Over 20 years after singing “Bring Me to Life,” Amy Lee is now bringing the fight on Evanescence’s new album, Sanctuary.
“I feel like as human beings with hearts and souls in the world today, we are up against a lot,” Lee tells ABC Audio.
Throughout the record, Lee often directs her fury toward an unspecified “you,” which one might interpret as representing pain or societal injustice.
“The album goes across a lot of social issues that are just unavoidable now, and it’s just because that’s the world that we live in,” Lee says. “All we can do is react, right? We can’t control what happens to us, all we can control is the way that we respond, and I’m doing my best to respond in a way that helps inspire people.”
Lee’s response is soundtracked by a whole bunch of heavy guitar riffs as she and her band ride into sonic battle for 11 tracks. The 12th and final song, though, titled “Wide Open Heart,” comes to the conclusion that the greatest weapon we have in the fight against injustice is just that.
“I guess I kinda came to this new mantra and this new place that the biggest challenge and the biggest fight is internal and it is to hold on to my heart,” Lee says. “To hold on to our humanity, hold on to your softness, even though we have to be strong and we have to fight.”
“I think that the bravest and strongest that you can be is to, after all that, hold on to your compassion and your empathy and even your vulnerability,” she continues. “Those things are powerful, and love is the most powerful force in the universe.”
Sanctuary is out Friday. Evanescence will launch a U.S. tour June 11 in West Palm Beach, Florida.
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