Synthesis

Synthesis, released on 10 November 2017, is the fourth album, on which Evanescence rebuilt their best-known songs in orchestral and electronic textures and folded in new material. It is also their first release since leaving Wind-up in March 2014 to become an independent band. The guitar-centred outline of the originals is changed, and piano, strings, programming and a closely breathed vocal draw out different emotions. As the title suggests, the attempt is to melt live orchestra and programming into a single vessel. These are not remixes: the songs are rebuilt from the ground up for symphonic forces. Amy Lee and Will Hunt produced; David Campbell arranged and conducted the orchestra. The two new songs are “Imperfection” and “Hi-Lo,” the latter featuring violinist Lindsey Stirling. The drop between the grandiose and the quiet is large, and Lee's voice comes further forward than ever. It entered at No. 8 in the US and topped several charts, then grew into the Synthesis Live tour, carrying a live orchestra. A cinematic, inward record for rediscovering the band's music.