By Marc W. Polite
2003 feels like it was a lifetime ago. This is when Evanescence broke on the musical scene with the goth rock/nu-metal sound, the album “Fallen”, and the lead single “Bring Me Back To Life” 18 years later, a slightly reconstituted Evanescence with Amy Lee still as the lead vocalist brings us “The Bitter Truth” While this is their fifth album, in terms of new material, the band has been off the scene for nearly a decade.
The Bitter Truth is a twelve-track album that holds true to the Evanescence sound. Amy Lee in this auditory outing is more outspoken and political, but not in an overt or overbearing way. My favorite songs on here are “The Game is Over”, “Use My Voice”, and “Yeah Right.” Right now, after a period of wandering sonically, Evanescence has recalibrated, and gotten back to what made them stand out. The Bitter Truth does not break any new ground, but the subject matter and themes feel timely for tangible and intangible reasons. There is an undertone of this moment, where we sense that we’re being lied to.
They keep their signature sound and give us a good album of new material. In this writer’s opinion, the previous project “Synthesis” was mostly a retread/ re-master of songs from the group’s previous three albums. I skipped that one. Just saying. This project in its entirety is a better sound than 2006’s “The Open Door” and the self-titled “Evanescence” in 2011. Only 2003’s “Fallen” is better than “The Bitter Truth” – yeah I said it.
For those who are long-standing fans of Evanescence, “The Bitter Truth” is an album worth getting.