I was initially disappointed after listening to half the album. It sounded just like The Gathering. Like style, same slow moving, melodic vocals, similar ambiance/atmosphere, etc. Luckily, I like The Gathering, but it was TOO much the same. After I listened to it a little more, I noticed some redeeming differences, mainly in the male/female duet singing. Once again, a lot of bands do this, but Lacuna Coil do a great job with the melody and harmonizing. "To Live is to Hide" is good example of this, as well as the opening track "Heir of Dying Day".

Things pick up a bit when you get to bonus tracks 11-15, which are the Halflife EP. These songs are more raw with gruffer male vocals and heavier music. I give this section of the album 5 stars, with great tracks "Halflife", "Trance Awake", and the Italian-sung (I assume) "Senzafine" (which is actually on this album twice). This disc definately worth having if you are a fan of the whole gothic/doomy genre, like The Gathering, Theatre of Tragedy, Sins of Thy Beloved, etc. Or, if you are like me and are getting close to hitting your limit on this quickly-to-become rehashed sound of these types of bands, don't feel bad passing on this album, despite all the praise critics are giving it. It's a great album for now, but I doubt it will stand the test of time.

--Edit one year later: OK, this album WILL stand the test of time. I was surprisingly rough on this album when I first wrote it, but now realize my glaring error. All of the praise this album is receiving from the other reviewers is completely justified. This album made my list for one of the best albums of 2001. These tunes will stick in your head for days.

Disappointing overall
Let me be the first to say that Lacuna Coil are some impressive musicians. I first discovered them on mp3.com when their (WONDERFUL) song "Falling" was dominating the metal charts at #1 awhile back. It was a song that was hard to really nail down and classify outside of calling it "trance metal," or some such - the point being that their sound was extremely original, melodic, and overall pleasing to the ear. After listening to a few of their other pieces, I still felt a certain spark of originality and it sounded fresh - plus, I discovered that not only can Cristina Scabbia SING, she's also incredibly hot.

But that aside, I have my gripes with this album. Primarily, it does not feel fresh. It feels flat and overproduced. The first few songs ("Heir of a Dying Day," "To Live Is To Hide") have some great hooks; however, the following songs simply follow the same formula of melodic guitar and quasi-operatic singing with overdriven guitar chords revving underneath. I'm not fantastically fond of the male vocals, either, since his standard mode of singing only works well in certain settings, like the screaming bit from the standout track "Hyperfast" (which, incidentally, was originally off of the Half-Life EP) or harmonizing with Cristina. But realistically, he could vanish from the band entirely and not be severely missed by many, as the female vocals are so incredibly strong and unique.

All things considered, I'm sorry to say that the inclusion of the entire Half-Life EP is really the best thing this album has going for it. The "Trance Awake/Senzafine" suite and the transition between the two is astoundingly good, and since "Senzafine" is sung in Italian, it keeps a much better air of mystery and gothic chill around it than do the majority of their other songs. Lyrically, I can't comment on it, not being an Italian speaker, but I will say this: the lyrics on the rest of the songs are fairly generic and bland, as I rarely notice what's being said - not that there's anything exactly wrong with that, really. Lacuna Coil's brand of metal basically gives them the right to do this without anyone protesting, since the voices just sort of turn into another instrument, but it would have been refreshing to see otherwise. ("Falling" has great, cool lyrics that drew me in right away!)

Sadly, I must assign this album to the below average portion of my CD collection, with an overall score of 2 ½ stars. I feel that if Lacuna Coil can pick up the slack on their next release and show a bit more diversity in their songwriting, this disc can be considered a firm stepping stone, but on its own, it fails utterly outside of having some tasty distorted guitar solos and clean, hypnotic melody lines. Frankly, they've already shown that they can do better.

One of the most incredible albums I've heard in my life
Amazon.com CD reviews tend to be full of hyperbole... if you went by the reviews here, you'd think every album made by every band was either a masterpiece, or sucks horribly.

But you know what... this is one of those albums that REALLY IS that good, and fully lives up to the praise lavished on it. Cristina's voice makes the band, and while the male singer Andrea has his moments (when he isn't screaming), it is Cristina and her incredible skill at weaving together compelling, beautiful vocal melodies that makes this album so good. Unleashed Memories is very catchy without being commercial. Many of the songs are 4 minutes+, giving the songs time to develop and the band room to stretch out, with several of the songs having short guitar solos (something I wish there were more of on the album).

Lacuna Coil has somehow struck a perfect balance on this album. It's far less repetitive than Comalies - which is a good album and was my introduction to the band, but it's clear that Comalies was written with the intention of taking the band to the "next level", and compromises were made so that they could break out on to corporate rock radio in the US. Unleashed Memories is the perfect blend between their 2nd album "In a Reverie" and Comalies.

The most amazing thing, though, is that several months after getting this album, I still listen to it every day! It hasn't left my car's CD player. This album is like musical crack, and it's Lacuna Coil's best so far.
I've had this album for quite some time now, and still I have a hard time finding the words to describe just how incredible this album/band is. This is definitely a CD that I can leave in my player for months on end, and it never seems to get old. This is by far my favorite album by my favorite band.

At the heart of Lacuna Coil lie their two vocalists, Cristina Scabbia and Andrea Ferro. Cristina's voice is gorgeously melodic and her range is incredible, while Andrea Ferro's male vocals can go from harsh, deep growls to resonant spoken word almost seamlessly. Both are incredibly talented, and their contrasting vocals, rather than be caustic and grating on the ears, are beautiful and melodic. They complement each other perfectly!

Lacuna Coil has been described as Italian goth metal, or gothic rock. In my humble opinion, they really are their own genre. They have the crunching guitars characteristic of metal music, yet the vocals don't get buried under the guitars and drums. The arrangements on this album are amazing. Furthermore, their lyrics actually convey several great messages rather than consist of mere useless drivel and angst.

All are incredible tracks, and none make you want to hit the "skip" button. However, here are some that stand slightly above the rest:

Track 1: "Heir of a Dying Day" - Excellent opening song, with a great beat and a chorus that changes up the tempo a bit so that things don't get monotonous.

Track 2: "To Live is to Hide" - Probably my favorite track on this album. Once again, there is a tempo change between the verses and the chorus to change things up a bit. Excellent emotional lyrics with stellar performances from both vocalists.

Tracks 4 & 13: "Senzafine" - Two versions of this song, sung in italian, appear on the album. Both are excellent.

Track 6: "1:19" - You simply can't help but bang your head along with this song! Characteristically "gothic" lyrics.

Track 9: "A Current Obsession" - I love the lyrics on this song. Again, very characteristically "gothic," conveying a message of deep despair and mourning.

If you are new to Lacuna Coil, this is a great place to start as there is such a wide variety of songs on here. Indeed, there is something for everyone to be found on this album. "Unleashed Memories" consists of a remarkable array of heavy guitar driven songs, slow, melodic ballads, and a plethora of powerful, emotional lyrics. Definitely pick up this album along with any other album of theirs! This is a band that should be getting much more recognition here in the states than they are currently getting.

I was fortunate enough to get to see them headline a live concert this past year, and this is most certainly a group that is far better live than on their albums (a sign of great musicians). If you ever get the chance to see them live, then take advantage of it, as they don't travel here often!

A Current Obsession
Usually I'm a hardcore rocker who appreciates the heaviest music around, and loves to crank slayer maximum bass pretty much all day. Any exceptions could only be achieved through a band who has perfected the art of music, a band that makes you feel, a band that can turn the most savage murderer into the most spiritual poet, a band called Lacuna Coil.

I have all of Lacuna Coil's CDs, and I must say they never get exceedingly heavy or very heavy at all, however they are still my favourite band of all time. Why? Because they are beautiful on a level that nothing else can match, the singing is brilliant, and you can feel the harmonies, rather than just listen to the song.

Lacuna coil are a very beautiful and skilled band, any of their albums is a wonder waiting to happen, or a wonder that has already happened, this CD is no exception.

My favourite song on this album is the last song, Stars. I don't even know the lyrics, and usually like I said I like bands that go heavy as hell, but the beauty of Stars turns me into a soft loving romantic and graceful person. Nothing else can do that.

Great album, one that will stir your feelings as well as your spiritual side.
Italian six-piece Lacuna Coil are one of the hardest working & rapidly progressing gothic metal outfit of our times. Their dual-vocal approach featuring the heavenly voice of Cristina Scabbia juxtaposed with the harsh style of Andrea Ferro will appeal to fans of The Gathering, Theatre Of Tragedy & Nightwish. Unleashed Memories also includes last year's mini-CD, 'Halflife', as a bonus. Bonus tracks, 'Halflife', 'Trance Awake', 'Senzafine', 'Hyperfast', & 'Stars'. Century Media. 2001.