Evanescence
The Bitter Truth β Sony Records
Oh how weβve waited for this. A brand new album of original songs from Evanescence last hit our ears a decade ago. So much has changed since then. The pace of how music has progressed and adapted is breath taking but some constants reassuringly remain. Amy Lee for instance still has that voice of angelic purity we all love on this latest record. Fans can rest assured that those golden vocal chords are still delivering silky smooth perfection. The songs themselves are more guitar driven than weβve heard since Fallen too. This is very much a rock album, but with passages of calm swirled into the mix. The writing remains unmistakably Leeβs with a natural progression towards a punchy sound suiting the mood of the moment. βFeeding The Darkβ has an anthemic rhythm akin to Queenβs βWe Will Rock Youβ. The drumming on βYeah Rightβ beats down in a similar fashion to Mansonβs βThe Beautiful Peopleβ. And in βUse My Voiceβ the album makes a statement that is so powerful it was adopted by Headcount.org during the recent US election. The Bitter Truth is a watershed album for Evanescence. In a way it marks the rebirth of the band. Thereβs a confidence about the songs and surrounding Lee generally that weβve not heard before, even on that stunning debut. Where before the lyrics often focussed on self-questioning now they ask questions, often uncomfortable ones of others. The Bitter Truth opens a whole new chapter in the Evanescence book. Itβs wonderfully well conceived and executed. With momentum generated letβs just hope the follow up isnβt a decade away.
Review by Gary Trueman