Long time no see… indeed! After their debut album (“Fallen”) in 2003 and their second one “The Open Door” in 2006, it took them 5 more years to compose 12 more songs for their third launch (16 with all the bonus tracks)…

 

Rumor had it that they were going to alter their sounds a bit but what I kept on listening was one of the same. Some electronic sounds were few and far between but absolutely nothing striking whatsoever. As for the performances, Amy Lee (vocals) may have a quite nice voice yet, her singing has not become totally mature. Her way of performing has remained exactly as it was 8 years ago. Terry Balsamo and Troy McLawhorn (lead guitar and rhythm guitar respectively) have some experience and supposedly the willingness to further themselves but they need to produce more complex sounds to catch attention. As for Tim McCord… well, he has yet to decide what his real talent is… the guitar or the bass? I left Will Hunt last since I value him the most.

 

In my view, the songs leave much to be desired. Perhaps, “The Change” as well as “New Way to Bleed” (bonus track) are among the ones most pleasurable to listen to. However, those who have been following the group for the past eight years will probably find them nice. Beware though… all that glitters is not gold!