The Bitter Truth, Evanescence’s first album of original music in a decade, is out now on Sony Music Australia. A return to the band’s heavy roots, The Bitter Truth is a reflection of both the personal tragedies in the band members’ own lives (the unexpected passing of frontwoman Amy Lee’s brother, the sudden loss of a child by bassist Tim McCord) and the collective tragedies of the planet amidst racial inequality, COVID, and economic upheaval. But, despite the darkness and bitterness of life, the album’s resounding message is one of light: Pushing through is better than giving up.
Purchase or stream The Bitter Truth HERE
Forced to write and record the majority of the album apart from one another throughout 2020, with an unprecedented workflow and no creative limits, the band naturally returned to the fiery, epic sound for which they are known. Lyrically, the heaviness of the world bred raw honesty and brought to life themes both old and new. A process of healing in itself, for Lee, writing and singing about topics such as inner demons, grief, the “I’m okay” facade society forces on those struggling with their mental health, rebellion in the face of injustice and misogyny, and the freedom that comes with ending toxic relationships ultimately culminated in a sense of resilience.
Amy Lee said of The Bitter Truth:
I want people to come away from this album feeling hope and empowerment and strength. Something that inspires me a lot in life is people who have overcome great obstacles – survivors. I hope we can pass on the idea that even when things are impossibly painful life is worth living. Leaning into those darkest, most challenging moments, facing them and finding we’re not alone in them, makes us real. Makes us strong enough to take them on. And it brings us together, if we let it, in a deeper appreciation of the light… and the truth. Thanks for the memories. Now let’s go make some new ones.
The quarantine-creation of the album is also chronicled in a new documentary, Evanescence: Embracing The Bitter Truth, directed by Adam Jones and out today via The Coda Collection, the music-centric streaming channel on Amazon Prime Video. Capturing the album’s genesis from the band’s last (planned) live show in December 2019 and its literal destruction by fire to the mostly-remote mixing and completion processes, the documentary is necessary viewing for fans and anyone looking to understand the art behind the art of the pandemic era.
To watch the documentary and to sign up for a free 7-day Coda Collection trial, visit www.codacollection.co.