Evanescence – Evanescence - CD Album Review
This album is one that will go down well with Evanescence fans and shows that the band have still got plenty of years in them yet. It may not be as strong as ‘Fallen’, but it would be a massive task to better that.
Evanescence is one of these bands. Their first album, Fallen, released in 2003, was hugely popular and propelled the band to fame almost immediately. It sold more than 15 million copies worldwide, is one of 8 albums in the history of the Billboard chart to spend at least a year in its top 50 (it spent 104 weeks) and was certified Platinum status 7 times. The hit single, Bring Me To Life was featured on this album and it reached number 1 in the UK chart. This song is still a favourite amongst Evanescence fans and remains as popular now as it was then. Its a song that many older Evanescence fans will quote, when asked to name a song by them. However, during the European tour of the album, one of the bands co-founders, Ben Moody, left claiming creative differences as a big problem. Moody and vocalist, Amy Lee, founded the band in 1995 and he obviously played a big part in the achievements of the bands early career. However, his departure didnt seem to get in the way of the bands creativity too much, as Terry Balsamo (ex-Cold guitarist) replaced him as guitarist and as Amy Lees writing partner. The Open Door, released in 2006, wasnt as successful as Fallen but it still fared well. It reached number 1 on the Billboard chart and sold 447,000 copies in the US in its first week, and sold more than 6 million copies overall. The song, Call Me When Youre Sober, was on this album and it was a hit song that was the instigator for a lot of the albums sales. Even though Evanescence was still producing good music, this was a troubled time for the band. Bassist Will Boyd left, and was replaced by Tim McCord; Balsamo suffered a stroke; John LeCompt was allegedly sacked; and drummer Rocky Gray decided to call it a day. Other members were recruited soon, though, with Will Hunt taking over the drumming duties and Troy McLawhorn playing guitar. Both of these members were only supposed to play with the band during the Family Values Tour but they both still remain with the band to date. With their third album, itll be interesting to see if the band can carry on with the form theyve had in their previous releases. Has recording with an effectively new band harmed their sound in any way? And have the years since their last release been a burden or a welcome rest? 
The opener and first single, What You Want, certainly shows the band being able to carry on that form. Lees voice is as haunting and soothing yet tinged with anger as much as it has ever been, and the chorus is especially strong. The lyrics are deep and laced with Evanescences style. Theyre what weve come to expect from the band, too: Hello, hello, remember me? / Im everything you cant control / Somewhere beyond the pain / There must be a way to believe / We can break through. The guitar-playing is effective and, though not the most technical, works well with the rest of the song. If it was any more technical, it wouldnt fit with the track, so it shows Evanescence employing a sense of intelligence. Its a promising start. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTLzWGIL-iI Erase This starts with a melodic guitar which is then soon joined by a pounding bass and well-paced, up-tempo drums. Lee, again, steals the show though as her voice leads the track throughout. The keys, which linger behind, are a neat addition as they add more melody and a genteel sense to the song. A different aspect to the song is then more pronounced rather than the heavy rock which the track is based on an aspect of a gentler side to Evanescence which is usually more evident on their ballads. Never Go Back, has the heaviest riff on the album. It soon pares away though and is replaced by a roving bass, but the guitar reminds us its there every so often, with the riff appearing regularly. This is probably the only track on the album where the music threatens to take control over Lees vocals and its a track that is sure to be a favourite in live environments. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vv13fo3gbe0 Swimming Home, the last track, is a relaxing, slow-paced song that ends the album on a good note. Its a track well-suited to just chill out to and one that fits fine on this album as the last track. Its not breaking any boundaries but its a wise choice as it settles the listener down, and reminds us of Evanescences softer side. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhWUD1mRIMw This album is one that will go down well with fans and shows that the band have still got plenty of years in them yet. It may not be as strong as Fallen, but it would be a massive task to better that. There are plenty of tracks on offer that would work well as singles, most notably Never Go Back and Erase This, and its the strength of these particular tracks that the album rides on. However, that isnt to say there are any fillers here. Far from it. Its an overall well-thought-out album and one of good quality. Theyve done themselves no harm here. Evanescence by Evanescence is released on October 11th.