Evanescence is finally back after their long hiatus of a whooping 5 years since their second album "The Open Door" which I still remember getting from Toa Payoh's Popular bookstore just above the bus interchange when I was still in secondary school. Now, that's an extremely long time ago, no?
Their third, self-titled album, was released days ago on October 11, 2011 in most countries and of course, I just had to get it because I had been a fan even before I started listening to ayumi hamasaki or any other J-pop artistes for that matter. Yes~ It was that long ago! I had to call HMV constantly to check if the stock's in and I was pleased that they brought it in right on the release date!
Evanescence (Deluxe Version) is probably one of the unique packagings that I've encountered so far because it's so difficult to photograph! The lighting is hard to get right but with a stroke of luck and probably some experience shooting CDs, I got it anyway~
Let's start looking at the aesthetics of this long awaited rock album!!
Well, this is what I was trying to say when the lighting was extremely challenging to get correct. When I entered the store, the album did not catch my eye until I went up straight to the New Releases section to search for it. When you look at the album straight up, you see the really faint title surrounded by the smoky effects that seem to be disappearing into the darkness.
To make things even more challenging, the back of the album also faces the same problem - disappearing fonts. It seems like the unimportant bar code and other miscellaneous footnotes are grabbing the attention off this album. Looking at the album face front make the album slightly difficult to read visually but...
What I really like about this concept is that with their clever selection of colors and effects, this digipak album performs magic. By just tilting the album slightly to the side, you get a clear view of the wisps and smoke effects without the title being engulfed into the dark. Clever, no? This is the concept of their album art - the notion of what "Evanescence" really means - the act of disappearing and vaporizing.
Also note that unlike their previous albums, this latest creation did not feature lead vocalist, Amy Lee, on the cover. Amy explained that this album is more about the band than about herself gracing the cover and I think that's a really good explanation but I bet there are people like myself who would like to see her on the cover nevertheless.
The back magically glows purple when you tilt it to the side, revealing the titles of the album. This album is printed on just regular cardboard but the effects the artist used and the color choices really worked to the album's advantage of really depicting the meaning of the band, as well as the mysterious properties of this album. BIG LOVE to clever designs!!
A small detail on the cover are these little fonts at the foot of the packaging - the word "Evanescence" written in some futuristic font. This album symbolizes the entry into a new era for the band, bringing their past experiences and expertise along with them and this mixture of the classic "Evanescence" font as well as the appearance of this futuristic font seem to symbolize that.
Well in case you want to have a look at the spine, here it is!! The Deluxe Version is apparently the only version that's for sale in Singapore because I couldn't find anything else at HMV. But with the deluxe version, who would settle for the regular ones right? Just so you know, the deluxe version comes with a making of DVD that includes the music video of their lead single of this album, "What You Want" as well as 4 bonus tracks for just under $23! Definitely worth it~
So, when you open the digipak, you are greeted with the lyric booklet with a clearer version of the title as well as the credits. The lyric booklet is slotted into the right slot at its back page to hold the booklet in place. For a moment, I thought the lyric booklet is stuck onto the album until I went to explore it a little.
The credits. If you looked carefully, you can see that Amy actually plays the harp now! Ain't that cool~?
The font on the lyric booklet without the mysterious, disappearing effects on the cover. Really loving the effects and color choices!!
The other side of the digipak, hidden by the lyric booklet, spots the band in this fierce photo, taken at a desert (see the making of DVD!!). The back of the lyric booklet features photos of the band relaxing and chilling when they are not making music.
And of course, I have to do the band and photographer justice by taking a larger photo of the fierce photo guarding the DVD. Amy looks a bit like a ghost in this photo though - because of her extremely white face. If only they tone down the make up a little bit...
This is how the insides look like when you remove the lyric booklet.Gorgeous gorgeous~~
If you're wondering where the CD and DVD are kept, then I think you've been downloading too many songs already - start buyin' your music! The CD is kept in the sleeve as seen in the photo above. Like I always whine, bitch and complain about, I seriously dislike this packaging style because it provides absolutely no protection to the disc and makes it scratch prone. But again, who listens to CDs straight from the CD players nowadays? I put the songs into my iPod and enjoy it there but that doesn't mean I appreciate scratched discs~
The CD and the DVD laid out side by side. Just so you know, the album that they are selling in Singapore are imported and I believe that the albums that you are getting in your own country would probably be imported as well and therefore, to curb the issue of region lock DVD players, the DVD is REGION FREE! YEAH!!! If only they do that for all my Japanese DVDs... The design of the discs is simple but I would prefer it to be made like the front cover - the special effecty feel...
And now, let's look at the inside of the lyric booklet. The very first page features the lyrics of the lead single "What You Want", which I think is a fantastic song that sounds so different but yet, still has the essence of Evanescence. Energetic but edgy and still fierce nevertheless. My only complaint is that the words are little hard to read because it's so tiny but we have the internet so that can be solved easily. On the other side of the booklet, you see Amy staring into your soul - what a welcoming sight~
The lyric booklet, other than just wonderful, poetic lyrics, features some of the band's photos which I'm more interested in. If you didn't know, I actually like high, long ponytails like the one Amy's wearing on her head in this photo. It somehow helps to elongate your face and make your neck look longer and that is also a good thing to have on photos. :)
Another photo of the band - love the lighting and the back drop!
Musically wise, I haven't really listened to the album yet because the speakers on my laptop are a little wonky but I did watch the Making of DVD and heard the lead single on the radio and on YouTube. But I don't really care because this album looks fantastic and since it's Evanescence, I believe they will truly blow me away with their new creation because they spent well over 5 years to make this album come together. I have high hopes for this album. :)
Well, before I end, I just had to take this photograph...
I think I grew up with Evanescence as much as Evanescence had grew since the 2003 with their highly acclaimed debut album - Fallen. Evanescence had always been the band I turn to if I want something angry/edgy or something that sometimes speak my mind poetic. Their music, though rock and metal, somehow is therapeutic to me and that's why I still listen to them now and then when I'm feeling down or just want something that expresses my emotions.
With a whole new album, I have another outlet to turn to in the future and I'm really excited to see what other singles the band will bring out from this album. I will definitely have a chance to listen to the album fully when I fly over to Australia for my exercise so I'm really excited to know what their third album will bring me.
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The album is very refined, much better than the last. Amy surprised the heck out of me by returning, more-than-less, to the old EP album style in a few of the songs all the while preserving the rock attributes they are known for mainstream in others. They tried lots of new styles, including a harp (in a bonus song), so you definitely do not hear the same song twice. I still miss the ghastly chills Ben Moody used to pack in some of the songs but Amy does try. More ballads would be nice too. Overall it's a fun album that won't wear out, personally I can't even figure out which song I like more. If you can get a hold of one with the four bonus songs you will be doing yourself a huge favor.
Thanks for reviewing the album musically for me, even though I think you're a bot.