Just got the shipping notification from Target on my Grey Smoke variant! My list shows I have 17 variants to be en route. My postal man is going to hate me!

The first song I want to spin is Calm Down. I am amped!

Who else is excited for the vinyl to start shipping?!?! What variants did you buy?!

This video basically explains how Afterlife was originally created. At the beginning, Mako(Alex Seaver) wrote a demo called Bloodline. The first verse of that demo sounds pretty similar to the version we hear now, but the chorus melody sounds very different. The production team eventually wanted to try a different direction for the chorus and lyrics, so Mako wrote a piano-only redux, and that melody became the Afterlife we hear now(Just to mention, the piano playing in that version honestly sounds really similar to the way EV arranges piano).

Evanescence was the first artist Mako thought of, basically their number-one dream artist to work with on the song. Mako reached out to Amy, and Amy was really enthusiastic and got heavily involved in the creative process. After understanding the story and character, she developed the song further and finished writing the rest of it, while Mako completed the Episode version of the song. During the writing process, Amy asked Mako if she could change some parts of the song, and Mako gave her the freedom to explore her ideas.

Also, this interview doesn't really talk about the later process of the song being rearranged by the band and eventually becoming the full-band Evanescence version, so I think they're mostly talking about the very early stages of Afterlife here.

(Also worth mentioning: Mako and Amy had already worked together on Love Goes On and On in 2019. Also, after I Googled it, I found out that Legends Never Die was also co-written by Mako, and Amy recorded an unused version of it in 2017, so this is pretty interesting. Although Amy's version may have been dropped by the production team back then, years later Mako and Amy ended up creating Afterlife together.)

Seriously, whenever I find a post about Evanescence's spetacular numbers, there are some haters saying things like "one hit wonder" or "they only have BMTL and My immortal".

HHave people even seen the top 20 songs of the band? There is a song from every single album, including Afterlife which is extremely recent. Almost every single one of these songs have higher numbers than the biggest hits from some other bands that these haters keep defending.

Nowadays this is the only argument I see haters using. They found out that criticizing Amy's voice, the fanbase, or almost anything else doesn't work because no one really believes what they are trying to forge.

I wrote a bunch on this and then reddit removed it, likely because of the self harm topics associated with the music video. I don't remember everything that I wrote, so quite frankly, I'm pissed off. This is a human moment, I guess vulnerability can be a good thing!

Since I don't feel like spending another half an hour rewriting this post, here are my insights on the song in a more abbreviated sense:

Ben Moody's guitar slide offs are cool, and I like that as a guitarist because it adds character. If you don't know what I'm talking about, listen at about 18 seconds and then at about 24 seconds, and you'll hear it.

Amy's vocals during the verses sound angry, and this pairs well with the choppy guitar riff during the verses. It's also interesting that the vocals on the chorus don't match the anger energy of the verses, but when we get to the bridge, that's some power. Sorta like self discovery and not wanting to be like that anymore.

The song is directed mainly toward Amy's sisters who were following dumb trends of their time which told them how to dress and act, and Amy wanted to tell them to stop.

Let me know your thoughts below!

What song are you excited to hear live

Years and years ago, I pointed out to my bf at the time that Lithium is a mood stabilizer and that I thought the song was about struggling with bipolar disorder. He told me I "ruined" the song for him. I'm not sure what he thought the song was about, but I thought it was so silly that my opinion of what the song is about somehow ruined the song for him. To this day, it's my favorite song of theirs because it's so relatable to me. At the time, I'd only been diagnosed with chronic depression. My mental health deteriorated after a traumatic event, and I was then diagnosed with bipolar type 2. I'm sure there are plenty of people who relate to the song for the same reasons. I'm curious what it means to other people.

https://store.kerrang.com/products/evanescence-x-kerrang-limited-edition-zine

Bracket: https://www.reddit.com/r/Evanescence/s/6PBVRaGNbI

Artifact/The Turn was chosen to have Origin vibes.

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

EVANESCENCE HAS UPDATED THEIR SPOTIFY COMPLETE COLLECTION!!! CHECK IT OUT HERE: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5QH5Ynrhl1JR5zpPuVWS59?si=061901ced8664e46

I dmd Amy Lee and Evanescence on Facebook and Instagram asking if they will update their complete collection on Spotify to have all the songs on Sanctuary. I got notification that Amy Lee (or at lease her social media team) viewed my message on Facebook at 4:42 PM this afternoon. And look what I just found on Spotify!!!

So sick. I honestly was not expecting anything to come of this. Obviously, Evanescence and their whole team is always on their A game!

Just came across this and it’s actually pretty nice to listen to. Great for having on in the background while doing stuff.

My personal favorites are Afterlife at 50:22, Wasted on You at 1:23:27, and Rapture at 1:55:00.

Poll: https://www.reddit.com/r/Evanescence/s/qGpVyuFutQ

My Immortal beat Broken Pieces Shine 274-98. Today, Beautiful Lie is competing against Lacrymosa.

I cannot get over the crown Amy's wearing during this interview. The interviewer is seemingly a fan, but also quite innocent which is awesome. another showcase of Amy being super down to earth. Hope you enjoy!

Originally released on Evanescence album.

Monthly listeners.

Beware that this is long, so congratulations if you make it all the way through. I promise I'll get to musical stuff soon.

In my third installment of Evanescence roulette, I came upon the marvelously depressing piece, Like You. I'm sure the majority of this community is already aware, but it's worth mentioning for those who may not know that Amy Lee wrote this song about effect of her younger sister's death on her as a 6 year old child.

I remember the first time I listened to this song. I was kinda creeped out by the lyrics, which are intentionally kinda morbid because of the trauma of grieving someone when you're so young. In retrospect, I was a bit creeped out because I was still supressing the grief from suddenly losing my Mom. Once those feelings returned, and I've allowed myself to feel the grief (though not always in the most healthy of ways), the lyrics made more sense to me/were more relatable. So I'd like to first highlight a couple lyrics that particularly touch me, and display Amy's incredible vulnerability in putting this music out:

• "I hate me for breathing without you"
  • I often feel it's unfair for me to be alive without my Mom around. The feeling is short lived, as I recall that I love life, but man is it difficult at times. This can also go beyond breathing: going on family vacations, spending time at home (I'm an adult now, but she also died when I had already left the house), even at times enjoying stuff that we would do together. It's not fair that I can be happy or do these things without my Mom. I saw an interview once where Amy said that, as a child, and after her sister died, she felt guilty anytime she was happy.
• "I don't want to feel anymore for you"
  • In my experience of grief, there's a duality where I believe that I must feel sad forever, that it's not ok for me to ever feel normal again, and other times where I see that feeling like that is a huge burden, and thus not wanting to feel that way. Either way, I still feel the grief, and have to do something about it. Not really sure how long it will last.
• "I long to be like you"
  • The trademark line of grief when one feels depressed - no longer wanting to be here. This is certainly not the case all the time, and when I do feel like that, it's usually short lived. But life is hard during grief. My mind is actually still in denial that my Mom is dead. Like I can say that but it doesn't feel real for me to say it. Pretty weird stuff, right?

These lyrics, among the rest of them, are an incredibly display of transparency from Amy, and I'm sure it was helpful for her to write it.

With the music - the piano at the beginning is so sad. If someone was played this song but had no clue what it was called and what it was about, they would know from the first few seconds that it would be something sad.

More on the sad tone - Amy uses a very breath-heavy tone during the verses, which furthers the feeling of sadness. She'll use more and less breathiness on and off during the verses, which seems to illustrate the roller coaster movements of grief. Amy also utilizes a bit of vocal fry at times, potentially due to singing lower, but most likely trying to sound weak. As you start to take the breath away from your voice when singing at the same volume, it will soon turn to fry. (Disclaimer: she did not use any fry in the live performance)

Further, Amy primarily belts in this song when she's singing directly to her sister, which almost feels like she wonders if her sister hears her. Like she needs to sing louder because she's singing to her sister in the ground. This is very morbid, I'm sorry for that visual, but it definitely makes sense.

The breakdown at the bridge after "No matter what they told you, you're not alone!" is very powerful, and what a great moment for the band to come in! But notice that the drums are never overpowering or fast. This is a moment of particular intensity in the song, but not necessarily a change in feeling. This seems pretty clear as the mood of Amy's voice and the piano almost dictate the mood of the drums, guitar, bass, etc. after the bridge. Just something I noticed.

So yes, very sad song. But it's a beautiful song. And I'm so glad that Amy played it live in concert on the U.S. Sanctuary Tour. It was crazy hearing it debuted because I have literally no other live performances to compare it to, and neither did Amy. So she basically sung it just like it is on the album, 20 years after writing it. It gave me chills to see that live.

Poll: https://www.reddit.com/r/Evanescence/s/VZuDvCdVMI

Ok, I knew Going Under would win and I’m glad it did but 382-82!!??! What did Made of Stone do to y’all to deserve this? 😭 Anyway, today My Immortal is competing against Broken Pieces Shine. Hmmm I wonder which song will win today 🤔

Bracket: https://www.reddit.com/r/Evanescence/s/l27svWS4Li

I bought the Sanctuary long sleeve tee, (I have a Fallen Era one that's similar) I still want a hoodie (eventually)

Who else loves this song as much as I do😫🔥❤️

I’ve had this idea in my head for a long time but have no editing skills. You don’t have to credit me! I’d just love to see it and think there are a lot of scenes in AOT that match Afterlife’s lyrics perfectly! Like “Before the flood gates open” it’s a scene where the titans break the walls. I know this song is for DMC but I think it would fit great here as well. Alternatively, if it’s already been done, please let me know!