Fallen

by

Evanescence

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I've tracked through this disc a bunch of times now - It just keeps getting better with each listen. It didn't take long to realize "Fallen" was going to make its way into my rotation of discs I listen to a lot. I found myself anxiously waiting to hear what came next while listening to it, which rarely happens.

Their music is hauntingly dark, and beautiful at the same time, and it does have its "rock" moments, thanks to some really nice guitar sounds. And I *love* Amy's voice! The production is huge sounding; the songs are beautifully textured with keyboards, strings and layered back up vocals.

This is not a 'rap-metal' band, if you've only heard the "Bring Me To Life" single. There's a lot of depth to this group that you might not be expecting to hear ... and a lot of interesting things going on. Definitely not a "throw on at a party" CD - But one that I find myself wanting to explore beginning to end, again and again.

Besides the lead single, I really like "Tourniquet", "Going Under", "Haunted", "My Immortal", "Whisper" and "My Last Breath." The rest of the songs are also very good ... totally worth picking up, and hopefully an indication of more brilliance to come. Awesome stuff - a CD that's worth your attention.

I got to experience a little bit of Evanescence and Amy Lee's awesome voice in the Daredevil soundtrack with the songs "Bring Me to Life" and "My Immortal". Both are incredible songs, but the rest of Fallen is deeper, more interesting music. The most important thing to me when listening to music is the lyrics. Anyone can slap down something that rhymes, add a few measures of guitar, and repeat it over and over. If the lyrics are complicated and thought-provoking then you know someone thought about it before they put it out on the market for everyone to hear. Although the music is suspiciously similar between tracks, the lyrics were definitely thought through. It's nice to know that someone in the music biz still cares about what they're broadcasting to the world.

The worst song on Fallen is Everybody's Fool. Its topic reflects mainstream pop envy and the song structure is pretty boring. The best songs are My Last Breath, Taking Over Me, and Tourniquet. Tourniquet is a song about suicide put together in a very unique and different way. Instead of self-pitying people screaming "Everything's terrible! Oh look, a knife!" Amy Lee gives a different view-the realization that suicide was a mistake. In this song she is praying for forgiveness for the mistake she has just made. "I lay dying/And I'm pouring/Crimson regret and betrayal...My god/My tourniquet/Return to me salvation". If the topic of suicide is taboo to you then this song is not for you. "Taking Over Me" is a good love song that sets itself apart from other carbon-copy songs repeating "I love you, I want you, I miss you", etc. "My Last Breath"...I'm still unsure of exactly what Amy is trying to say here, but a good song nonetheless.

"Fallen" was a good starter album for Evanescence. I think this band needs more attention than it is getting; they have a lot of potential. I think there is a lot of talent that is not being put to full use for fear of becoming too different from usual interest. But as most music enthusiasts will agree, different is better.