The Italians have built a reputation on blending the classic with the innovative. Their cultural exports -- from food and wine to fashion and art -- are known for turning heads; witness Michelangelo's "David," still raising hackles 500 years after it was carved, or Da Vinci's scientific sketches, many of which inspired our earliest technologies.

Enter Lacuna Coil, the band that's rocking Europe with its unique blend of metal, hard rock, goth and pop. Its name, Italian for "empty spiral," belies the richness and versatility of its music.

The first thing you notice when you listen to Lacuna Coil is singer Cristina Scabbia's lush voice, capable of belting like Rob Halford and lilting like Maynard James Keenan. Hers is a remarkable foil, both for the more traditional hard-rock growl of co-vocalist Andrea Ferro and for the band's edgy, dynamic sound.

Scabbia joined the band in 1997, not longer after it had first formed in the bandmates' hometown of Milan. "They were friends of mine and were playing together as a band. They were going to record a promo tape and wanted to include some female vocals. I just tried to improvise and they liked the result," she says. "That's why they asked me to stay with them."

The situation was a stroke of luck for Scabbia, who had always enjoyed singing but had never considered joining a band. "I think I started to love to sing when I was one year old! I always used to sing everywhere, when I had the occasion," she says. "But on the other side I was really shy, and I never considered doing this work seriously."

In 1991, she was invited to sing with friends for a dance project. That experience showed her that she could make a living as a singer, although for many years, she worked as a vocalist without giving out her photo or her real name. "I did it purely for the money," she says.

The result of the promo she recorded with Lacuna Coil was a deal with international record label Century Media, and the band first entered Germany's Woodhouse Studios with producer Waldemar Sorychta in October of 1997 to record its self-titled EP. That EP, released in March of 1998, included early Lacuna Coil classics like "This is My Dream" and "Falling," the latter of which is dedicated to a friend of the band's who passed away. The band's bold combination of metal and goth with Scabbia's gorgeous voice helped launch it into a European tour supporting labelmates Moonspell, although anxiety and stage fright led the band to temporarily split up mid-tour.

The remaining members continued the tour with help from members of Kreator and Tiamat, and they later recruited new guitarist Cristiano Migliore (Thy Nature) and drummer Cristiano Mozzati (Time Machine) to record their first full-length album, "In a Reverie," in October 1999.

Again Sorychta was at the controls at Woodhouse. "He's special," Scabbia says, "He's a very special person, intelligent and sensible. He can be considered the seventh member of Lacuna Coil. He knows exactly what we want to reach with our music, so we have the perfect cooperation with him."

By the time it recorded "Reverie," both the band's sound and lineup had begun to solidify. "If I take a look back at the first EP I can see that we were immature in some parts of the music, even if I like what we did," Scabbia says. "With 'In a Reverie' we have been able to work in a better way, because we knew [Sorychta] better and how to work in a studio. We also improved with the songwriting."

"Reverie" blasts off with the pile-driving "Circle" in which Scabbia and Ferro trade lyrics like, "What is it for? What is sacred in my circle of regrets?" The duo roleplay in romantic interludes and confrontations on songs like "Honeymoon Suite" and "My Wings," but Scabbia's solo performances in the fantastical "To Myself I Turned" and a re-recorded version of "Falling" reveal a more vulnerable side to the band.

At the time "Reverie" was recorded, Lacuna Coil included Scabbia, Ferro, Migliore, Mizzati and Marco Coti Zelati on bass. In January of 1999 the group added Marco "Maus" Biazzi on guitar, giving the group a two-guitar attack reminiscent of groups like Queensryche and Dream Theater.

That year Lacuna Coil embarked on a non-stop tour of Europe with acts like Skyclad, My Insanity, Grip Inc., Lachrimosa and Samael that kicked off in April of 1999 and continued through October of that year. They gained a lot of exposure playing gigs like Poland's Metal Mania Festival, the Dynamo Open Air Festival, and Italy's Gods of Metal fest, the latter in front of 25,000 people.

"Our shows are really energetic," Scabbia says. "We really have fun on stage and people can see it. We like to give a good visual impact, so we're emotional and we act like actors on stage." That approach only serves to enhance Scabbia and Ferro's vocal and lyrical relationship, already dramatic on their recorded works.

In January of 2000, Lacuna Coil returned to the studio with Sorychta -- this time the Damage Inc. Studios in Ventimiglia, Italy -- to record a new EP, "Halflife." The album includes four new original songs, one of which, "Senzafine," is one of the only songs the band has ever performed in its native language.

"I really love the English language," Scabbia says. "I think it's a really musical language and it's easy to describe strong feeling with simple words. With 'Senzafine,' it just happened. It just came out very naturally, but the song was perfect to be performed in Italian." The EP also includes a cover of the Dubstar hit "Stars."

In April of that year, Lacuna Coil embarked on its first headlining tour of Europe, playing more than a dozen shows including a sold-out gig in London and another in Belfast where Ferro fell onstage and was rushed to the hospital with a dislocated shoulder. The band also performed at the Pala Aquatica festival in Milan with Labyrinth.

Before long, they were back at Woodhouse, working on their second full-length album, "Unleashed Memories," which was released in late 2000 in Europe and in early 2001 in America. The American release includes the material from the "Halflife" EP as well. "Memories" offers nine new songs, some of the band's most daring music to date, plus a new version of "Senzafine."

"'Halflife' was probably the most experimental chapter for Lacuna Coil," Scabbia says. "We tried to work with different melodies [including] some Arabian-inspired melodies. 'Unleashed Memories' shows what we are now. We found our style with the two voices combined in an original way -- not just female: lyric and male: growl -- and with a lot of melancholic melodies."

Lacuna Coil's songs develop with instrumental music written first; the vocals come later. "We always find the vocal line first and then the lyrics at the very end. I'm inspired from the music itself but I don't follow another instrument line," Scabbia says. "I consider our two voices as another two instruments."

However, she said it can be difficult to work with Ferro when writing such confessional songs. "It's is not easy to share a personal emotion with another person. Usually I find the vocal line and then we write the lyrics, putting together all the ideas."

Scabbia's own lyrics come from personal experiences, especially sad or melancholy ones, and from the people she meets. The songs on "Unleashed Memories" are often introspective and anthemic at the same time.

On "When a Dead Man Walks," Ferro gives voice to a man on death row while Scabbia sings the refrain, "Once again/Living in their cage/They're killing me." "'When A Dead Man Walks' talks about the thoughts that a person in prison, waiting to be killed by the state, can have," Scabbia says. "Can you imagine how many things you should have in mind? And how horrible it is to know exactly when and how you'll die? I'm not pro or against. I just wanted to try to explore the mind of another person in a particular moment."

Another standout is "Distant Sun," which Scabbia describes as "the thing that every person needs in order to hide their real personality so they can make a normal living in society." On "Cold Heritage," the band experiments with a digital, electronic sound; Scabbia says "Distant Sun" is about someone who is no longer in her life. "I do realize it now/You are living in me," she sings.

Scabbia's vocal range and versatility have expanded since Lacuna Coil's first recording, but she's never sought professional training. "I never took singing lessons because here in Italy is not easy to find a good teacher and it's also expensive. I just learned by myself, especially from all the tours we did."

As Lacuna Coil gains momentum, it's played gigs in Mexico and has set its sights on the US. "We get emails every day from fans asking when we're going to play there," Scabbia says, adding that they hope to tour America in 2002.

Back at home, though, getting airplay is tough. "There are a lot of good bands but we don't have enough support from the big media, like TV or radio," she says. "That's why a lot of times you never know what's going on around you. But these past few years something has changed because bands like Rhapsody, Labyrinth, us and others, have started being appreciated outside of Italy."

The fact that there are so few metal bands with female leads is something that helps set Lacuna Coil apart, but Scabbia says it's not usually an issue. "People recognize first that I'm a good singer. That's the main point," she says. But if someone says a woman doesn't belong in such a band, "I don't say anything. I let them talk. Sometimes it's more funny to listen to some stupid prejudices, and the best way to fight them is to shut up and laugh at them."