Music: Origin

Artists: Evanescence

Many people first became acquainted with Evanescence when the songs 'Bring Me to Life' and 'My Immortal' appeared on the soundtrack for the movie 'Daredevil'. The music, however, has existed before.

'Origin' is Evanescence`s first album and it came out in 2000. If you have listened to 'Fallen', their 2003 release, 'Origin' is going to impress you further. It is a much better album and has the one thing that 'Fallen' seems to lack throughout: DIVERSITY. While with 'Fallen', you keep wondering when the band would do something different, with 'Origin', the moods keep swinging and the sound keeps shifting.

The band has changed since 2000 with the lead singer Amy Lee and the drummer Rocky Gray still surviving. With 'Origin', the band consisted of Amy Lee - Vocals, choir arrangements; Ben Moody - Vocals, percussion; David Hodges - Piano, keyboards; and Rocky Gray – Drums.

Amy Lee is, by far, the biggest attraction. The subtleness of her voice is amazing. She is gentle and fierce and emotions are knit inside her voice very deeply. Her voice soars and falls dramatically; she actually does touch your heart. Ben Moody seems to complement her amazingly in this album... another factor unavailable on 'Fallen'. The guitars, drums and piano are worth their share of appreciation throughout the album.

The next big attraction is the lyrics. All of the songs are equipped with powerful words masterly woven together. Mostly, they are in first person, depicting human emotion and the abyss of human feelings. Fear, love, hatred, ambition, disappointment... they are all there; something that contributes highly to the diversity of the album. There are songs suiting varied moods and diverse situations. Following is an epitome:

'Origin' is just a mix of vague sounds, music and screams; a very short track that rather leads to the next track 'Whisper', with controlled guitars, a rather mild rock track with Amy at her best. 'Imaginary' is a slower, tender track with catchy lyrics and Amy again stealing the show. 'My Immortal' is a sad, melancholic love song. The piano is soothing. 'Where will you go' is a sad, yet fast-paced song with a tremendous blend of piano, guitars and vocals: one of the best tracks on the CD. 'Field of Innocence' exhumes childhood memories and the wish to return to those times of bliss; a catchy song.

'Anywhere' is the best of them all. It is just beautiful. With a soft beat, Amy and Ben work their magic in this exquisite song. 'Lies' is very different indeed; vocals range from whispers to soars and the music is awesome. Another beauty!

'Away from me' includes lots of electronics. 'Eternal' is a no-lyrics song and the piano work is tremendous. 'Listen to the rain' and 'Demise', another no-lyrics song give the album the perfect ending.

The CD is amazing. For Evanescence listeners, this is a must-buy. The rest can also spend some money on some good music with satisfaction!! Highly recommended!