Almost twenty-five years after Fallen, nobody expected Evanescence at 81/100 — yet that’s Sanctuary‘s AOTY score across 6 reviews, with AllMusic at 9 and Blabbermouth at 8.5. The one blemish: a noticeably cooler public, at 71 across more than 1,400 ratings. The press adores; the base debates.
What everyone agrees on: Amy Lee, obviously, and a return to form as commercial as it is artistic. « Who Will You Follow » handed the band its first-ever No. 1 on Billboard’s Hard Rock Songs chart, and Blabbermouth highlights a singer able to « kick things up a notch to compete with the intense guitars ». Wall of Sound (9/10) goes further: « This album is stunning », before the season’s defining confession — « This album has made me an Evanescence fan. » The heavy moments (« Self Destruct », « Beautiful Lie ») and the piano ballads (« How Do I Heal », « Forever Without You ») draw equal praise.
What divides: the electro-pop swerves. « Rapture » and « Calm Down » owe more, per Blabbermouth, to current trends than to innovation — and that’s likely where the public checks out. What remains is the essential: the band’s best critical reception in ages. 8/10, and a sanctuary that lives up to its name.