Evanescence - Fallen
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Free Music Notes for Fallen
Free Music Review: Powerfully Original Melodic & Harmonic Hard Rock Debut
Hit: 5 Stars
Recently seeing the video for Evanescence's song "Bring Me To Life" inspired me to purchase their debut album entitled "Fallen". Evanescence was founded in Arkansas in the late 1990's by Amy Lee and Ben Moody. With Amy Lee's hauntingly beautiful voice backed by percussionist Rocky Gray and hard-driving guitarists Ben Moody and John Lecompt, Evanescence created an exceptional repertoire of very melodic songs that combine intense harmony with hard rock. Many of the songs are hauntingly dark and introspective and are nearly gothic in character. Several of the songs also include piano, string or choral accompaniment. My ratings (out of 5 stars) and descriptions for each of the eleven songs on the album are as follows:1. "Going Under" (5). Starts with aggressive guitar, piano accompaniment and synthesized vocals; giving way to haunting chorus backed by aggressive guitar.
2. "Bring Me To Life" (5+). Starts with soft vocals with piano & string accompaniment, but giving way to powerful chorus that includes aggressive guitar and guest vocalist Paul McCoy of the group 12 Stones. Vocals then bounce between Amy and Paul quite effectively.
3. "Everybody's Fool" (5). Aggressive guitar and harmonized vocals give way to a brief ballad movement that includes a choral accompaniment before returning to the former.
4. "My Immortal" (3.5). Very slow, percussionless ballad. Though the song highlights Amy Lee's vocals (which are reminiscent of Sarah McLachlan) with piano accompaniment and later with string accompaniment, the song seems out of place on the album.
5. "Haunted" (5). Gothic beginning with very haunting vocals joined later by aggressive guitar. Powerful guitar riffs follow, as well as a choral accompaniment.
6. "Tourniquet" (4.5). Starts with somewhat aggressive guitar and synthesized vocals and continuing with aggressive choruses and strong guitar riffs.
7. "Imaginary" (4.5). Haunting vocals begin with aggressive guitar, giving way to more harmonic verse accompanied by piano; but strong guitar returns for the chorus. String accompaniment comes in later, which also joins the guitar for an aggressive finish.
8. "Taking Over Me" (4.5). Aggressive guitar highlights this song with high, haunting vocals accompanied primarily with string instruments, but an overshadowed piano accompaniment can be heard several times.
9. "Hello" (5). Slow, haunting and emotional vocal ballad that includes a piano accompaniment and occasional haunting guitar riffs. Later enjoined with a cello accompaniment. Very good highlight of Amy Lee's voice.
10. "My Last Breath" (4.5). Synthesizer and aggressive guitar start, giving way to haunting and emotional vocals later rejoined with aggressive guitar and a string accompaniment during the chorus. Strong guitar riffs and key change about midway.
11. "Whisper" (5). Starts with aggressive guitar, then giving way to soft vocals, but quickly turning up the volume on both. String and choral accompaniment come in later to end the song on a powerful note.
Overall, I give this debut album a rating of 5 out of 5 stars and fully expect to hear more great songs from Evanescence in the future. I highly recommend the album to anyone who enjoys new and original hard rock.
Free Music Review: A Breath of Fresh Air. Fallen has Elevated the Genre
Hit: 5 Stars
I discovered "Fallen" very much by accident while channel surfing when I saw their "Bring Me to Life" video on MTV. Having been burned too many times by CD's that have only one good cut, I checked out the Evanescence Website for audio clips. I listened to all eleven tracks and found them all excellent to outstanding, each worthy of release as a single. I bought a copy of "Fallen" the next day, and over the past week have listened to it five times. This is notable for me for the a couple reasons. First, I spend about 99% of my time listening to classical music. Second, I never listen to *any* CD's in quick succession more than twice, wishing to move on to new horizons instead. I'm in the 45-54 year old demographic group, and haven't bought a rock album in over ten years. I have never found a rock CD to have so much interesting, beautiful, powerful, dark, haunting, and deeply moving music as this one.
This couldn't have come at a better time. While I have never been a huge fan of rock music, I have had groups that I liked years ago, most notably Yes (Fragile and Close to the Edge) and Gentle Giant. When my son was a teenager I was exposed to much of his music, the best IMO was Alice in Chains and Stone Temple Pilots. But so much of what I think was fresh about progressive rock ten years ago has become tired and repetitive for me. I have frankly become bored and burned-out with rock and popular music in general. "Fallen" has renewed my faith and hope for rock music. It is a huge breath of fresh air.
A very small handful of female vocalists, mostly classical, with the right music will cause me to melt. Amy Lee, the lead singer of Evanescence, is now added to that elite group of female vocalists. How a 21-year vocalist has achieved such a level of variety, intensity, purity, depth of expression, and sheer beauty in her singing is beyond me, but she has done it. I can think of no other female popular singer who has so completely impressed and moved me by the sound of her voice.
The group has as its foundation what we have come to expect from progressive rock groups, which is typically three white guys with guitars and a drummer, but Evanescence is so much more than this. Piano, synthesizers, vocal chorus, cello solos, digital effects, whispered lyrics, strings, and a stellar female lead vocalist coexist seamlessly, and create a wonderfully complex fabric that makes one at times think more of a symphonic orchestra than a rock band.
The lyrics are complex, ambiguous, very dark, but always tasteful and interesting. The eleven tracks seem to tell portions of a story, but even after five times through this CD the true meaning of these lyrics remains a mystery to me as it should be.
I have read a fair number of reviews of the release. I see the critics attempting to compare the music of Evanescence and the singing of Amy Lee to others. I have listened to them all. I don't see the comparison either stylistically or in terms of quality. Listening to the interviews on their Website, this group has written music that appeals to them. They have a wide range of influences, including classical music. But make no mistake, this is not cross-over music. Its heart is very much in alternative rock, but has managed to uniquely extend this musical genre. "Fallen" has significantly elevated rock music. Please don't miss it!
Free Music Review: Absolutely thrilling
Hit: 5 Stars
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.
Free Music Review: Perfection
Hit: 5 Stars
I've been meaning to get around to writing a review for my favorite CD of all time. Fallen. From the moment I heard Amy Lee's angelic voice, backed by the hard rock sound of the band, I was in love.
As soon as you pop in the CD, you'll hear Amy Lee sing "Going Under". The lyrics of this song are something that anyone who has been in an abusive relationship could relate to.
As the next song starts to play, you'll be hearing one of Evanescence's most played songs, "Bring Me to Life". It was the first single off Fallen. Amy draws you in on this song with her enchanting voice.
Angried by the fact that Amy's younger sister was buying into fake pop idols, such as Britney Spears, inspired "Everybody's Fool". The video for this song consists Amy playing a girl who sells 'Lie' products. At the end, she breaks down and yells at a billboard with her face. Powerful song, powerful video.
The next song is perhaps Evanescence's biggest hit on the Fallen album. "My Immortal"'s lyrics go straight to the heart. The only word to describe this song is 'beautiful', in every way.
The next song on the list is "Haunted". The ghostly sound of this song is catchy, and somewhat more serious than other songs on the CD, with the exception of the next one.
'I tried to kill my pain, but only brought more (so much more)' breaks you into this song, "Torniquet", flawlessly. Suicide is a serious subject, but in this song, Amy is basically questioning a biblical belief. She is asking that if all sins are forgiven, why isn't suicide? Besides the serious undertone of the song, it's quite catchy and emotional.
"Imaginary" brings you into a world of metaphors and mystic subjects. It's a nicely arranged song that'll having you singing along with it soon after you hear it.
Have you ever had someone you just can't stop thinking about, such as an ex? "Taking Over Me" mirrors such a subject with it's lyrics. Amy's powerful voice belts out the chorus with ease.
"Hello", a song very personal to Amy, is about how a child deals with death at such a young age. This enchanting ballad is haunting in how simplistic it is. It's a song very hard to describe, but very well written and composed.
One of the most under rated songs on the album is "My Last Breath". Amy's singing on this song brings in harmony with the music unlike alot of today's most popular pop culture tunes.
"Whisper", the official last song on the album (some versions of fallen have an extra song on them), brings the album together nicely. By the end of the song, a choir sings in the background in latin, which showcases a rarity that most other artists or band would not dare attempt.
To sum this album up, it's probably as close to perfection as it gets. Well, that's if you are a normal band and if you have a normal lead singer. Evanescence's next album is due out this fall, and I'll certainly be quite interested in how they can pan out an album even better than this one. If they can, it'll show the world just how great this band really is. While you are waiting for the next album, and if you haven't already picked this one up, you'd be doing yourself a disservice.
Free Music Review: Too beautiful for words!
Hit: 5 Stars
This CD if awesome. If you're in a bad mood, you can listen to a piano-peice like "Hello" or if you're in suicide-mode, you can listen to "Tourniquet." BUT a lot of people want to buy this CD. I warn you, a lot of these songs are not like "Bring Me To Life" the rap/rock 'Linkin Park' song that you hear on the radio. Some are piano peices, or more rock, that does not include rap. I encourage you to borrow this CD/download some before you actually decide to buy it.
But I love this CD, something about Amy's beautiful voice and the combined selection of piano music and rock music makes you want to listen. My grades for this CD:
#1. Going Under--A+
Good song to start off the CD, about betrayal. Rock song, with feeling. This is also Amy Lee's favourite song. One of the best songs on the CD.
#2. Bring Me To Life--A
We've all seen the music video, heard the song. Rap and rock in this song are an awesome combination. Also played in the movie "Daredevil." Nuff said.
#3. Everybody's Fool--B+
Not the best song, but it sort of shows the protential and basically what this rock band sounds like throughout the CD. Like past reviews mentioned before, this song brings you into the band.
#4. My Immortal--A+
One of the most beautiful songs I have honestly ever heard. It's a piano peice, with Amy's voice (of course). Amy and Ben wrote it when they were only in high school.
#5. Haunted--A+
Lyrics are awesome. This song doesn't start off too rock as the rest of um though, but I think the beginning is awesome anyway. This is a very short song, and it also has a chorus in the background.
#6. Tourniquet--A
A song that mainly focuses on suicide (but I've also heard it has something to do about drugs, but whatever). Rock, of course, and Amy's voice is especially powerful in this song.
#7. Imaginary--B+
Not the best, but it does have pretty interesting lyrics. The middle of this song is very very nice though. It's sort of about suicide, but isn't as deep as "Tourniquet."
#8. Taking Over Me--A+
My favourite song on the CD. It starts out as a piano song, but then goes into rock. People said that this sounds like Linkin Park--I disagree. It's beautiful, and brings out Amy's voice.
#9. Hello--A+
Beautiful song. It's a piano peice, like "My Immortal," but isn't light and as colourful. Many people say that it's boring, but it does get better. This song really does show how beautiful Amy's voice is.
#10. My Last Breath--B+
OK song, but rock and suicide (not like "Tourniquet"). The lyrics are good, but could use a little more work.
#11. Whisper--B
Eh, I don't really like this song. It's rock, but I don't know whether or not to consider it suicide-ish. Even though the main chorus that Amy sings is good at the beginning, at the end the chorus singing in the background isn't as good. Lyrics aren't good either. But what annoys me most about this song is that at the end, you hear the chorus that were singing before singing something in latin and it isn't very clear (they're singing something like, "save me from the dark, save me from danger).
Overall, I loved this CD, and I do reccomend it. =)