Unleashed Memories, the 2nd full length album by the Irish gothic metal band, Lacuna Coil, released in 2000. Probably the best album by Lacuna Coil,
Unleashed Memories is packed with heavy riffs and beautiful melodies that creates a mystical atmosphere that, luckily, lacks a lot of the electronica influence found in Lacuna Coil"s
Comalies, and with Century Media in their production line, Lacuna Coil could never sound as rich as they did in this album. Although the rerelease of this album in 2001 contains 5 extra tracks that are Lacuna Coil"s
Half-Life EP, the original album only contained 10 tracks all of 4 minutes or more (with the exception of
Senzafine, which is 3 minutes 53 seconds long). Also, with lyrics about personal longing, schizophrenia, and paranoia,
Unleashed Memories is lyrically a breakthrough for Lacuna Coil and gothic metal in general.
The two vocalist, Christina Scabbia (female vocals) and Andrea Ferro (male vocals), work together well on this album, with Andrea Ferro playing a much larger role in the songs then he did in
Comalies. Christina Scabbia, however, is by far the better, and most dominant, vocalist, with a voice that could only be described as a sharper, angrier, less whiney Amy Lee. Also, on certain tracks, specifically
Senzafine, both vocalist sing in the Italian language, giving a unique feel to the song(s). Both of the vocalist make astounding breakthroughs in their singing on the tracks
To Live Is To Hide,
1:19, and
Cold Heritage, all (for the most part) vocal driven songs, which are rather rare on this album.
The two guitarists, Cristiano Migliore and Marco Biazzi, are for the most part mediocre guitarist, but manage to mix their guitar tunes together to make a unique and mystical atmosphere in the band"s music. They also have their highlight moments delivering astounding riffs such as in
When A Dead Man Walks and
Wave Of Anguish. Marco Coti Zelati, the bassist, is also only mediocre, but overall helps the band create the unique style of gothic metal that is Lacuna Coil. Cristiano Mozzati, the drummer and percussionist for the band, has probably the most instrumental talent in the band. Overall, Lacuna Coil"s music proves to be dominant on this album, and
Comalies is definitely a step down from this album musically.
The first track on the album,
Heir Of A Dying Day, starts off slow, but picks up into a steady continuation of heavy riffs interlude by Christina Scabbia"s beautiful voice. The song as a whole flows very well and easily defines the overall sound of the album and has a catchy chorus, but is not one of the better tracks on the CD.
To Live Is To Hide has an awesome, mystical intro, and is much faster then
Heir Of A Dying Day, and in the end proves to be the better of the two tracks.
Purify is next, and is the first slow track on the album, with Christina Scabbia dominating on the vocals, it is no match to
Unleashed Memories other slow track,
Cold Heritage.
Senzafine, the track sung in all Italian by both vocalist, comes in fast and hard and is the only track to really use any percussions or electronics, which give an extra feel to the atmosphere of the track.
When A Dead Man Walks follows
Senzafine with heavy, slow riffs that fail to light up except when Christina takes over the bridge of the song. Another notable track on the album.
1:19 is another profound track, with even a presence of growling from male front man Andrea Ferro. The song is another fast track with a catchy chorus and flows really well with the rest of the album. The second slow, mellow track,
Cold Heritage follows the fast and heavy
1:19 with some slowly percussions before the soft plucking of the electric guitar comes in. Probably one of the best songs on the album, Christina Scabbia shows some real vocal skill on the track.
Distant Sun is another track that starts off slow, and keeps that pace throughout most of the song. Although not a distinctive track like
When A Dead Man Walks and
Cold Heritage,
Distant Sun is another good example of Lacuna Coil"s power before electronics took over their music.
A Current Obsession, is considerably the 3rd (4th f you count
Distant Sun) slow track on the album, and overall doesn"t compete with it"s previous mellow tracks. Finally,
Wave Of Anguish finishes the album breaking into heavy riffs similar to
When A Dead Man Walks, and breaking the string of soft and slow tracks on the album. All in all,
Unleashed Memories is definitely the classic Lacuna Coil album and a must have for any fans of Christina Scabbia or Lacuna Coil as a whole.
Pros
-- Great vocal work
-- Great music by Lacuna Coil"s standards
-- Lyrically impressing
-- Great mixture of fast and slow tracks
Cons
-- Senzafine can get annoying due to it"s lack of any English words
-- Can feel rather repetitive the first couple of times you listen to it
Track Listing
1. Heir Of A Dying Day (4/5)
2. To Live Is To Hide (4.5/5)
3. Purify (4/5)
4. Senzafine (3.5/5)
5. When A Dead Man Walks (5/5)
6. 1:19 (4.5/5)
7. Cold Heritage (5/5)
8. Distant Sun (3.5/5)
9. A Current Obsession (3.5/5)
10. Wave Of Anguish (4/5)
