ALBUM REVIEW: Evanescence – The Bitter Truth

8/10

ALBUM REVIEW: Evanescence - The Bitter Truth

The Bitter Truth is an album that Evanescence fans have been waiting on for almost a decade, and it doesn’t disappoint. The album was planned to be released in late 2020 but due to the pandemic was pushed to March 2021. It was made under exceptional circumstances with band members being scattered across the United States and Europe and was produced by Nick Raskulinecz, who they had worked with before.

The album opens with ‘Artifact / The Turn’. It’s a beautiful opening with panning synths and Amy Lee’s vocals sitting softly on top. Her vocals send you a shiver. That overwhelming feeling that something you have been waiting for such a long time has finally arrived. It has a hum of deep notes and shimmering sounds, making you feel excited and realising that this album is set for something huge with these first few notes.

We get thrown into ‘Broken Pieces Shine’ with the thick chugging guitar notes that throw you back to their early hits. The chorus melody is huge and something that you want to sing along with right away. Lee sings, “I’m not fine, I don’t know if I’ll be alright, but I have to try,” with high piano keys in the background catching your ear, making this song feel even bigger.

‘Yeah Right’ is one of the tracks that has been released and straight away has a different feel to it. There is a groove that Evanescence haven’t used before, but it still works perfectly, almost giving the album a pop song that might actually make you want to get up and dance and sing as loud as you can during the chorus. It twists your ear again in the middle eight with high notes playing before a ripping guitar solo. As the song comes to a finish and begins to soften, we hear a static noise come through, and Lee’s vocals become beautifully soft and breathless.

If you have been an Evanescence fan from the beginning of their career, then ‘Feeding The Dark’ might take you back a few years, reminding you of a song from their first album called ‘Everybody’s Fool’. This track has the band’s trademark chugging guitar and bass, with Lee hitting deep notes before opening into another huge and powerful sing-along chorus. Evanescence fans, new and old, will love this.

‘Wasted On You’ has a great seven-bar kick in the drums to open up the chorus as Lee sings, “I don’t need drugs, I’m already six feet low, wasted on you, waiting for a miracle.” These lyrics are just as powerful to match lyrics from ‘Use My Voice’ when she sings, “Don’t you speak for me, one day soon it’s gonna fall back on you, no more lies, were gonna breakthrough.” It makes you feel that she’s singing for everyone out there who needs a voice.

‘Better Than You’ starts with the sound of a wind up musical toy, broken and stuck on repeat, but these notes continue to play softly in the whole song’s background. Lee hits some of her highest notes, but then she settles into a soft “ahhh” at the end of the chorus, which gives the song its hook. ‘Better Than You’ is one of those songs that really represents everything that Evanescence is. This song’s production is excellent and is one you will more than likely hit repeat on straight away.

The Bitter Truth is one of those albums where after listening to it a few times, you start to hear different things each time it’s played and realise just how amazing it is. The album is a perfect teaser for the band’s European tour later this year, with gigs looking a little closer.

 

Xsnoize Author
Sonja Sleator 9 Articles
Sonja is a musician and Youtube vlogger based in Belfast. She has gigged all over the UK and performed at some festivals under her own name. Sonya has a soft spot for cats and coffee. Bands: Radiohead / Hozier / Muse / Vampire Weekend Albums - All of the above + David Keenan (A Beginner's Guide To Bravery) / Ryan Adams (Prisoner) / Bjork (Homogenic)

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