The Bitter Truth
by Evanescence
  • Record Label: BMG
  • Release Date: Mar 26, 2021
User Score
8.7

Universal acclaim- based on 165 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 144 out of 165
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 165
  3. Negative: 15 out of 165
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  1. KoltDrews
    Jun 11, 2021
    0
    Not one song on here got my blood pumping or sent chills down my spine the way I expect Amy Lee’s powerful voice to. Their last album was leagues better. A wasted decade.
  2. Rafael_CPA
    Mar 27, 2021
    3
    I waited for this album for many years, until I gave up on the band in Synthesis, which made it very clear that Amy Lee no longer had the capacity to lead Evanescence on the levels of the great Fallen, and then, mainly, The Open Door. (I have my personal reasons against Amy Lee on that, because she makes the band nothing more than a solo project with guest musicians whose name she keepsI waited for this album for many years, until I gave up on the band in Synthesis, which made it very clear that Amy Lee no longer had the capacity to lead Evanescence on the levels of the great Fallen, and then, mainly, The Open Door. (I have my personal reasons against Amy Lee on that, because she makes the band nothing more than a solo project with guest musicians whose name she keeps because that's what is profitable for her). I've found this work to be all about screaming lack of inspiration, creativity, cohesion and fidelity to the story that Evanescence built, since when it was just a trio (Amy, Ben and David). In a general context, the disc sounds without the slightest impact: the tracks don't converse with each other, which gives off the feeling that the album is a kind of compilation, with tracks from several distinct and unrelated compositional moments; the lyrics don't carry any depth: as much as some songs have tried to simulate that, neither Amy Lee nor the band have reached a level of transmission of any emotional heaviness that is minimally convincing about it; Amy Lee's vocals are muffled in multiple layers of effects, causing them to not reach any climax anywhere - in fact, the sound as a whole gets disordered in many passages due to bad mixing issues; the instrumental is something absolutely tasteless, and doesn't bring back anything that has always been highlighted in the band's discography, such as the classical piano and other instruments that have always been used to give an erudite atmosphere to many tracks, in a great contrast to the weight of the guitars, or the orchestrations, or even the choirs, that since the great second album have been so sorely missed, and which she could have used in Synthesis to make it magnanimous. If she wanted to completely change the essence of the sound, she should have put something nice in the place of everything she took away, and not just pad it out with tons of electronics like she did. For a return after 1 decade of so much difficulty to conceive new material, for me it was not worth the wait, not a single year. In my opinion, if she's up to keep things at this level, she'd better, artistically saying, dedicate herself to her solo career because though very shy yet, she might find herslf less blocked and may be able to find much more creative freedom, diversity, and quality than anything Evanescence released after The Open Door (which is not at all difficult to achieve, and this record proves it).… Expand
  3. johnsix
    Mar 26, 2021
    0
    The mixing of the album is terrible, the arrangement of the songs is simple, without an orchestra and confusing, the band did not take any chances and made a totally predictable album. It is a pity to have to wait another 10 years to see if something comes up at The Open Door level.
  4. mandyrs
    Mar 29, 2021
    0
    What a masterpiece! I've been listening on repeat since the release. Thank you so much for this!

Awards & Rankings

27
#27 Most Discussed Album of 2021

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 8 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 8
  3. Negative: 0 out of 8
  1. Classic Rock Magazine
    Apr 29, 2021
    60
    Not a great comeback, but just good enough. [Jun 2021, p.81]
  2. Rolling Stone
    Apr 6, 2021
    70
    All that conflict and drama might be a little too overpowering if not for Lee’s abiding faith in the power of a nice hoo. The album’s best moment is also its most self-assuredly poppy.
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  3. AllMusic
    Mar 30, 2021
    80
    Altogether, The Bitter Truth carries listeners on a journey both familiar and fresh, recapturing the heavy-yet-melodic hallmarks that made Fallen one of the most successful albums of the 2000s and pushing Evanescence into the future with a graceful maturity and worldly perspective.
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