Evanescence released their self-titled album on Oct. 11, and although the band has made some changes to their lineup, their sound has failed to evolve with this new release. Lead singer Amy Lee’s powerful voice overwhelms most of the songs on the album that would be better as instrumental focused ballads.
The album starts off with the single “What You Want.” The band brings in instruments like piano and violin to try to set themselves apart in an industry where auto-tune is a musician’s best friend. The tune, however, is a plus that distracts from the generic lyrics about a bad relationship, which is a predominant theme that damages the whole album by showing no variation in the writing.
The songs run together and sound the same, such as “Made of Stone,” “My Heart is Broken,” and “The Other Side.” All include Lee’s wailing voice accompanied by a strong drum and electric guitar. While Lee’s voice can truly express a range of emotions, she has trouble sounding out words which causes the verses to run together.
The album does have two strong songs, “The Change” and the final track,”Swimming Home.” “The Change” demonstrates Lee’s range of variation and depth. This song suits her talents better than wailing along with an electric guitar. This song’s epic tone was created by the pace of the drum, the subtleness of the violin, and the powerful sound of the electric guitar.
The final song, “Swimming Home,” is a soft ballad that can only be described as sweet with its echoing sound effects and piano. Lee’s feelings of remorse are clearly expressed through her lyrics.
Evanescence doesn’t accurately showcase the skill and variety that they really do have. Instead, it shows the band as a one-trick pony that can only play different variations of the same song. While Lee’s voice is powerful and passionate, her voice in this album comes across as wailing which sometimes prevents the song from reaching full potential.
This album is not something I would recommend purchasing. Instead, I’d give “The Change” and “Swimming Home” a listen and perhaps, if you definitely like what you hear, you can consider purchasing only them off the album.
Chioma Iheoma is an A&E Editor for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.