Sanctuary, Evanescence’s first album in five years, soars with reflections of anger and melancholy at the state of the world. The band has touched on political topics before with songs about voting rights like “Use My Voice” from 2021’s The Bitter Truth or “My Heart is Broken” about sex trafficking from their 2011 self-titled album. This time, the politics of today are front and center with lyrics asking pointed questions about what we accept as normal.
The energy of the music is driven by that directness – a rugged honesty frontwoman Amy Lee wanted to channel throughout the album: “Turn on the news and you can get inspired to write a heavy rock song with plenty of rage, especially as a woman. It’s just really hard, because I’m not political. I don’t want this. This was put upon us all. How we react and respond to this moment has nothing to do with if we want to be a ‘political voice.’ I absolutely do not, but I do want to rise to the moment. We don’t have a choice. We’ve been forced into this situation where if we don’t speak up and fight back against tyranny, against human rights violations, against blowing people up, we’re next.”
Songs like “Tell Me When You’ve Had Enough” and “Who Will You Follow” capture that rage:
What have you done to me?
You drain the life out of me ’til I don’t know myself
When all your faith in reality fades away
Who will you follow then?
The album’s strength is this sincerity. Lee’s powerful, haunting vocals express big emotions in dramatic choruses and gentle piano ballads. Thunderous guitars full of angst square off against moments of quiet grief before the rolling drums bring back the storm of frustration. Experimental electronics sneak in, disorienting like the news cycle she talks about. Amy and her band don’t have the answer to the crises we are confronting. But she’s ready to ask herself, us, and the world, what it is we are fighting for. “Self-Destruct” insists that we have to first confront ourselves and make a choice: are we OK living under this violence and injustice?
Can’t you see the signs?
Blurred lines, no money, no peace
Don’t believe your eyes, you’re sick
Sick like me
You want my advice, no shame
Don’t look away now
We all have a role to play
So take the stage
Is this what you want it to be?
Since releasing the album in June, Evanescence has started a world tour and achieved greater success. Their most well-known song, “Bring Me To Life” from their 2003 debut album, has surpassed two billion streams and millions more sales this year. The band rose to fame with their signature brooding, anguished rock sound that dealt with feeling disconnected and numb.
“It is just wild out there. I want us to find each other in reality, dark as it may be, because you can’t fix it until you face it,” Lee states. With this album, they are saying we’ve been through the muck. We understand what it’s like to feel like you can’t even get out of bed. But if we are honest about what we’re confronting, we have no choice but to get up. And, as she sings in the hopeful closing number, we can be together in “Facing the weight of the world / With a wide open heart.”
You can stream the album on all major platforms and watch the music video for “Who Will You Follow” on YouTube.
