Slamming closed The Open Door (2006), Evanescence are creating a new era with The Bitter Truth, to be told courtesy of Sony on Friday 26th, March 2021. Announcing ‘Aaaaand we’re back!’ with their first album of original music in almost a decade, Evanescence are making up for lost time, who warn you to Take Cover if you can! From classical arrangements to orchestrating their own life soundtrack, the fifth album, although considered fourth by bandleader Amy Lee, is the follow up to the instrumental sounds of Synthesis (2017). Wishing their debut Fallen (2003) a Happy 18th Birthday, The Bitter Truth is the gift that keeps on giving, joining the ranks of their 2011 self-titled third album and the aforementioned previous two.
The Bitter Truth starts from ground zero, with that amount of f**ks given. With an intro no countdown could prepare you for, firing on all cylinders The Bitter Truth is a skyrocket of explosive emotions that’s fused and ready to blow. Encouraging you to ‘Shine the light’ and ‘Never stop!’, Evanescence are waving the banner for ‘Love over hate [and] Truth over lies’. Thanking you for using yours, featuring the vocals of Lzzy Hale (Halestorm), Taylor Momsen (The Pretty Reckless), and Sharen den Adel (Within Temptation), Evanescence aren’t the only ones to Use My Voice. Tearing down every wall built in their way, by proclaiming ‘don’t you speak for me’, Evanescence are rising from the rubble ‘Whether you like it or not’.
Having ‘had enough of denial’, Evanescence who ‘feel the world like a brick on my chest’ are speaking their truth and setting their own rules. Built on unstable ground, the big band from Little Rock are utilising the obstacles of this exceptional circumstance as stepping stones to curate a new chronicle. With each of the 12 tracks removing a block of truth, the fragility of The Bitter Truth is revealed one track at a time. Declaring The Game Is Over, the fifth album feels like a tense game of Jenga that could topple at any moment.
Touching upon the struggles faced in the music industry by Amy Lee, who affirms you’re ‘never gonna shut me up again’, the theme of the album is outlined within the fifth single Better Without You. Refusing to be held down, Evanescence are as wound up and highly sprung as a jack in the box. With the taste for blood and The Bitter Truth on the tip of their tongues, the Arkansas powerhouse are as coiled and ready to strike as a viperous snake. Delivering a deadly blow to give you the Blind Belief you’re not too Far From Heaven, the saintly whispers of Amy Lee provide the strength to fly on broken wings, allowing for each of the Broken Pieces [to] Shine.
With an album that will have you saying ‘yeah, right, that sounds nice’, The Bitter Truth, with its empowering and powerful message is ‘everything we ever wanted and more’. Unlike their namesake, Evanescence with their unapologetic declaration of independence, won’t be disappearing without a fight.
The Bitter Truth – Track Listing:
1. Artifact / The Turn
2. Broken Pieces Shine
3. The Game Is Over
4. Yeah Right
5. Feeding the Dark
6. Wasted on You
7. Better Without You
8. Use My Voice
9. Take Cover
10. Far from Heaven
11. Part of Me
12. Blind Belief
Evanescence’s new album, The Bitter Truth, is released on Friday 26th of March. Order the album from this link.