Evanescence - Fallen

Let me stay where the wind will whisper to me, where the raindrops as they're falling tell a story

Sep 28, 2023

This post was originally published on September 27, 2023.

Release Date: March 4, 2003
Genre: Alternative metal, gothic rock, gothic metal
Label: Wind-Up Records
Producer(s): Dave Fortman

They were everywhere. As a ten-year-old kid exploring the internet, it seemed no matter where you went, someone would bring up Evanescence. Looking up fan-made music videos for my favorite anime or movies, many were set to Evanescence songs. If I looked for fanfiction, many were titled after Evanescence lyrics. On online forums and blogs, where I would go to discuss those shows or video games, countless people had Evanescence usernames and Amy Lee avatars. There were quizzes where you could find out what Evanescence song you were. No matter what website it was or what fandom, I was being saturated with Evanescence from all sides. So I bought the CD and listened to almost nothing else for months. There was another girl in my fifth grade class who was also obsessed with Evanescence, so she became my best friend.

With these angsty bands who had such a young, devout following, it's hard to look at them as serious artists rather than as memes. (There is another group who were a prime example of this, and they finally escaped that perception, but it took tragic circumstances for that to happen. I'll be reviewing all their discography here eventually.) The band themselves don't feel the "gothic" label fits them, but goth kids certainly did. Regardless, there is very good musicianship and production at work here. With the classical and operatic influences, plus a very feminine-sounding woman in the lead, it didn't sound like much other rock or metal music on the radio at the time, at least in the US. Most of it is about abusive relationships, which I had no experience with, and I didn't consider myself part of those online subcultures, but I was sure as heck obsessed with it anyway.

Track by Track

Going Under: One of those openings that just makes me go "Fuck yeah." From that low, spooky entrance to the glitchy wail that teases the chorus, this is a masterful performance by Lee, and the guitar and piano parts each mightily foreshadow the sounds to come. I can tell she wasn't super comfortable in her lower range, but it's basically everything I could want from a first track.

Bring Me to Life: Yeah, we all make fun of the 12 Stones guy, but Evanescence didn't want him there; that was the label's move. But besides him, this was actually a good lead single. It's catchy, makes you want to sing along, and actually pretty representative of what the album sounds like. It's the first of several "totally not a Christian song" songs, but at least with this one, we have Lee's confirmation of what it's actually about. (Also, from here on, if a song was done well on American Idol, I'll link it. Here is Christian rocker chick Angie Miller, who placed third in the 2013 season, proving that BMTL needs no rapping.)

Everybody's Fool: Another good, angry single, and one of my early favorites.

My Immortal: Another song that is more than just the meme it's become. This is a beautiful, understated ballad that provides a nice change of pace.

Haunted: True to the title, this song is produced with some spooky vocal effects and background sounds that make it one of the most dramatic on the album. It rocks, but there is a more dramatic moment with a choir still to come.

Tourniquet: Out of the mouths of babes: my Evanescence-loving school friend told me this was a Marilyn Manson song. It's not, but it is a cover, sort of. In the late '90s, before he was in Evanescence, their touring drummer Rocky Gray was in another band called Soul Embraced, and they had a song called "My Tourniquet." Amy Lee took it, wrote the pre-chorus and another verse, and recorded the new version for Fallen, so it's half cover and half original. Having finally listened to the original, it pretty much sounds like a whole different song, mostly because of the vocals (the original is a guy doing that throaty death metal scream). I really like how Lee made it her own, and think it's one of the stronger bangers on the album.

Imaginary: I believe this was the first song I heard, and together with "Everybody's Fool," convinced me to buy the CD. It has some nice, dreamy lyrics, and is another example of blending piano and guitar to great effect.

Taking Over Me: One of the less interesting songs on the album, but it's not bad. The fragile verses are better than the chorus for me.

Hello: First, I want to note that in some fandoms, it's not acceptable to critique or numerically rate songs about difficult topics, such as the loss of a child. I don't know the norm on this with Evanescence listeners, since this song is one of those. For now, since I haven't heard otherwise, I will comment on this song like any other. If this bothers anyone, please leave a comment and I can amend my post and spreadsheet. Now -- as poignant as it is, "Hello" tends to be a skip for me. I know some people think intimate piano songs are the best, but I mostly listen to Evanescence for the rock songs, so the lack of instruments makes it difficult for me to stay engaged with this.

My Last Breath: I really like the imagery in the lyrics here. As with many of these songs, there are some interesting subtle production touches, in this case some beeps and boops and shaky effects in the beginning. There's a lot going on here, yet it all turns into one of my favorite songs on the album.

Whisper: A big, dark, melodramatic statement that ends with an Ominous Latin Choir™. It's a lot, but it kicks ass, ending the album with a bang rather than a whimper (which they could have done but wisely avoided).

My Immortal [Band Version]: In my opinion, the superior version of the song. The fuller instrumentation throughout, and the band coming in 3/4 of the way through, saves it from being anticlimactic and too spare like the original is. It even sounds like a different vocal take, and if it is, this one sounds better.

Missing: WAIT, I DO KNOW THIS! The title wasn't ringing a bell, meaning I must have forgotten about its existence a decade or more ago, yet as soon as I played it, the lyrics all came back to me. I must have downloaded it as an MP3 or something way back when. It's really extraordinary how music gets lodged in our brains. Anyway, I think the production here sells it. It builds nicely and the bells are a great production touch. It manages to keep their style without ever doing a big guitar explosion. This sound teases a bit what The Open Door would be like.

Farther Away: This one feels like another "we are not a Christian band" song. It's pretty good, though nothing drastically different from the main album cuts.

Breathe No More: This is an entirely piano song, and it's beautiful, but I can see why it didn't make the cut over "My Immortal" because it's not as hooky.

Final Thoughts

Though Evanescence's time on top only lasted a few years, Fallen was a game-changer in its own way. The album won two Grammys, and I wouldn't be surprised if that popularity helped give a bump to bands such as Nightwish, Paramore, and Flyleaf. As we soon learned, there were a lot of creative and personal tensions going on behind the scenes. Co-founder and lead guitarist Ben Moody quit the band during the tour that fall, then went on to produce and write for Kelly Clarkson, Avril Lavigne, and more big stars. As for me, I had this album on heavy rotation for a few months before I became more interested in other bands. It was definitely a phase for me, but I did get their next CD. I plan to review all their work here in time, but there's nothing quite like the mystique and excitement I found the first time around.