Fallen

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.


wow...this was suprising...   October 17, 2003
ColoradoBoy (Colorado Springs, CO USA)
370 out of 429 found this review helpful

While I'll admit that I have one of the most eclectic CD collections of anyone I know (Live, Dave Matthews and Enya all live happily next to each other in one section of the rack), I've always steered clear of the stuff that usually gets lumped together with the "goth" stamp on it. So you'd think that a group like Evanescence wouldn't have much of a chance of getting into the collection. However, what I've found here is nothing short of the most addicting sound I've run across in a long time. I expected a Linkin Park-style album with a bunch of tracks like "Bring Me To Life" - the catchy, albeit overplayed first single. What I found, though, was an album with more depth, emotion, and haunting sound than has hit rock in a long time. The first 3 tracks were as advertized: heavy, minor-chord, guitar-riff driven anthems with Amy Lee's powerful voice soaring over the top of them. When I got to "My Immortal," however, I had to pull the car over. I don't know when the last time was that a song made YOU tear, but the unbelievably haunting and angelic sound of Amy and those strings struck a chord in me that I didn't even know was there. Needless to say, I was hooked, and Fallen has been the shower music of choice every morning since. Ok ok, so the group is basically Moody, Lee, and a bunch of hired-gun studio musicians. And yes, the themes explored are dark, painful and at times almost disturbing. But prepackaged teen-angst it is not. What it IS, is an enchanting melodic ride through the more painful parts of life, centered around a voice that could sing the "Hokey Pokey" and give me chills. Or maybe I'm just a goth in a yuppie's body after all...


People with taste need apply.   May 22, 2003
TensionExperiment (East Coast)
76 out of 87 found this review helpful

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.


Absolutely thrilling   March 6, 2003
Nancy E. (USA)
36 out of 39 found this review helpful

I'll never forget the first time I heard "Bring me to Life" on my local radio station. The first thing I remember was hearing this absolutely gorgeous female voice, not something you hear that much on rock stations. Then I was caught by surprise as the band kicked in, the orchestra kicked in, and lead singer Amy Lee showed us that unlike most female rock singers she had not only an amazing voice but also a powerful range. The DJs response "wow." No kidding.

I was unsure what to expect from this band after only hearing their two tracks from the Daredevil Soundtrack: the dramatic and hard "Bring me to life," and the honest and gentle "My Immortal." I was shocked with the CD. This is a rock band. Even though Evanescence is very new, I already foresee them lasting for a long time. This CD kicks off with the powerful pure-rock, "Going Under" then continues with their first single, "Bring me to Life," that I'm sure everyone has heard now. They add one more great rock song, "Everybody's Fool" before they have a complete change of pace with "My Immortal," a beautiful slow ballad that many would see more fitting to a singer such as Tori Amos. Unlike other rock bands when Evanescence writes ballads, they really write ballads. They don't depend on guitars; they bring in a piano and strings. It sounds strange I know but somehow it still works out. The next song, "Haunted," is obviously about being stalked. The powerful lyrics will send shivers down your spine the first time you hear it. Next we have "Tourniquet" where Evanescence confirms the rumors that they have Christian roots. The lyrics are astounding. I absolutely love Amy's little jazzy effect she puts on the word "screaming," which adds to the meaning of the lyrics.

Next we have "Imaginary," my favorite song on the CD. It seems to blend in with "Tourniquet" almost, seeing as the last track ended with a nice string piece and the first piece begins with it. This song is probably my favorite because of its poetic lyrics and great beat. Next is "Taking Over Me," a love song that starts out slow and then speeds up to a moderate pace. "Hello," the other ballad on this CD, defiantly shows off Amy's powerful voice and range. "My Last Breath" and "Whisper" go back to the dramatic rock side and finish up this strong debut CD.

There are so many things I like about this CD. One is with all of the new pop-punk that seems to be all over the radio stations, it's nice to hear something a bit darker, a bit more emotional. The lyrics, written by the entire band including lead Singer Amy Lee and lead guitarist Ben Moody, are also very powerful, almost poetic at times. Evanescence reminds me a bit of an earlier Garbage, although I could picture some of the guitar rifts in, strangely enough, a Linkin Park Song. Evanescence knows how to use strings effectively along with guitars and drums. This is a very solid CD. You can tell that they put a lot of work into it. I would highly recommend it. Amy Lee said that the purpose of Evanescence was to show the world that there was some hope in this world. This CD proves her right. It also shows that there is some hope that the young rock music world has not simply dwindled down to one type of music. I can't wait to see what this band does next.


Fanstastic.!!!..or maybe it was the spamwhich   March 23, 2003
Envy (NEW YORK BABY!!)
34 out of 38 found this review helpful

Ok, so im a complete spaz, because up until the video aired on MUCHMUSIC USA, I had never heard of this group. I was up on night pondering the possible uses of spam as A bio weapon, when I noticed a wee pale raven haired lass... scaling a very tall building..in her pajamas no less. well, im embarrassed to admit it, i was intrigued, so i put my spamwhich down and took a listen. well even in the haze of my pre dawn spam induced insomnia, i knew i was hearing something special. The video is breathtaking and i found myself upset, and a little gassy when it ended. i wanted more. I ran to sam goodies and purchased the album. This is not the norm for me. when it comes to music, im usually more finicky then a 63 year old grandmother with an swollen kankles at a garage sale full of bio degradable knee high hosiery. But because i was so intrigued, i thought that the group deserved to be listend to again... The entire album is a hit. of course i have my favorites, such as "Bring Me To life". i like it dispite that it was on the daredevil soundtrack and thereby tainted with the name of Ben "bezelbub" Affleck. The album is consistant. And, Amy Lee has a brilliant voice and has incredible control over it. Songs, like "taking over me and My Immortal" display the wealth of feeling and talent that went in to making this album. Its an amalgam of haunting Celtic rhythms and edgy guitar grinding and baleful soul singing. Yes it can be described as Sarah Maclachlan meets linkin park... however those are just lables. This group presents a sound that is hypnotic. its like ive been waiting to hear a sound as completely engrossing, yet ruggedly compelling for the longest time... and until i heard it, i didnt know i was waiting. I recommend the album...but not the spam.