Italian goth metallers Lacuna Coil have taken the wraps off of their upcoming 10th studio album, “Sleepless Empire“. Century Media Records will be putting that record out on February 14th, while a music video for the track “Oxygen” has just received its online premiere. Daniele Tofani directed that clip. Speaking of that song, co-vocalist Cristina Scabbia stated:
“‘Oxygen‘ is a powerful exploration of emotional struggle and inner conflict. The lyrics convey a sense of drowning in a toxic environment, both literally (in the video) and metaphorically, where attempts at salvation, represented by ‘oxygen’ are somehow futile. This song encapsulates the feeling of struggling to break free from what holds us down, when the journey is filled with difficulty.
It’s a raw anthem of vulnerability, resilience, and the courage to face what seems insurmountable. Having to stay in the water for so many hours during the video shoot was cathartic for me, the realisation that the pleasant sensation of floating could in an instant become dangerous and deadly if I wasn’t careful was very fitting with the song’s theme.”
The band’s own bassist/guitarist/synth player Marco Coti Zelati oversaw the the production duties on this effort. The group collectively had the following to say about it:
“‘Sleepless Empire‘ captures, through our eyes, the chaos of a generation trapped in a digital world that never stops, where social media consumes identity and every day pushes us one step closer to becoming soulless zombies.
We find ourselves in between, having witnessed a full analogic world and the modern one, confronting the evolution and searching for a true meaning of it all. Throughout every song, the journey is an undercurrent of rebellion, a desperate cry to reclaim oneself in an era that seems to have lost its sense of time and reality.”
Among the various formats and pressings available for pre-order is an elaborate box set which comes with custom symbolic dice as part of an oracle ‘game’ the band crafted. For pre-orders, head to lacunacoil.lnk.to/SleeplessEmpire.
“Sleepless Empire” track listing:
01 – “The Siege”
02 – “Oxygen”
03 – “Scarecrow”
04 – “Gravity”
05 – “I Wish You Were Dead”
06 – “Hosting The Shadow” (feat. Randy Blythe of Lamb Of God)
07 – “In Nomine Patris”
08 – “Sleepless Empire”
09 – “Sleep Paralysis”
10 – “In The Mean Time” (feat. Ash Costello of New Years Day)
11 – “Never Dawn”
With Blind Channel:
10/12 Lyon, FRA – Le Transbordeur Club
10/15 Belfast, IRE – Limelight
10/16 Dublin, IRE – Academy
10/18 Bournemouth, UK – O2 Academy
10/20 Manchester, UK – Academy
10/21 Glasgow, UK – SWG3
10/22 Wolverhampton, UK – KK’s Steel Mill
10/24 Nottingham, UK – Rock City
10/25 London, UK – Roundhouse
10/26 Bristol, UK – O2 Academy
Lacuna Coil:
06/06-08 Pilsen, CZE – Metalfest Open Air
08/08 Walton-On-Trent, UK – Bloodstock
08/09-10 Hildesheim, GER – M’era Luna Festival
