Release date: March 26, 2021
Running time: 47:25
Studio Album Update
Lead vocalist Amy Lee first spoke about a new studio album for the band in July 2018. In an interview with Detroit radio station WRIF, Lee confirmed that the band planned to work on a new album following the end of their tour in support of Synthesis.
In an interview with Sirius XM backstage at Epicenter Festival at Rockingham Speedway in May 2019, Lee again confirmed that a new album was in the works. Blabbermouth.net reported that Lee was hoping the album would be ready for release in 2020. “We’re just gonna get together and see what happens this month,” she said, “and start doing that more regularly until we feel like we’re ready to do it.”
Lee then provided an update on the album in November 2019, while taking part in a Reddit AMA. Responding to a question about new music from the band, Lee commented that she was “absolutely living in it” and was “listening to our new music every day.”
“I can’t wait for you to hear it. It’s dark and heavy. It’s also got moments of weird and sparse. Little bit of everything. Definitely some of The Open Door vibes but not the same.”
The band entered the studio in January 2020 with Nick Raskulinecz, with whom they had previously worked on 2011’s Evanescence. Although they’d originally planned to work with several producers, the COVID-19 pandemic led Raskulinecz to become The Bitter Truth’s sole producer. In August, the U.S.-based members returned to the studio (after COVID testing), and guitarist Jen Majura worked remotely. By September 9 the album was “70% done,” and recording wrapped in November.
The album was announced in April 2020 and was initially slated for late 2020, but pandemic delays pushed its release to March 2021.
Core Theme
“A lot of this album is about facing the truth, facing the bitter truths of our world and of my life and of heart. Whatever the cost of that might be on the inside. So then we can start talking about climbing out. Then we can start talking about getting to a better place. You can’t appreciate the beauty of life, you can’t fully experience all the good moments in life if you don’t also fully experience the challenging ones, the tough ones, the painful ones.”
Composition
The album is described as alternative metal, gothic metal, heavy metal, and hard rock.
Amy Lee explained her songwriting inspiration in a Marie Claire interview:
“There are songs that are a part of this album that have been in the works for a decade, and songs that just started up this year. I get inspired being in nature, walking through the woods, looking up close at weird bugs. But my biggest inspirations are the emotional experiences I’ve had in my life, something that makes Evanescence’s music ‘as dramatic as it is.’ Things like losing someone you love, being a part of creating a new life. They rock me on a deep level to a point where I feel like I have to make music.”
“Yeah Right,” “Feeding the Dark,” and “Take Cover” (which debuted live in 2016) were originally written for the 2011 self-titled album but were reworked a decade later.
Release and Promotion
The Bitter Truth was first announced with its lead single, “Wasted on You,” in April 2020. The second single, “The Game Is Over,” followed in July. Two more singles—“Use My Voice” in August and “Yeah Right” (a promo single) in December—were released ahead of the album. Guest vocalists on “Use My Voice” include members of Veridia, Within Temptation, The Pretty Reckless, and Halestorm. “Better Without You,” the fourth single, arrived on March 5, 2021.
To promote the album, the band performed “Wasted on You” on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on February 19, 2021, and later co-headlined a European tour with Within Temptation in 2022.
Track List
01. Artifact/The Turn
02. Broken Pieces Shine
03. The Game Is Over
04. Yeah Right
05. Feeding the Dark
06. Wasted on You
07. Better Without You
08. Use My Voice
09. Take Cover
10. Far from Heaven
11. Part of Me
12. Blind Belief