Since Lacuna Coil released Unleashed Memories last year, their sound has developed immensely: Comalies is fuller, more self-confident and heavier. When asked consistently by confused journalists what the title 'Comalies' actually meant, Cristina always said that it was a word the band made up to describe the state of mind in which they wrote the album - it was all done in a dreamlike, out-of-bodied state [man, the way I could run with that].

Still, whatever mental state 'The Coil' were in when penning these thirteen tracks seems to have paid dividends. It finally sounds as if they've got where they wanted to get to. The first track, "Swamped", is slow and commanding and it's hard not to be blown away by Cristina's vocals in the first few bars. Indeed, on this album she can really pelt out the notes and her voice certainly seems to have now reached it's potential when it seemed slightly tamer on earlier albums, but Lacuna Coil's new strength of sound demands strong vocals. Andrea's male vocals are also impressive and actually fit in this time rather than being like a misshapen piece in an otherwise perfect jigsaw.

Other standout tracks are "Heaven's a Lie", "Entwined" and "Comalies" itself, which is a perfect track to finish on. And that's the thing, you almost won't want this album to finish - it will keep begging you to come back to it and will leave you feeling just that little bit undernourished so you always come back for more. This all leads to one product -

Comalies certainly does not disappoint, and is an excellent effort from one of the hardest-working bands in the genre: they have taken their sound somewhere fuller and greater, and we all certainly benefit from this. This is music to get your teeth into.