Released: November 2008
I have been a Lacuna Coil fan for a decade, which is probably about twice as long as many of the people who appear on and contribute to this massive DVD release. Originally announced over a year ago with the band asking for video clips and tributes from fans on their own YouTube channel, this is an immaculately produced double volume that shows the public and intimate sides of what is now arguably the world's biggest Goth metal band.
The first disc showcases the band in the live arena. Specifically, their entire set from Wacken 2007 and half a set from Japan's LoudPark festival. While it's true that about 80% of their songs sound pretty much alike, both performances show Lacuna Coil to be an engaging and remarkably heavy live band. Cristina Scabbia may be perfectly happy to share the spotlight both with Andrea Ferro and other members of the band, but the truth is that she is completely mesmerising and impossible to look away from to the point where you just want Ferro to disappear every time he's on screen and the other guys might just as well be standing behind screens or playing their instruments remotely from space. The sound of both shows is less than perfect, with lots of wowing and clipping during the latter half of the Wacken set, although Scabbia's vocals at least sound overdubbed here and there. The LoudPark show is rawer in quality and I actually enjoyed it more, even though Scabbia's sexy little dance during the intro of "Enjoy the Silence" at the Wacken show was the highlight of the whole disc.
Consisting of band member profiles, tour diaries and fan-made tributes, disc two is for the truly dedicated Lacuna Coil nut. The first part is comprised of six home movies from each of the members, of varying quality. Ferro's personal tour of Milan is poorly produced and just not very interesting. Bass player Marco Coti Zelati's self-portrait of himself getting hammered is somewhat amusing, but Marco Biazza's romance with his own guitar is just bizarre. Once again Scabbia proves why she is the real star of this band, with a genuinely warm piece about a benefit she organised that funded a new well in a Kenyan village. Most of the rest of the disc is prime filler material, unless you happened to be one of the ten people who's video clips made the cut and are included or you were interested enough in watching the winning entries. Personally, I wasn't so I didn't even bother with most of it. Anything with Cristina being totally candid is a joy to watch, and not just because she's gorgeous. The woman is a true star.
Visual Karma is a bit of an epic, especially if you try to watch the whole thing all at once. The live footage and Karma Code clips would be more than enough for the average fan; the rest of it is really for Coilophiles only.
DVD 1:
Wacken 2007
1. Intro
2. To The Edge
3. Fragments Of Faith
4. Swamped
5. In Visible Light
6. Fragile
7. Closer
8. Senzafine
9. What I See
10. Enjoy The Silence
11. Heavens A Lie
12. Our Truth
Loudpark 2007:
1. Intro/To The Edge
2. Swamped
3. Closer
4. Within Me
5. Daylight Dancer
6. Our Truth
Videos:
1. Our Truth
2. Closer
3. Enjoy the Silence
4. Within Me
DVD 2
1. Simple As Water (Cristina)
2. Inside Milan (Andrea)
3. The Leaning Journey Of Pizza (Marco B)
4. 7-Seven... Strings Life (Maus)
5. The Real Thing (Marco C Z)
6. Enter The Drummer (Christiano)
Behind The Scenes:
Australian Tour 2007
First Time In Japan
Making Of The Our Truth Video
Making Of The Closer Video
Fan Submissions:
Lacuna Coil's introductory clip
Empty Spiral Interview
To The Edge Remix Contest
Inside The Spiral
Links
Rating: 75%
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