Lacuna Coil: Unleashed Memories

Cover Musicians

Cristina Scabbia - female vocals
Andrea Ferro - male vocals
Cristiano Migliore - guitars
Marco Biazzi - guitars
Marco Coti Zelati - bass
Cristiano Mozzati - drums, percussion
 
Release Label Cat. N° Playing Time Rating
2001 Century Media - 47’06’’ -
Website Contact Style
www.lacunacoil.it - Gothic
Review by
Vera "Gothica"
As with bands like The Gathering, Within Temptation, After Forever and many, many more, it is sometimes interesting for a lover of progressive rock to also explore the boundaries of metal. Don’t be put off by the macho posture of the band all dressed in black to resemble a delegation from hell. Also, although this band hails from Italy, their English is without an accent (maybe more so for the female singer than the male singer!) and the sound is very international.

Call it "gothic metal" or call it whatever you like but I luv’ it ! Just gaze at “To Live Is To Hide” which holds a nice symphonic arrangement as in a musical embrace. In a production of Waldemar Sorychta, known for his work with Tiamat, Moonspell, Therion and Grip inc. to name but a few, Lacuna Coil has delivered an album which holds both hard riffs and intimate acoustic songs, sometimes blending both extremes into one song. No doubt the highlight of the band has to be found in the simply stunning vocals of Cristina Scabbia whose crystal clear yet powerful vocals form the backbone for all ten compositions. In “Senzafine” they even sing in Italian, which works rather well without one second having to be a contestant for the mellow San Remo festival! This is metal with an edge, an Italian edge (and don’t you start calling this "gothic pizza"!).

“When A Dead Man Walks” has a very "ear-catching" melody and will probably become a Lacuna Coil "classic" in years to come. Another catchy melody is incorporated in “1:19” where Cristina goes on singing “I’m a loser." The way this album sounds you’re completely wrong my dear! You’re a winner (and the band as well!). It’s in “1:19” that the timbre of her voice suddenly reminds me of … Madonna. Maybe Cristina won’t be too pleased hearing this but being compared to the best selling female artist in the entire world certainly has to be a compliment. “Cold Heritage” could very well be a recent Madonna song as well, as it contains the more mature approach Mrs. Ritchie has explored on her latest album. Although this is probably not foreseen in their marketing plan, maybe Lacuna Coil should look for the right producer to make this song into a club remix. Not really "gothic," I know, but then again this song could well mean a decent amount of "dosh" which would come in handy for the recording of the next full album, as this music certainly requires REAL violins! Just listen to the powerful ending of “Distant Sun” which could be majestical given the right treatment. In all, a great band with a superb album in their "gothic metal" genre that should also appeal to lovers of well structured prog music. If this album is the result of a band which has only been together for three years then I’m convinced many interesting material is waiting to be unleashed. Bellissimo!

 
Tracklist
  1. Heir Of A Dying Day (4:56)
  2. To Live Is To Hide (4:32)
  3. Purify (4:34)
  4. Senzafine (3:51)
  5. When A Dead Man Walks (5:52)
  6. 1:19 (4:46)
  7. Cold Heritage (5:21)
  8. Distant Sun (5:26)
  9. A Current Obsession (5:18)
  10. Wave Of Anguish (4:40)