Italian gothic metallers Lacuna Coil have officially announced their 10th studio album, Sleepless Empire, which marks their first studio release 2019's Black Anima. The leading single, "Oxygen," is accompanied by a captivating music video – directed by Daniele Tofani – and featuring vocalist Cristina Scabbia in the lead role.
Scabbia offered insight into the themes of Oxygen and her experience during the video shoot: "'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 realization 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."
Two notable collaborations elevate Sleepless Empire: Lamb Of God's Randy Blythe lends his signature growls to the track "Hosting the Shadow," while New Year's Day’s Ash Costello adds her voice to "In The Mean Time." The writing and recording sessions were split between Milano, Lacuna Coil's hometown, and SPVN Studios in Como, and the production was once again handled internally by bassist Marco "Maki" Coti Zelati. The artwork was hand-curated by the talented Italian artist Roberto Toderico.
True to Lacuna Coil’s passion for gaming, which they’ve previously expressed through projects like their card game "Horns Up" and a collaboration with Zombicide for the song "Never Dawn," the band has created an exclusive oracle “game” for Sleepless Empire. This special game, available only with the album’s box set, features custom-made dice, making it a unique collectible for fans.
The band describes the album as a reflection on the chaotic digital age: "'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."
Sleepless Empire will arrive in a long variety of formats and can be pre-ordered here.
