Gothic metal stalwarts Lacuna Coil have confirmed the February 14th, 2025 release of their first studio album since 2019's Black Anima, with the announcement of their 10th studio effort, Sleepless Empire.
The news follows the band's steady rollout of preview singles, sharing the cuts "Never Dawn" as well as the Ash Costello-assisted "In the Mean Time" and the Randy Blythe-bolstered "Hosting the Shadow". The album was produced by the band's own Marco "Maki" Coti Zelati and marked its inception following the Comalies XX sessions of 2022.
Ahead of the 2025 release, Lacuna Coil has offered another preview of the album to pair with the announcement. Joining creative forces with director Daniele Tofani, the video for the track "Oxygen" compliments a commanding performance from Cristina Scabbia and Andrea Ferro. The towering track is testament to the longevity of the Italian veterans and triumphant return to form marking the first new album cycle since 2019.
Scabbia shared of the latest single,"'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."
Scabbia also added how the physical demands of the video shoot further emphasized the weight of the track, "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."
As for the totality of the album, the band offered their take on the importance of Sleepless Empire and how the collection of songs is a response to the growing disconnect synonymous with the 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 arrives February 14th 2025 via Century Media Records. The album is available for pre-order - HERE
Later this month Lacuna Coil begins their run of UK/Ireland dates with Finnish sensation Blind Channel. A list of dates and cities can be found below.
