The Bitter Truth

by Evanescence

Overview

Ten years after their last album of original material, alternative metal outfit Evanescence continued their late-era comeback with their fifth full-length, The Bitter Truth. In the decade following their enjoyable (but by-the-numbers) self-titled third set, Amy Lee and company -- guitarist Troy McLawhorn, bassist Tim McCord, drummer Will Hunt, and guitarist Jen Majura -- kept the brand alive with tours and album reissues, but the project wasn't fully reignited until the grand orchestral reimaginings of Synthesis arrived in 2017. Riding that creative wave, they got to work on what would become The Bitter Truth, barreling through the COVID-19 lockdown and completing the album with producer Nick Raskulinecz (Korn, Halestorm). Standing tall alongside their breakthrough debut, Fallen, and its follow-up The Open Door, Truth is one of the band's most engaging works, balancing sonic power with Lee's inimitable vocals and songwriting. Amidst world events, personal loss, and global turmoil, the group flips that pain and darkness by focusing on healing, self-growth, and emotional maturation. From the first keyboard twinkles on opener "Artifact/The Turn," Lee commands the show, setting the stage with a haunting Tori Amos-meets-Dido dirge that bubbles to life with atmospheric electronics. Everything clicks together once the band joins Lee on "Broken Pieces Shine," with pounding drums, lurching bass, chugging riffs, and minor-key harmonies buffering her soaring voice and stirring lyrics. Even through cries of "I'm not fine," she urges listeners to embrace the bad with the good, both for survival and empowerment. That sentiment courses through the album, as metallic muscle pushes her urgent messages, like when she declares "I will be more than my survival" on the yearning "Part of Me" and calls for redemption of a broken world on "Blind Belief." "Use My Voice" is a rallying cry that Lee penned to inspire personal awakening and female empowerment; to drive the point home, she recruited Sharon den Adel (Within Temptation), Lzzy Hale (Halestorm), Taylor Momsen (the Pretty Reckless), Lindsey Stirling, and many more for the inspirational gang chorus. The Bitter Truth also serves plenty of callbacks, such as the crunchy "The Game Is Over" and the corrosive "Feeding the Dark," which could have easily found a home on Fallen and The Open Door, respectively. Additional heavy highlights include "Better Without You," a whirlwind of down-tuned guitars, clattering production, dramatic piano chords, and a show-stopping chorus; the torrential "Take Cover," which blasts toward the horizon atop a frenzied attack that is the closest they toe the nostalgic nu-metal line; and the unexpectedly groovy "Yeah Right," which manages to sound like Muse meets Billie Eilish. For fans of quieter moments like "My Immortal" and "Lost in Paradise," Lee delivers the sweeping "Far from Heaven," a devastating beauty that once again recalls Tori Amos. Altogether, The Bitter Truth carries listeners on a journey both familiar and fresh, recapturing the heavy-yet-melodic hallmarks that made Fallen one of the most successful albums of the 2000s and pushing Evanescence into the future with a graceful maturity and worldly perspective. ~ Neil Z. Yeung

Product Details

Release Date:	03/26/2021
Label:	BMG Rights Management
UPC:	4050538637083

Tracks

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

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Evanescence   Primary Artist
Taylor Momsen   Vocals,Guest Artist,Vocals (Background)
Troy McLawhorn   Guitar,Guitar (Rhythm),Vocals (Background)
Will Hunt   Drums
Sharon den Adel   Vocals,Guest Artist,Vocals (Background)
Lzzy Hale   Vocals,Guest Artist,Vocals (Background)
Alan Umstead   String Conductor
Jen Majura   Guitar,Vocals,Theremin,Guitar (Rhythm),Vocals (Background)
Carrie Lee   Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Tim McCord   Bass
Lindsey Stirling   Vocals,Guest Artist,Vocals (Background)
Amy Lee   Harp,Piano,Vocals,Keyboards
The Nashville Scoring Orchestra   Strings
Deena Jakoub   Vocals,Guest Artist,Vocals (Background)
Nashville Music Scoring Chorus   Strings
Amy McLawhorn   Vocals,Guest Artist
Lori Lee   Vocals,Guest Artist,Vocals (Background)

Technical Credits

Troy McLawhorn   Composer,Group Member
Ted Jensen   Engineer,Mastering
Paul McCartney   Composer
Beth Gibbons   Composer
Isaac Hayes   Composer
Chris Vrenna   Programming
Will Hunt   Composer,Programming,Group Member
John Lennon   Composer
Scott Kirkland   Composer,Programming
Nick Raskulinecz   Mixing,Composer,Engineer,Producer
Alan Umstead   String Contractor
Evanescence   Composer
Adrian Utley   Composer
David Campbell   String Arrangements,Arranger
Jen Majura   Composer,Group Member
Tyler Dragness   Guitar Technician
P.R. Brown   Design,Photography
Tim McCord   Composer,Group Member
Nathan Yarborough   Engineer
Nick Fancher   Photography
Nick Spezia   String Engineer
William B. Hunt   Composer
Amy Lee   Composer,Programming,Group Member
Austin Atwood   Assistant
Geoffrey Barrow   Composer
Deena Jakoub   Composer
Josh Hartzler   Cover Photo
Tiago Nunez   Programming
Logan Greeson   Engineer,Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Will Science   Programming