Evanescence (Deluxe Version)

iTunes Review

Evanescence lives and dies by its sense of grandeur, dreaming big dreams. Singer Amy Lee performs with the kind of oversized drama and power that puts her in league with such stagecraft warriors as Meat Loaf and Michael Bolton, even if her image is more in line with goths. Tracks such as “What You Want,” “Made of Stone,” and “The Change” create a hyperactive anthemic drive that makes old-school big rockers like Heart and Bon Jovi sound like garage bands. The guitars thunder like an orchestra, while the drums dive-bomb the black sky on the epic “My Heart Is Broken.” Only if Tori Amos had stuck with her hard-rock beginnings could there be a serious challenger to Lee’s overwhelming attack. The piano and strings of “Lost in Paradise” come closest to a gentle side, but this band is backed by serious fury. “Sick” is arena rock at its most heartwrenching. “Oceans” surfs between metal riffage and gargantuan keyboard fills. The deluxe version includes four bonus tracks that extend this near-opera to greater heights.