Artist: Evanescence
Title: The Bitter Truth
Genre: Alternative Rock
Release Date: 26th March 2021
Label: BMG
Album Review
‘The Bitter Truth’ marks the return of one of the leading bands of the early 2000s. Two Grammy Award-winning band EVANESCENCE laid the foundation for their career with their 2003 debut album ‘Fallen’, which sold more than 17 million copies worldwide. The debut single ‘Bring Me To Life’ became a worldwide hit and influenced a whole generation. The follow-up long-player ‘The Open Door’ was released in 2006 and the self-titled album in 2011. For the 2017 album ‘Synthesis’, the band around lead singer and pianist Amy Lee went new and familiar ways at the same time and created a symphonic album that made it to #5 in the German charts. After ten years, the Americans are now releasing a new studio album with twelve brand new songs.
The two minutes of the opener ‘Artifact/The Turn’ make it clear that EVANESCENCE will let us dive into a melancholic and dark universe this time. The electronic arrangements at the end lead smoothly into ‘Broken Piece Shine’, which takes the listener back to the end of the 1990s. The contrast between the groovy and intensive riffs with the easy carefree nature of Amy’s vocals shows that the band still stand by their roots, which helped build their reputation. ‘The Game is Over’ was the second single from the album. According to the band, the song is meant to inspire not to hide behind a façade. There was also a fitting music video for this, which was filmed only with iPhones. Really worth seeing. ‘Yeah Right’ is refreshingly different with its electro new wave pop while ‘Feeding The Dark’ is cleverly placed between the previous track, that already stood out, and the following one that breaks the rhythm, as this song is closer to the first two albums.
Now follows ‘Wasted On You’, which was the first single release which offered a good foretaste of the album. Many of the characteristic features are firmly anchored here. Which is nice to hear, after ten years. ‘Better Without You’ and its under-tuned guitars rise straight up thanks to Amy’s tone, as if she’s ridding the song of its anxiety-inducing samples and heavy riffing to lead the listener to the catharsis of ‘Bring Me To Life’. Very catchy, is the song ‘Use Your Voice’, which consists of gothic parts and two-part harmony. Cool here: Lzzy Hale from HALESTORM, Sharon den Adel from WITHIN TEMPTATION and Taylor Momsen from THE PRETTY RECKLESS are at work here as background singers!
‘Take Over’ really goes rocks, which will surely make one or the other listener dance around in the living room. But then the listener gets a little break with the intimate ballad ‘Far From Heaven’. Yes, they can still do it! ‘My Immortal’ and ‘Good enough’ send their regards. (I also turned them on directly after that song, just to enjoy the mood EVANESCENCE conjure up with their ballads). Finally, the album does not end with a quiet piece, but with two contrasting tracks, ‘Part Of Me’ and ‘Blind Belief’, whose dynamic riffs are once again accompanied by a strong vocal performance.
I was very surprised that after years of not really following or listening to this band, I found myself headbanging or swaying along more often. It perfectly mixes new elements with the nostalgic ones of the early 2000s. Although ‘The Bitter Truth’ seems to be darker and more aggressive than its predecessors, it underlines the disenchantment with the state of our current world. ‘The Bitter Truth’ has all the makings of a cautious comeback. And that's where the impatience to wait for EVANESCENCE to make a stop in Luxembourg with their “Worlds Collide Tour”, after Pandemic, grows.
Tracklist
01. Artifact/The Turn
02. Broken Pieces Shine
03. The Game is Over
04. Yeah Right
05. Feeding the Dark
06. Wasted on You
07. Better Without You
08. Use My Voice
09. Take Cover
10. Far From Heaven
11. Part of Me
12. Blind Belief
Line-up
Amy Lee – lead vocals, piano, keyboards, additional programming
Troy McLawhorn – guitar
Jen Majura – guitar, backing vocals
Tim McCord – bass
Will Hunt – drums
Website
https://www.evanescence.com
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 8
Sound: 8
Total: 8 / 10
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