Album Review: Evanescence – Sanctuary
2 min read
Despite releasing albums few and far between, Evanescence have maintained a consistent high status in the rock world. From their blistering debut The Fallen, featuring one of the biggest alt-rock hits of all time Bring Me To Life, to their most recent hit in 2025 with Afterlife from Netflix’s Devil May Cry show, the band has continually changed members but remained consistent thanks to all-encompassing front woman Amy Lee. Now, with two decades under their belts, they’ve returned with their sixth album, Sanctuary.
Opener Beautiful Lie melds cinematic orchestral pieces with tightly compressed guitars, building to a huge chorus sung softly by Amy. Tell Me When You’ve Had Enough plods along with gritty bass and synth, leading to a half time bridge that makes you want to head bang. Who Will You Follow brings in the piano, Amy singing the chorus over the gentle chords before the guitars swoop back in. The track plays with all the elements that Evanescence are known for; piano, synths, and heavy guitars. It’s followed by Rapture, which continues the intensity of the previous song by playing with the dynamics before exploding in the chorus.
Afterlife, despite being over a year old at this point, fits on the album perfectly and proves itself to be one of the album’s highlights. Its opening guitar riff and Amy’s voice sit wonderfully together, before the song opens into a classic Evanescence chorus. The title track begins with a distorted spoken word passage before transitioning into a particularly excellent riff. How Do I Heal is the album’s first full-on piano ballad, and that makes its sentimentality even more powerful. Strings come and go softly, and the piano voicings are gorgeous. The second is Forever Without You, where Amy gets to really push her voice and show off her abilities. It builds and builds on a bed strings and ambient synths, quickly becoming another highlight. The other tracks follow a similar vein, with hard riffs, big drums, and occasional synth textures that expand the soundscapes. Wide Open Heart closes the record soundly enough, bookending the opening track.
Sanctuary is certainly an Evanescence album, for better or worse. The tracks are well produced, well written, and all work cohesively, so while there’s nothing new offered sonically it’s still an enjoyable listen. The ballads are exquisite, and there are some riffs on here that hit harder than others. Fans of the band will be beyond pleased.
Writer and Musician, Ryan Bulbeck has been published with a number of online publications, and has worked with a myriad of great artists, both as a performer, and as a producer. His most recent band The 295 are still active, playing shows around the UK.
