Review LACUNA COIL ‘Live From the Apocalypse’

Lacuna Coil isn’t short of live albums with the latest live release being ‘The 119 Show – Live in London’ from 2018. From this angle, a next live album wasn’t a necessary thing, but in a time when only the uncertain is certain, things changed. Not being able to tour and play shows in front of an enthusiastic crowd demands creativity to stay in contact with fans all over the world. A time that shows a shift from physical to digital, and the strong wish to connect with fans, resulted in a Lacuna Coil streaming event in September 2020. The band performed a show in front of an empty room at Alcatraz Club in Milan with only the eye of the cameras being the direct link to the huge fanbase.

As a documentation of a crazy time but also as a new delivery to fans, Lacuna Coil filmed and recorded the show, that will be available as a live album release. The show was built on a special setlist since the entire focus was on the ‘Black Anima’ album that has been released in 2019. To add an extra layer of excitement to the show, Lacuna Coil didn’t not only play the regular 11 songs from the album but went also into the bonus department which means premiering songs in a live setup, tracks like ‘Black Feathers’ and Black Dried Up Heart’.

‘Live From the Apocalypse’ is an interesting release in a sense that is less of a live album and more of an album that presents ‘Black Anima’, performed in a live setup as a band. The sound-experience is excellent and authentic with the audio having been remixed from the mixing board. As on the studio album, it is ‘Anima ‘Nera’ that acts as an introduction before the growls of Andrea Ferro and the massive riff announce, ‘Sword of Anger’. The songs are known if you’re a fan of the band and in case you’re a newbie to the band, this release provides you with a good overview about the current sound of a band that was and is influential in contemporary heavy metal.