This album had been a long time coming for Evanescence. It was a combination of musical efforts between vocalist Amy Lee and guitarist and musician Ben Moody that got the duo noticed from their humble teenage years of working together on material, eventually being signed on Wind-Up Records in 2001, with this album being released in 2003. It was an instant success and sold over 17 million copies worldwide. This album is a heavy listening experience, often being described as a Metal and Gothic Music album. Although this album was basically a dual effort with Ben Moody and Amy Lee, a huge number of guest musicians were present on this album, such as Francesco DiCosmo (bass guitar), Josh Freese (drums) and a bunch of others including the Millennium Choir. Let’s explore this Classic Album in depth and we shall hear what it sounds like.

Going Under begins with melodic vocals and heavy guitars which are really well edited and produced. Electronic drumbeats and moody piano enter, and this song sounds fantastic. Amy Lee sings extremely well on this song, and it sounds like a Metal masterpiece. Amy’s vocals are really fantastic, and although this Heavy Metal music is very doom-based, gloomy and negative sounding, it is absolutely brilliant to listen to. The vocals, guitars and other production sounds are really sweet. This is an extraordinary-sounding song that has a powerful musical impact on the listener. A great and interesting listening experience that sounds like tormented emotions present. There is a very good guitar solo in the second half of the song, and this tune sounds incredibly awesome and top to listen to. It may evoke some sadness, but it nonetheless works on an emotional and inspirational level very well. It ends suddenly after three and a half minutes in length.

Bring Me To Life begins with some sad piano and string sections, sounding very bleak. Amy Lee sings beautifully on this song, with fragments of sound backing her up. It quickly launches into a guitar-led piece of music with Electronic beats and other cleverly arranged sounds throughout. Soon enough, this song launches into a powerful chorus, likely about pleading for help from a lover to save oneself. This is a solid gold song that sounds top-notch, and it is likely that the Emo movement of the time would have loved this music, along with many other similar artists. This is deep, dark and disturbing music that sounds very good, and the singing, guitars, piano, strings and drums will leave you wanting more. There is an additional male vocal section in the second half and in the chorus, which is really different. Regardless, Amy is the true star of this album, and her voice is a winner. Worth your ears, if you can just listen to one song from this album, this is it. Fantastic. It ends with Electronic beats and string sections to fade out.

Everybody’s Fool begins with multitracked acoustic guitars and choirs. Some dramatic Electronic drumbeats enter, and we are underway. This is another very good listening experience with moody lyrics, heavy guitars and awesome singing throughout. This is very much Nu Metal territory, but it has a longing for a lady in mind lyrically. Another solidly great and consistent listening experience, this is a song about heartbreak and disaster in one’s life. Some melodic choirs are present in this song’s breakdown, which continues on afterwards with guts and gusto. Another solid tune, but rather depressing to listen to, Evanescence do have solid songs on this album. Great to listen to.

My Immortal begins with some super sweet, Classical Music-tinged piano. It sounds deep, sad and tragic from the start. Amy Lee’s singing is calm, soft and lovely here, and she sings about a broken relationship. There are some melodic strings thrown into the mix, with a great deal of suspense present. This is not happy music. Instead, it details brokenhearted blues in relationships, and it does it in a wonderful and powerful way. A really great and different listening experience, although very miserable throughout, this sounds excellent as a piano-based ballad. Something that should be heard in a solidly sober mood, the second half has some treated vocals, melodramatic string sections and acoustic guitar in the background. Nonetheless, this is a timeless and brilliant tune to listen to. A great and inspired tune to listen to, this is a sad piece of Classical-styled music that is very popular. Decent.

Haunted begins with some weird reversed sounds, which are very strange. Soon enough, Amy Lee sings in a deep and odd way, and she sounds powerful and great to listen to. A really good tune, once the chorus hits with some of the heaviest guitars out there, it sounds fantastic. Legendary music to listen to, this has some quirky musical touches throughout, such as double kick drums, subtle edits and electronic-based production on some of the heaviest Metal that you will ever hear. Another song that kicks the proverbial, this does sound very awesome. A wah-wah guitar solo is present in the second half of the song, although with some ghostly choirs present. Nonetheless, a solid tune to listen to. It ends suddenly after three minutes in length.

Tourniquet begins with some super ghostly sounds and sounds very atmospheric. Some pulsating rhythms enter, and this goes at the drop of a hat into the song at hand. This is not as good as before, yet despite that, this fits the album very well. It just lacks the magic of the earlier tunes. A good listen nonetheless, with references to suicide and other deadly imagery, this is not a very happen listening experience, period. The music present is moving and dark regardless, and it requires some persistence to get through such deep and despairing music. In the second half are treated vocals, chugging guitars and more deep lyrics about suicidal tendencies. Unhappy music for those of you out there who crave to hear such a thing, this is a very unhappy song. The music is good, however. Towards the end, the band cuts out, leaving a string section that is mournful and sad throughout it all. This goes on right to the end of the song. Very sad indeed.

Imaginary begins with a dramatic string section and some vocal harmony-based singing. This quickly launches into a morbid and heavy tune that is good, but not great. To be fair, this music is quality, but the negativity and depressing nature of the music is quite an acquired taste to listen to. It doesn’t sound like something one could listen to daily, unless seriously depressed. There are multitracked acoustic guitars, pianos and other sounds to keep on going nicely here. It’s good but too dramatic and negative to really enjoy listening to. It is decent music, having said that. A dramatic, emotional and very Gothic-styled listening experience. It has a breakdown in the second half with acoustic guitars and string sections to match. Again, this is morbid listening but is somewhat addictive in its own way. A loud, wah-wah guitar solo is present in this song before this returns to the chorus at hand. A depressing tune to listen to, this music is only worth hearing if you feel suicidal or broken up by other things. It’s good music, but very depressing. It ends with sustained guitar chords and a fast string section to match.

Taking Over Me begins with more melodic piano sections and quickly has some dirge-like guitars enter this piece. Amy Lee sings in a very deep and lovely way that sounds excellent and melodically on point. This is a song about love and relationship-based issues. There is some cool digital editing of vocals present after the first chorus before this returns to a very gloomy-sounding song. The music throughout is some of the most horrible and depressing-sounding songcraft present in the history of music, even though this sounds good in a way. A very upsetting and depressing listening experience, and likely is some of the most morbid music out there. Not pleasant to listen to, at all.

Hello begins with some screaming guitar harmonics and launches into a piano-based ballad that is fantastic. It still sounds depressing and down, however. Amy Lee sings wonderfully on this song, and her singing voice is naturally good to listen to and is very flexible in its range. A deep, down and depressing song, this album is quite a sad listen and is worth hearing if you are having a bad day. Nonetheless, this is a very moving and emotional listening that exudes pain and suffering throughout. In the second half is a violin that sounds very melancholy. A really interesting song, this sounds fine and fantastic as a song. It ends with the piano being played to the end. A good tune.

My Last Breath begins with some interesting Electronics, including processed drumbeats and quickly launches into a good song that is pretty and beautiful. It has many fine and different layers of singing, instrumentation and production throughout. This is another melodramatic listening experience that sounds fresh and unique, although its negativity is quite off-putting. This is not upbeat nor pleasant music, instead, it encapsulates deep and heavy pain from an emotional perspective. The second half of the song has some very loud and crunchy Metal guitars that are for Nu Metal and other similar fans of Heavy Metal Music. However, this will not appeal to everyone out there. A good and interesting listening experience, this sounds energetic and different, with a ton of drum rolls towards the end, before this concludes with a long fade out. Okay to hear.

Whisper begins with guitar and drums, and is a change from the other songs before it. Amy Lee sings sweetly into the microphone, and she has one of the most notable and pretty voices in Metal Music. This is a longer song at over five minutes in length, and the chorus has some top-notch and fantastic guitar work to boot. It does sound really fantastic. The tune itself is decent and interesting, although it is not the best song from this album. The music throughout is quite decent, even though the imagery throughout is very negative. Towards the middle of the song are some string sections and different changes, notably in the drum section, before this cuts out with a choir, followed by a loud and powerful guitar solo. This is a good and interesting part of the song before Amy gets singing once again. This music is a great idea to add to a movie with a medieval theme to match it, complete with orchestration and chanting at the end of it all. A good listen. It ends with string sections and opera-based chanting in a foreign language before this gradually wraps up with a fade out. Different.

My Immortal – Band Version begins with the piano, once again. This is the final track on this rather depressing album. Amy Lee sings gently and beautifully on this tune, however. Her voice is really something awesome and unique, which sets Evanescence above their peers. This is a very beautiful listening experience at hand, and the piano and orchestration present is really fantastic. A different listen that is worth listening to when feeling down, this still sounds melodramatic for the music that it is. This is so pretty that some may be reduced to tears upon listening to this particular tune. Nonetheless, this music is top-notch in its own way. In the second half of the song are some glorious Heavy Metal guitars and pounding drums to match. A very different and interesting piece of great music that is a take on of the original song, this wraps up with string sections galore and melodic piano to fade out. Good to hear.

This is a very good album that, for all its flaws, is decent and essential listening for fans of Metal, in particular Nu Metal. Amy Lee and Ben Moody had begun a monster in terms of musical presence and impression. Amy’s voice, in particular, is absolutely fantastic. This is a solidly good listen from start to finish. The only real flaw is the overt negativity of the music and the fact that some tunes are noticeably better quality-wise than others. Should you listen to this album? Only if you really like depressing music, if not, then look elsewhere.

Good and interesting Nu Metal-styled music.

7/10