Evanescence Album: “Fallen”

I've tracked through this disc a bunch of times now - It just keeps getting better with each listen. It didn't take long to realize "Fallen" was going to make its way into my rotation of discs I listen to a lot. I found myself anxiously waiting to hear what came next while listening to it, which rarely happens.

Their music is hauntingly dark, and beautiful at the same time, and it does have its "rock" moments, thanks to some really nice guitar sounds. And I *love* Amy's voice! The production is huge sounding; the songs are beautifully textured with keyboards, strings and layered back up vocals.

This is not a 'rap-metal' band, if you've only heard the "Bring Me To Life" single. There's a lot of depth to this group that you might not be expecting to hear ... and a lot of interesting things going on. Definitely not a "throw on at a party" CD - But one that I find myself wanting to explore beginning to end, again and again.

Besides the lead single, I really like "Tourniquet", "Going Under", "Haunted", "My Immortal", "Whisper" and "My Last Breath." The rest of the songs are also very good ... totally worth picking up, and hopefully an indication of more brilliance to come. Awesome stuff - a CD that's worth your attention.

I was pretty hyped to hear this album after they began playing "bring me to life" on the radio. What a great sound! I've heard it described as Linkin Park meets Tori Amos, and I guess that's accurate, but I was a little disappointed to find that Paul McCoy, who does the guest vocals on "bring me to life", is not featured on any of the other tracks. Also, the album is short, with only 11 songs total, and it left me wishing for a little more. However, I thought this cd was delightful! Amy Lee's vocals are stunning, and definitely are the highlight of the band. Each song has somewhat of a gothic romanticism about it; lots of dreamy, almost nightmarish themes of dying, bleeding, taking my last breath, whispering, salvation, and of course, bringing me to life. The feeling is very consistant throughout the whole cd, although it may even be a little too repititous when you listen to the album from start to finish. The standout tracks are definitely "going under", "bring me to life", and especially "tourniquet", which I thought was a little morbid overkill at first, but has really grown on me the more I hear it. Even the cd's several piano ballads are nice to listen to! Overall, Fallen may not be hard enough for rap/metal or techno/industrial types, for whom it seems targeted, but it will surely be a mainstream hit. I would recommend this album to anyone who is thirsting for something refreshingly new in rock, having such contrasting, yet complimenting elements as heavy guitar rifts and beats, side by side with beautiful vocals and passionate lyrics.

I sift through these reviews and shake my head in amazement. For every review that bashes Evanescence, there are 25 that praise them. I have been listening, playing, writing, and enjoying music for 20 years, and can say this with the utmost confidence, Evanescence is singular. Amy Lee may very well be the most gifted vocalist on the planet. Her haunting sound is something that pulled me into this CD from the very first note I heard her belt out. Ben Moody, while not the most accomplished guitarist on the rock scene is most surely a gifted writer. This may be one of the most justified CD purchases I have ever had the pleasure of making. The songs range from prog-rock to haunting anthems of pain and loss, the music is ethereal, the writing is top notch. Evanescence is energy, synergy, life. One only needs to "listen" to Tourniquet or Hello to understand that this is a band that is here to stay.

I've been a big fan of Evanescence for about a year now. After a friend played their previous release, Origin (on Big-wig records), I was in love. The two main players, Amy Lee and Ben Moody, met at a church camp while she was messing around on the chapel's piano. In an interview, Ben said how blown away he was by her playing. If you've heard 'My Immortal' (Daredevil: Soundtrack) you know exactly what he's talking about. I was unable to get 'Origin' but I was stoked to see 'Whisper', which originally released on 'Origin', on 'Fallen'. 'Whisper' is an unbelievably awesome riff-driven headbanger. I guarantee you'll be hearing Amy's haunting vocals going 'Don't turn away, don't give in to the pain, don't try to hide, though they're screaming your name, don't close your eyes, God knows what lies behind them, don't turn out the lights, never sleep never die'. If you have 'Daredevil' and are afraid that this just some nothing band that got a few lucky tracks, fear not, you're wrong. If you love 'My Immortal' and 'Bring me to life' you'll be glad to know that the whole CD is that good. The mixture of Moody's deep, driving guitar mixed with Amy's classically trained vocals and thin piano make a creepy sound that no can resist, even my Mom likes this stuff. Though it seems oxymoronic that a band that is often mistaken for goth-rock is made up of Christians (add onto this that they're from Arkansas) the Christian messages work really well with this music. And don't think this rock's answer to P.O.D., trust me, the entire Satellite album (including the insane Crystal Method remix of 'Boom') is matched in three of Evanescences songs. If I had to compare this CD to something, which is diffacult given how rare it is to find these guitar-works without some [one] screaming over them, I'd compare it to Thomas Harris' book 'Hannibal'. Beautifully haunting and somehow finding a balance between the elegant and the brutal. My one disapointment is that 'Fields of innocence', another song from 'Origin', wasn't on here. Buy this CD, even if you don't like Christian music. It's like Charlotte Church singing Marylin Manson and the pay-off is incredible.

Turns out that movie soundtracks are fast becoming the best channel for breakout artists. Little Rock's Evanescence has a devoted following in their hometown. Buy this CD and find out why. Lee's vocals are at once powerfully strong and beautifully soft, and she is backed by strong song co-writers, musicians, and production. Stand-tracks include "Bring Me To Life" and "Everybody's Fool".

Not since Australia's Suze DeMarchi (late of Baby Animals and a too-short solo career) have we heard such a talented female vocalist who seems like she can sing anything.

She makes it sound easy. If you buy it, go ahead and stash your other CDs away for a few weeks. You won't need 'em.