I personally think too many people are jumping the gun to write reviews on this album. At first, I was unsure about the album as well. As previously mentioned by another reviewer, the standard album has been up on Spin magazine's website streaming for free for the past week, and I haven't been able to stop listening to it since the first day of its premiere. I'm almost sure the band took that step and slowly releasing all the songs to gain back their skeptic fan base. Once you get past the generic "What You Want" (which I still love,) and get over the disappointment that this album isn't the same old same from Evanescence it's truly soul enriching.
It's certainly different from anything they've ever done before. It's still Evanescence, it's still Amy Lee, but you have to remember it's a different band line up behind her, and they're trying to grow as a whole. Also remember, that initially this was suppose to be an electro-pop album, but Wind-Up scrapped it, and thus you get the album you hear before you.
There are still some dark undertones, but instead of being sad and emo-ish (which I'm not opposed to since I've been a fan of Ev since the days of the first LP and EP, Orgin, etc...) the album is more powerful. To me, with the new line up everything is more cohesive, and they feel like they're finally in a happy arrangement, and comfortable as oppose to the tension and anger you could sense before within the band.
Keep in mind Amy isn't a one trick pony, and she's always trying to reinvent her sound to show that she's an amazing composer, singer, and songwriter. I was even intrigued by the prospect of the original electro-pop idea, and was a little disappointed to see it had been tossed because I truly believe she'd be amazing no matter what she attempted. Heck, I'd follow her straight into a solo attempt if she ever went that route, but I know Evanescence is far too important of an entity to her...
I read one commenter on the Spin board that said she cried over Swimming Home because it had too many electronics behind it, and it didn't sound like Evanescence. I have to say - it's one of my favorites. I appreciate that artistically they went out of the norm and were willing to tinker with something they've never done before. Yes, a good portion of the album has some electronic undertones, but in this track it's definitely noticeable. Amy wanted to pay homage to the band's that inspire her like MGMT and Portishead (the latter, one of my personal favorites as well) and in this track it was certainly achieved, and Amy is fantastic on her debut with the harp.
The songs that strike me and make my heart swell when I listen to them are My Heart is Broken, Lost in Paradise, and End of the Dream. Not to say there aren't other vocally intense songs, but these are without a doubt the most emotional songs on the album, and at points depending on my mood - the epic power behind Amy's voice on those tracks along with musical arrangements could make me cry.
Evanescence is back. Five years in the making, but they're back. Stronger than ever. Don't be so quick to judge it, go in with and open mind, give it time to grow on you. If you're a true Evanescence fan, but are deterred by the electronics so you decide to pass up on this album (deluxe or standard) - you're making a horrible mistake. If you're still on the fence about actually spending the money to buy it: listen to it here at the Spin magazine website. ([...])