For many, Evanescence was one of the most influential bands of our angsty youths and a symbol of moody adolescence. Despite how cringe it might be to think back on those days, I feel it'd be a mistake to write off the latest release from Amy Lee and crew just to pretend you've never had black eyeliner dripping down your face leaving you looking like some fucked up goth clown.

The Bitter Truth is the first full length of completely original material from the group in ten years and you can tell there was a lot of effort put in here. Amy sounds as great as ever and the musicianship is perhaps more on-point than ever before. In many ways it feels like they've taken what brought them to the dance and made it more polished than ever. 

That is also perhaps a flaw too, though.

The Bitter Truth suffers from a glossed familiarity that certainly wont win over any holdoffs from their previous work. It's arguably their weakest addition to the catalog and without a doubt only recommendable for fans that still find themselves singing along to their hits that are now labeled classic rock by radio stations. This all said, I still want to be clear when I say that it's a very good album.

If you aren't completely opposed to listening to a new Evanescence release in 2021, go ahead and give it a spin. Chances are you might truly enjoy the tunes.

Rating: ***1/2