Fallen (20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)

It was fairly obvious early on that EVANESCENCE had something special with their 2003 debut full-length, “Fallen”. The album played like the perfect Hot Topic soundtrack for any goth teenager. With dark, dramatic songs about pain, agony and, at times, hope, frontwoman Amy Lee presented piercing, gutting vocals on tracks such as “Bring Me to Life” and “Going Under”, alongside Ben Moody‘s heavy guitars. “Bring Me to Life”, of course, was the song that catapulted EVANESCENCE to rock stardom, but album singles “Going Under”, “My Immortal” and “Everybody’s Fool” also ruled the rock charts.

Now, 20 years later, EVANESCENCE are celebrating the anniversary of “Fallen” with a special vinyl, CD, and digital reissue, and, additionally, a limited edition Super Deluxe box. The set features all the original tracks, and 10 new tracks, including previously unreleased demos, live recordings and outtakes, as well as rare B-sides.

“Fallen”, “Bring Me to Life”‘s big single, is featured here in four versions. The first is the original, and then there’s one from an AOL session recorded in April 2003, a live acoustic performance in 2000 and a previously unreleased demo, without the male vocalist, Paul McCoy.

“Bring Me to Life”‘s demo version is an album highlight. It truly sounds different than the final song, with highly processed vocals and brooding synth sounds that didn’t make it onto the single. The song begins with distorted vocals and synths, which welcome Lee‘s strong vocals and Moody‘s complex guitar work. Without McCoy‘s rapping in the bridge, that space is filled with a blues-tinged, ripping guitar solo. While the essence of the song is intact, this demo version is truly something that contrasts with the song that we’ve heard for two decades.

An acoustic, live version of “Going Under” is another standout. This song is usually electrified and very aggressive. Instead, the reissue includes a version recorded live in Madrid. Hearing Lee‘s wailing vocals amid acoustic guitars really shows her voice’s unique qualities.

The set closes with a 2022 live performance of “My Immortal”. The fact that EVANESCENCE include a recent version of this song shows “Fallen”‘s enduring nature, as “My Immortal” was met with just as much excitement from the crowd in 2022 as it was back when it first dropped.

“Fallen” will always have an audience. Its themes of pain, loss, heartache and triumph will never wane or go out of style. This set is a noble celebration of something that’s more than an album; it’s a musical moment in time that will never be lost.