To be released incrementally throughout 2020, Evanescence will release 'The Bitter Truth' – their first album of new, original music in nine years.
The first sample is 'Wasted On You', the band releasing an accompanying video for the song that was self-shot by the band, each member contributing vision by filmimg on their phones while in isolation."We were recording this music right up until we couldn't go into the studio anymore," lead singer-songwriter and pianist Amy Lee explains, "and finished it remotely through file sharing and phone calls.
"Tweaking mixes, adding background vocals, creating the video and album art all from home has been like water in the desert for me, my light in a dark time.
"We are still writing and have a lot more work to do on this album, but this time we wanted to release the songs individually, as we create, to live more in the moment with our fans and our music.
"'Wasted On You' wasn't the song we were planning to release first," Amy continues, "but when the whole world went into indefinite lockdown and everything changed, so did the feeling and meaning of what we wanted to say right now.
"I didn't write these lyrics about what we're all now going through, but somehow that's exactly what they are.
"The whole video was shot by the band and our families on our iPhones, in isolation in our homes many miles apart, then edited together by Paul Brown.
"We can't be together to make a video right now, but we took that and used it to tell the story of our real lives in this moment, and to show that although we are apart, we are all still connected.
"As far as business is concerned, this is considered a terrible time to release. But we believe that people need music now more than ever. We do, and we're not going to wait to share it because who knows what tomorrow brings.
"Who knows if it even comes? This is who we really are and we're calling out across the world for a connection.
"One thing that has come from this crazy time is, it's stripped away the illusion of control – from all of us. Proof that we really don't have any when it comes down to it.
"A big, new theme in the new music so far is disillusionment. Growing up and realising life can be so hard, nobody's gonna come rescue you, and fairy tales aren't real – BUT, standing up and saying I'll take the truth rather than live in denial.
"Rising up, through the ashes of death and pain and everything just rising up even though it hurts and taking it to move forward. No more lies. The bitter truth is all that impossibly hard stuff. And I'm taking it. Choosing to live."
Later this year, the band plans to tour through Europe on the rescheduled co-headline tour with Within Temptation originally scheduled for this month. Conditions permitting, the band will also continue to perform shows in other parts of the world as well.
