and a true anthem that sums the band up better than any other piece of music that they've recorded. "Falling" was re-recorded as "Falling Again" for "In A Reverie" with an entirely different arrangement, but I very much prefer the version on this disc. The intimacy and minimalism of the orignal version really highlights Scabbia's voice and makes for one of my favorite vocal recordings of all time. The second half of the disc is the Halflife EP. All of the songs were included as bonus tracks on the Unleashed Memories album's re-release, but they sound much better on this disc.
The only real complaint I have about this compilation is the track "Trance Awake", which is really nothing more than a lengthy intro to LC's Italian-language song "Senzafine" which they have released no less than 4 times (3 different versions) so far with only a handful of albums out. Good song and all, but sheesh. There are a few instrumentals as well which I do enjoy but tend to discourage including on EP's which are short enough without bands putting lengthy jam sessions on them as filler. Still, the quality of the songs themselves is staggering at times and this is a great way to get acquainted with one of the increasingly few modern bands that I enjoy so much that I'll buy any CD with their name on it.
Lacuna Coil's brand of keyboard-heavy beautiful goth-metal may not be for everyone, but they are certainly for me, and this is my single favorite disc that they've released so far. The album Comalies is equally brilliant, particularly the edition with the bonus dics featuring several acoustic tracks, but the purity of Lacuna Coil's formative work really impresses me. Cristina Scabbia's voice has been increasingly marred by the modern music industry's annoying reliance on vocal effects on LC's recent albums and that is the best reason I give the edge to this collection. Plus, there is no better way to end a CD than with their haunting cover of the Dubstar song "Stars", which blows the original version away, no question.
"But as the stars are going out,
And this stage is full of nothing,
And the friends have all but gone,
For my life, my God, I'm singing.
We'll take our hearts outside,
Leave our lives behind,
And watch the stars go out...."
"
A good choice if you don't have the 2 EP's
Wellsoul2 | Boston MA USA | 10/30/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Combining 2 EP's that had song versions found no where else.
It's worth it for "Stars" and the earlier version of "Falling"
Almost everyone would like Lacuna Coil if they like Evanescence.
(Actually they are better in my opinion)"
