Shallow Life
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''Shallow Life'' is the fifth studio album by Italian
gothic metal Gothic metal (or goth metal) is a fusion genre combining the aggression of heavy metal with the dark atmospheres of gothic rock. The music of gothic metal is diverse with bands known to adopt the gothic approach to different styles of heavy met ...
band
Lacuna Coil Lacuna Coil is an Italian gothic metal band from Milan. Since their formation in 1994, the group has had two name changes, being previously known as Sleep of Right and Ethereal, and they have recorded nine studio albums, two extended plays, two ...
. The album was released in April 2009 in Europe and North America through
Century Media Records Century Media Records is a heavy metal record label with offices in the United States, Germany and London. In August 2015, Century Media was acquired by Sony Music for US$17 million. Background Century Media was founded by Robert Kampf and Oli ...
and
EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British Transnational corporation, transnational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in March 1 ...
. As of September 2009, it has sold over 75,000 copies in the U.S. and 225,000 worldwide.


Background

The album was recorded in autumn 2008 at a studio in Los Angeles with producer Don Gilmore.LACUNA COIL: "Shallow Life" Due In The Spring
Roadrunner Records. Accessed December 13, 2008.
According to magazine Rock Sound the album would have some Arabic influences. Scabbia noted that the album "feels more rock" and that it is "the perfect mixture between our old European sound and something more modern...some of its very heavy. The most amazing this is, we've been able to improve everything about Lacuna Coil without taking away anything good or doing something that doesn't belong." Shallow Life was reportedly set to be the band's first concept album, containing references toward superficial lifestyles in the world today. The song "Spellbound" was debuted live at the Soundwave Music Festival in February 2009. The song "Not Enough" was released as a free download on the Italian Music website XL with the backstage of Spellbound video on April 1, 2009. In the beginning of April the song "I'm Not Afraid" was released as airplay on Russian radios. On April 8, 2009 Lacuna Coil posted all 12 tracks from their album to listen to on their MySpace profile page for one week only. On April 14, 2009 the band created a poll on their MySpace profile for fans to choose the second single, involving nine songs from Shallow Life. Shallow Life was re-released as a double disc deluxe edition with new artwork from January 22–27, 2010 in Europe and February 22, 2010 in North America. The bonus disc contains live and acoustic recordings and previously unreleased studio tracks.


Reception

The Album received mixed reviews from music critics. ''
Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
'' writer, gave a mixed review to the album and rated it as two-and-a-half stars out of five and wrote: "In all fairness, Shallow Life, does come on very much as expected based on ''Lacuna Coil''s preceding career arc, and many observers would argue that backtracking isn't the solution either if a band is to prosper in the long run -- but it may have to be here, given the underwhelming sales and vociferous critical backlash bestowed upon the album." ''
Kerrang! ''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one- ...
'' magazine gave it three out of five, stating: "It may not stand along
Karmacode ''Karmacode'' is the fourth studio album by Italian gothic metal band Lacuna Coil, released on 31 March 2006 in several countries in Europe, 3 April in the UK and other European countries, 4 April in North America, and 5 April in several other E ...
in ten years' time...but it is an album for today." ''
Rock Sound ''Rock Sound'' is a British magazine that covers rock music. The magazine aims at being more "underground" and less commercial, while also giving coverage to better-known acts. It generally focuses on pop punk, post-hardcore, metalcore, punk, e ...
'' gave them eight out of ten saying that the album is "Edgier, racier and more accessible than almost anything they've done to date, 'Shallow Life' is the sound of a band that's reaping the rewards of over a decade in the business". Despite the mixed reaction, the track "Wide Awake" received near universal praise.


Track listing

;Bonus tracks ;Special Edition (Double disc)


Singles

* " Spellbound": "Spellbound" was released on March 20, 2009, via digital download. No physical release is scheduled. "Spellbound" was released on the "Liquid Metal" and "Octane" stations of
Sirius XM Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. It was formed by the 2008 merger of Sirius Sat ...
satellite radio on February 14 and was released officially on their MySpace on February 24. * "I Like It": The single was chosen after a poll on their MySpace profile, involving nine other songs from ''Shallow Life''. The video for "I Like It" was filmed in May. The music video was shot in Kansas City by the American director Kevin James Custer and it was released June 29, 2009. Despite being released as a single, however, it has never been performed live. * " I Won't Tell You": The single was released on October 5, 2009 on American mainstream rock radio stations. The video for "I Won't Tell You" was filmed on December 5 in Milan by the Italian director SaKu, who also directed the video for "Spellbound." The music video was released on the band's official MySpace page on January 12, 2010. * "Wide Awake": The single was released on November 30, 2009 for Italian radio stations as a special single for the holidays.http://www.virginradioitaly.it/top/magazine/the_rocket/lacuna_coil_wide_awake


Credits and personnel

;Lacuna Coil * Andrea Ferro - male
vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
*
Cristina Scabbia Cristina Adriana Chiara Scabbia (; born 5 June 1972) is an Italian singer, best known as one of the two vocalists of gothic metal band Lacuna Coil. Scabbia used to write an advice column in the popular rock magazine ''Revolver'', alongside mus ...
- female vocals * Marco "Maus" Biazzi -
lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...
* Cristiano "Pizza" Migliore -
rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...
* Marco Coti Zelati - bass,
keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...
s * Cristiano "CriZ" Mozzati -
drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...
;Production * Don Gilmore -
production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...
and
engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...
* Mark Kiczula- assistant recording engineering * Josh Newell- studio assistance * Recorded at NRG studios,
North Hollywood North Hollywood is a neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, located in the San Fernando Valley. The neighborhood contains the NoHo Arts District, the El Portal Theatre, several art galleries, and the Academy of TV Arts and Sciences. The North ...
, CA *
Mastered Mastering, a form of audio post production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device (the master), the source from which all copies will be produced (via meth ...
by
Ted Jensen Ted Jensen (born September 19, 1954) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered many recordings, including the Eagles' ''Hotel California'', Green Day's '' American Idiot'' and Norah Jones' ''Come Away with Me''. Biography Ted ...
at Sterling Sound ;Other personnel * Chris Denner - band photography *
Art direction Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and unify the visi ...
,
design A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process. The verb ''to design'' ...
& production by Stefan Wibbeke, Media Logistics GmbH, medialogistics.com Publishing * All music by: Lacuna Coil * All keyboards by: Marco Coti Zelati * All lyrics by: Lacuna Coil / Don Gilmore * All music and lyrics published by Lacuna Coil / High Speed Chase,
ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...
* Administered by Kobalt Other credits * Management: Adam (DOOM) Sewell for Riot Rock Management * Booking: Paul Ryan (UK), Tim Borror (US) for The Agency Group * Legal Representation: Michael Toorock, Toorock and Rosen, LLP * Tour Management: Mark "Gus" Guy


Charts


Release history


References

{{Authority control 2009 albums Lacuna Coil albums Century Media Records albums EMI Records albums