When the band began recording with Lillywhite, the album was intended for an August or September 2010 release.[18] Recordings were suspended in April that year.[7] Two months later, on June 21, 2010, Lee announced on EvThreads.com that Evanescence had suspended recording to continue work on the album and "get our heads into the right creative space". According to Lee, Wind-up Records was experiencing "uncertain times" which would further delay the album's release.[19] Label president Ed Vetri supported Lee's decision: "One thing we do at Wind-up is, we're patient. I[f] it's not right, it's not coming out. If it takes a year or four years, [we're] going to take the time it needs to write the right record."[1] After visiting the studio several times to see the album's progress, Vetri said that "her core fans will be really happy."[1]
Evanescence's cover artwork was introduced on the band's website on August 30, 2011.[30] It is their first album cover which does not feature Lee.[30] In an interview, she discussed the cover: "Well, both of our other records are me on the cover, and I think it's cool to have that photo, you know, that people can look at and go, 'OK, that's who that is.' But I feel like, by now, they know who we are, and I wanted something really different. I didn't feel like we had to put a photo on the cover, I wanted it to be more mysterious and more about Evanescence itself, not just me."[30] The cover, black with vapor behind the band's name, is a play on the meaning of "evanescence" ("to dissipate like vapor").[30]
Evanescence - Not For Your Ears album
The fifth track, "The Other Side", has churning, chunky guitars, a double-bass drum and Lee's "ethereal, widescreen" vocals with elements of R&B.[47] Lyrically, the song's theme is death.[47] "Erase This", formerly titled "Vanilla",[42] was noted by Mary Ouellette of Loudwire as an "uptempo rocker" similar to "What You Want" which would sound better played live rather than through earphones.[48] "Lost in Paradise" is a symphonic rock ballad which begins with piano, strings and Lee's unlayered vocals before adding the band for the song's climax; its lyrics reflect Lee's past struggles,[49][50] apologizing to her fans for the band's five-year absence.[51] The song's musical structure was compared to "Jóga", by the Icelandic recording artist Björk.[49] "Sick" has a loose, lazy melody and a chanted chorus;[52] one of the first songs written for the album, it "set[s] a heavy direction for the rest of the record."[53] "End of the Dream" begins "full bore with chunky guitar, then falls into a brooding grove with piano underpinning Lee's unmistakable vocals."[54] In the chorus, Lee sings "Follow your heart 'til it bleeds," evincing the track's "seize the day" message.[54] Lee said about the song, "It's about understanding that this life isn't forever, and how you have to live it, embrace even the pain, before it's all over. As much as it hurts, it just means you're alive. So don't be so afraid to get hurt that you miss out on living."[54] "Oceans" begins with a big, low synth and a vocal before the band joins in. According to Lee, "It's big and lush. We've been having a lot of fun playing that one especially."[6] "Never Go Back" (originally called "Orange") examines "loss from the perspective of someone losing someone in a tragedy".[34] Lee said that the song, with the lyrics "It's all gone, the only world I've ever known", was inspired by the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.[50][55] "Swimming Home" is an electro-pop song with grinding guitars and a "weeping" piano.[52]
It's chaos but it's good to the ear. It's not the kind of metal where I can handle it for a few minutes and then I need to listen to something else because my ears hurt. They're creating something that feels good, it sounds good to your ears. It's metal but it isn't something that you can't hang out and listen to. They have a pop sensibility, I'm just going to go out and say it. It's there.
We had five years of being spat on [in the UK], and it was revolting. And they spat at you if they liked you. If they didn't like it they smashed your gear up. One night, I remember I saw blood on my T-shirt, and I think Joe Strummer got meningitis when spit went in his mouth.
Musically, what is the synergy like with you guys during the past 10 years, doing Kings and Queens of the Underground and this new stuff? What is your working relationship like now in this more sober, older, mature version of you two as opposed to what it was like back in the '80s?
Well, I suppose, if anything, is that you can come to terms with your life, you can keep a hold of it. You can work your dreams into reality in a way and, look, a million years later, still be enjoying it.
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