Album: Synthesis

Release Date: November 10th 2017

Number of Tracks: 16

Genre: Rock/Electronica

Well everyone, welcome to my first album review! I wanted to pick my music stuff back up again by talking about an album by a band that I had no idea was doing new material! I’m sure many of us remember this band’s explosive debut album Fallen way back in 2003 and maybe their second one The Open Door in 2006. They also did a self titled album released in 2011, after many original band members left and Amy Lee recruited new people. But for a while, they were off the map and I wasn’t sure when they were gonna make a new album. But here it is! They have taken some of their previous sounds, along with some new tracks and have created a blended style of orchestra and electronic sound. So, let’s jump in!

TRACKS

  1. Overture (0:57): This instrumental tracks immediately draws the listener in. It’s quietly growing piano melody with soft violins creates an alluring sound to begin the album. 9/10
  2. Never Go Back (From Evanescence) (4:51): I wasn’t very familiar with this song off of their third album, but the piano beginning is a nice connection piece to the first track. With many of the rock elements stripped down, you hear Lee’s mature and grown voice with the piano and occasional string elements. The message of saving yourself and not wanting to be alone is amazing. The occasional rock sounds that do explode in the background offers tension to her commanding voice. 9/10
  3. Hi-Lo (feat. Lindsey Stirling) (5:08): This new track features an amazing violin solo from YouTube superstar Lindsey Stirling, as well as more of Lee’s commanding vocals. The powerful message of moving on is truly special, since it doesn’t have a negative vibe to it at all. Instead, it’s a genuine attempt to move on to new things, which feels rare these days. Stirling’s solo is also incredible and offers an even deeper stroke of emotion. What’s also interesting is the music does bear resemblance to My Heart is Broken, but it’s a stand out track. These two women need to collaborate again! 10/10
  4. My Heart is Broken (from Evanescence) (4:35): This was the second single from their third album and bears a powerful message of sadness of losing someone. Lee was inspired to write this song after seeing victims of sex trafficking and feeling trapped. While the track is a good attempt at  re-imagining, I truly miss her piano melodies in the original version. That and the rock element, to me, bring more emotion than the orchestra style in this new version. Lee’s vocals are just as raw in this one, which is the best part for me, but I prefer the original version. 6/10
  5. Lacrymosa (from The Open Door) (3:43): This song from their second album was originally written for the first Narnia film, but it was rejected for its dark sound. But this song, inspired the film Amadeus and containing some of Mozart’s Lacrimosa sequence (1791), I felt like it was one of the best songs on their album. This new version includes more of the electronica sound in the beginning, followed by the same haunting violins from the original version. But what’s a shame is that when her voice should be at the forefront with the choir sounds muffled and doesn’t pack as much of a punch. The choir is too quiet in the background; their voices was a shining star in the original version. Luckily, Lee does include some higher notes that showcases her growing vocal range, which is something I hope to hear more often. A solid re-imaging, but it’s missing a few elements to make it better than the original. 6.5/10
  6. The End of the Dream (from Evanescence) (4:54): This is another lesser known track on their third album, one I had barely listened to. It’s a much darker sound that doesn’t always match with the message of not being afraid of chasing your dreams. Lee’s vocals do show the fearless bravery of wanting to chase a dream and her range is truly amazing. The music at the beginning doesn’t match the song for me, but the swell of both orchestra and electronic sound does make it better in the end. I do think though that it could’ve used guitars and drums to offer more of an epic sense. 7/10
  7. Bring Me to Life (Synthesis) (from Fallen) (4:21): This was song guaranteed appear on an album like this; since we first heard it on the radio or our CD copy, this song was part of many people’s younger years. One thing that is amazing is that Lee sings so much of this song exactly as she did on the first album, but you can hear that her voice has grown and deepened in emotion since her younger days. While this style change, especially the electronic sound, offers great flare, it doesn’t compare enough to the original track. I liked the guy who sang with her and the bombastic rock elements, combined with the classic lyrics, offered such a lasting influence. This isn’t the best track sadly, for lacking such a deeper chord of rock that made it great. But this stylistic choice could help people enjoy it more. I think this new version could be polarizing for some. 6.5/10
  8. Unraveling (Interlude) (1:40): This second instrumental song offers a longer, more haunting melody that the first track hinted at. It feels cinematic, belonging in a dark scene or one of real emotion. I like that Lee shows more of her piano skills in songs like this; hopefully there will be more in the future. 9.5/10
  9. Imaginary (from Fallen) (4:03): This classic song talking about someone’s imaginary world, with the beauty and darkness in it suits this new style really well. The clashing orchestra and electronic sound offers intensity right beside Lee’s voice. I didn’t miss the rock elements in this one as well; the almost cinematic feel of the brass instruments and frantic violins is great for this song. This is a highlight song for this new style. 8.5/10
  10. Secret Door (from Evanescence)  (3:49): The harp that originally joined this song on their third album is back for this new version. This song about love within a dream gives it almost a fantasy feel to the dreamy harp and violin sounds. But at the same time, there’s not much of a “newer version” of this song. Both sound similar enough that I think this one is a bit underdeveloped to be a re-imagining. 5/10
  11. Lithium (from The Open Door) (4:06): This song is my favorite from their second album, next to Sweet Sacrifice. So I was interested in how they would change it. The quiet intro remains here with Lee’s quiet, but firm vocals with light piano. One pro for this newer version is that Lee brings the emotion to the table on how feeling unsure of whether to choose happiness or sorrow. Her higher notes are much stronger than in the original version which is also a nice sign of growth. But again, the rock element is missing. The original version has always been raw, hard and honest which has always stuck with me. So with this key rock element missing, this new version isn’t as strong for me. But fans of the song can hopefully enjoy hearing this song in a bit of a different light. 6.5/10
  12. Lost in Paradise (from Evanescence) (4:44): This emotional track about feeling lost and wanting something does benefit from the orchestra. The violins seamlessly flow with Lee’s stunning voice. While it does too melancholy for me, this new version is a great rendition that I think fans will enjoy. 7/10
  13. Your Star (from The Open Door) (4:39): This second album song is a short, but kind of haunting melody about not being able to see the stars outside. This song truly shows the lower notes of Lee, who I hope shows more of that range; it cuts through the music and is  great to listen to. This song has another rendition on this album that stands out from the others; it’s a song with a melody that truly fits this new style. I did like the original one, but this one is better. 8/10
  14. My Immortal (from Fallen) (4:26): I’m sure if you knew about this new album, you guessed this would be one of the top tracks to appear here. This was everywhere in the 2000’s and rightfully so with its painful reminiscence of someone loved who is now gone. For me personally, this is another of those tracks that sorely misses the rock element that the original contained. It feels a bit one toned the whole time, while the rock instruments had offered a little more variety. Lee’s voice does do this new version more justice, but I do miss the older style on this song. 6.5/10
  15. The In-Between (Piano Interlude) (2:11): The last piano track on this album does lead into the final song, which was their first single on this album. It slowly builds in a thicker chord and quicker notes, offering a great and even haunting build into the last song. This song shows that having more piano interludes from Lee in the future would amazing to see more her piano skills. Easily the standout piano track. 10/10
  16. Imperfection: The final track and single for their new album, this song is powerful and hard hitting. Lee has talked about in a few interviews how this song is about how we keep losing people to suicide and how we need to help them not surrender. This song is so relevant today, having a hard punch to the gut. Also, it’s the only song that has that missed rock element, which is perfect for this song. The way Lee sings this song is how I would if I was trying to show someone how much I cared. This song shows a new face of Evanescence and hopefully a bright future. If you listen to any songs on this album, this one should be it. 9.5/10

Overall Thoughts: I’m really happy that Evanescence is back after a long hiatus. I was worried for a while that she was on her own, but I’m glad their back. This new album isn’t as good to me as their previous stuff, and for me it is a little too melancholy and not enough power songs to balance it, but they do have a bright future ahead of them. I just hope that it’s not another 5 or 6 years before their next one.

I hope you enjoyed this album review. My music section has been neglected for a while, but I’ll try to keep it up now. If you want to keep seeing more album reviews in the future, definitely let me know. Do you like Evanescence? Do you have a favorite song? If you’ve heard this new album, what do you think of it?