REVIEWS:
Post your comments about Evanescence
(reviewed by Kevin Baker)
Now, who would've thought??? Mixing the amazingly diverse vocals Amy Lee with dark, guitar-heavy rock, Evanescence absolutely shocked me the first time I heard Bring Me To Life on the radio - on a TOP 40 STATION. My sweet Orrin Hatch...what an experience. And they're from ARKANSAS. Friggin' Arkansas! Y'know, the state that's produced Black Oak Arkansas, Bill Clinton, and probably some country singers that nobody really gives a flip about! And they gave us THIS band - a gothy, ass-kicking rock outfit fronted by a chick who favors dramatic vocal stylings???
The answer is yes. Out of Little Rock hath come one of the at least slightly innovative bands to make it big these days. The lyrical themes and instrumentation of their music isn't what makes them originals - lots of people have gone down the "let's capture every shade of depression, hurt, and pessimism we can" route with their lyrics, and heavy guitar stuff is by NO means unusual. They occasionally warrant comparisons with Linkin Park in the instrumental department, but with one critical difference. Unlike Linkin Park's current vocal lineup of a bad rapper and a whiny singer who I'd like to see taken offstage and hit with something, Evanescence has the divine Amy Lee. One of the best female voices in rock today, she simply sounds amazing. Whether it's a menacing, growling, snarling vocal like on the verse for Going Under or her angelic and dramatic soarings on Bring Me To Life, Amy Lee hits the nail on the head every time she comes up to bat.
Dangit, I mixed my metaphors. Let me try again. Yes, when Amy Lee opens her sweet little mouth (she's a babe, too), she conveys ten times the emotion than the rest of the band. She makes lyrics that could otherwise seem like stupid goth triteness resonate. Misery knows no better company than Evanescence.
So, what about the songs you say? I say they're for the most part decent. The first four tracks are my favorites. Going Under starts the cd off with a dramatic bang in its chorus, Bring Me To Life has this perfect dark feel to it, Everybody's Fool is one of the best pissed-off-and-hurting-bad songs I've heard (thanks in great part to the sublime Ms. Lee, not to be confused with the principal from Daria), and the ORIGINAL My Immortal is a beautiful, aching ballad. The pain in that one is palpable. Trite in the lyrics department, but again, Amy Lee's vocals can make banality into beauty.
Let me pause at this point to gripe about the single version of My Immortal. The original is a straightforward piano ballad with some orchestration. However, because the public expects Evanescence to have guitars and drums and bass, they went back and re-did the song with those elements added in an obvious way that just doesn't do it. The new version trades the genuine beauty of the original cd version in for just another hit single - very disappointing. But getting back to the cd, the next two tracks are very dark, very bleak, and very angry. My Imaginary continues the drama, and really, the rest of the album is all very even - continuing themes already established.
Now time for the bad news. Evanescence's sound, whule very distinctive, can also be fairly repetitive. Their songs all sound very similar, except for My Immortal, though they do include another luffly ballad. Each song has different little touches - piano or acoustic guitar or a choral section (including a truly great choral ending on the last track - it sounds a little like Carl Orff!), but except for Lee's vocal stylings differing some, the songs all sound very similar. It's a good sound, but Evanescence would not be hurt by diversifying a bit. That said, I very much like this cd - a good start from a band that with some maturing and branching out could move from being a good band to a great band.