Lacuna Coil – Sleepless Empire
Century Media Records
5,0/10,0
Brief:
Sleepless Empire is the tenth studio album by Italian gothic metal band Lacuna Coil through Century Media Records. It follows their 2019 album, Black Anima, and marks a return to a heavier, more experimental musical direction. The album was preceded by five singles: “Never Dawn,” “In the Mean Time,” “Hosting the Shadow,” “Oxygen,” and “I Wish You Were Dead”.
Writing for Sleepless Empire began in late 2022, following the completion of Comalies XX, a reimagined version of their 2002 album Comalies. Recording for Sleepless Empire took place in SPVN Studios, Como, Lombardy, Italy, throughout 2024, with longtime bassist and primary songwriter Marco Coti Zelati handling production. In a February 2025 interview with The Razor’s Edge Podcast, Ferro reflected on the challenges leading up to the album, stating, “It took us a long time to complete this album. Part of that was due to the two years of COVID-19 pandemic, which kind of postponed everything—everyone’s lives, really. But even after that, it took us a while to regain real motivation and inspiration to work on a full new record. That’s why we did Comalies XX, which gave us the drive to go back to the studio and work properly again—to restart, to reboot the machine into motion.”
Ferro also revealed that finding the album title and conceptual vision was a critical step in shaping the record, explaining, “Normally, we start with Marco, the main songwriter. He needs to have a title and a vision, like an image, that portrays the record. It doesn’t necessarily have to be the final cover or artwork—it can act as a sort of totem. Once we found that, we really started to flow with creativity and composition, working on all the arrangements and then the lyrics, focusing on the concept. It was a very long process because we had to put the machine back in motion.”
The album features guest vocal appearances from Randy Blythe of Lamb of God, and Ash Costello of New Years Day. The band described these collaborations as an opportunity to add new textures while remaining true to their core sound.
The band emphasized that Sleepless Empire represents an evolution of their sound while embracing a darker, heavier approach, drawing from both their past and the modern world.
[Edited Press Release]
Tracklist:
- The Siege 04:24
- Oxygen 03:45
- Scarecrow 04:48
- Gravity 04:03
- I Wish You Were Dead 02:52
- Hosting the Shadow (feat. Randy Blythe) 04:19
- In Nomine Patris 04:54
- Sleepless Empire 04:02
- Sleep Paralysis 05:20
- In The Mean Time (feat. Ash Costello) 03:32
- Never Dawn 04:49
Main Focus Tracks:
- Oxygen 03:45
Other Recommended Tracks:
- Scarecrow 04:48
- Gravity 04:03
- I Wish You Were Dead 02:52
- Hosting the Shadow (feat. Randy Blythe) 04:19
Line-Up:
Cristina Scabbia – vocals
Andrea Ferro – vocals, screams
Marco Coti Zelati – bass, guitar, keyboard
Richard Meiz – drums
Comments:
The Sleepless Empire album will not leave much of a mark on listeners’ minds, as it mainly caters to fans of Lacuna Coil. While Sleepless Empire is a well-executed goth metal record, it feels somewhat predictable.
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Selected Discography:
In a Reverie – 1999
Unleashed Memories – 2001
Comalies – 2002
Karmacode – 2006
Shallow Life – 2009
Dark Adrenaline - 2012
Broken Crown Halo – 2014
Delirium – 2016
Black Anima – 2019
Comalies XX – 2022
Sleepless Empire – 2025
Photo Credit: CUNENE