Evanescence recently released Origin on Bigwig Enterprises, a haunting (electronic) rock album that allows darkness and melancholy to coexist with surreal, vivid, placid beauty. Amy Lee's wide-ranging, tortured-but-gloriously-hopeful-femme vocals are often backed up by an other-worldly choir mix and scratchy bass lines. Her piano adds a lot of character and depth to many songs, as does guitar, whether they be present in intro, bridge, or chorus. Besides obvious musical and production talent, the thing about their CD that stands out is its genuineness. I believe what I am told, I go where I am lead, I feel what is being expressed. Don't let the 'electronic' tag scare you off, either. Ben Moody produces things so carefully, and even sparsely at times, that the whole of each song is made the focus, not particular layers -- synthesized or organic -- within it.
Other coverage for this album
Decapolis 2001Reviewed by Nate BaileyThis is Evanescence's first release with Bigwig Enterprises. Evanescence is industrial-metal packaged with angelic-like vocals. Tight metal riffs with a techno backdrop are enhanced with incredible female vocals. I don't traditionally listen to a lot of music within this genre (not that I have anything against it), but I really enjoyed this album. The metal head in me is satisfied and the softer…The Phantom Tollbooth 2000Reviewed by Josh SpencerFinally, this much anticipated debut has left the factory. For the past couple of years, music fanatics have had their appetites whetted for this amazing band through a very small run EP release, a song on a compilation or two, and some mp3s. The release of their full-length seemed about as tantalizingly near-but-not-yet as the second coming of Christ. Now that it's here (in limited numbers, so…Similar sounding releases
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