I listened to Evanescence’s Sanctuary twice now, and I think I can finally put my thoughts into words.
First of all, I want to say this as someone who has loved Evanescence for decades. I have been a fan since Origin, and Amy Lee herself has always meant a lot to me as an artist. So this is not coming from someone who wants to hate on the band or be negative for the sake of it. Quite the opposite. I think being a fan also means being able to have a nuanced opinion. You can love a band deeply and still not love everything they do all the time.
For now, I would give Sanctuary around a 7/10.
Maybe that sounds harsh to some people, but to me it does not. I give Origin, The Open Door and the self-titled Evanescence album a 10/10, so naturally I am comparing Sanctuary to albums that, for me, are extremely important and almost untouchable. I know what Evanescence can make me feel. I know the mystery, the beauty, the darkness, the drama, the emotional weight. So when a new album comes after several years, I cannot pretend I feel something if I do not fully feel it.
My main feeling with Sanctuary is that it is a good album, but not an extraordinary one. There are songs I genuinely like, even love, but as a whole I am still unsure where Evanescence is trying to go musically.
Amy Lee’s voice is still Amy Lee’s voice. That has not changed. She still has that power, that softness, that recognizable emotional intensity. The moment she sings, you know it is her. But musically, I find the album a little strange. Not always in a bad way, but in a way that feels not completely settled. It sounds like a renewal, but to me, not a renewal that is fully mastered yet.
My favorite songs so far are probably Afterlife and Who Will You Follow. Those are the songs where I feel the strongest sense of direction. They have energy, structure, and they feel more immediately convincing to me. Afterlife, especially, feels like one of the clearest and strongest songs on the album.
I also really like Beautiful Lie, Rapture, and Calm Down. I keep forgetting to mention Calm Down, and I do not even know why, because I actually think it is really good. It has something that works for me, even if it does not always come first to my mind when I think about the album.
Wide Open Heart is also very interesting to me. I would not necessarily call it my absolute favorite, but there is something about it that makes me want to come back to it. It has a certain atmosphere and emotional openness that I appreciate. It feels like one of the more intriguing songs on the album.
Then there is Sanctuary, the title track. I have complicated feelings about this one. I do not know yet if I truly like it or not. It is definitely special and interesting, and I really love the bridge. But musically, I do not really recognize Evanescence in it. That is not automatically a bad thing, because an artist should be allowed to evolve, but I am not sure the song fully works for me. I almost prefer it to songs like About Us or Self Destruct, but I still feel like it could have been better.
About the ballads, I have mixed feelings too.
How Can I Heal is a very pretty song. I like the piano, Amy’s softer voice, and the little touches of violin. Melodically, it reminds me a little of songs like My Immortal, or even Everytime by Britney Spears in the way it has this gentle, vulnerable feeling. I do not think it fully belongs to the general atmosphere of Sanctuary, but I still think it is beautiful.
However, I do not really like Forever Without You. To me, it feels a little too sentimental, almost too sugary. Amy sings beautifully, of course, but the chorus feels like she is pushing too much, and musically it gives me the feeling of a dramatic TV movie ballad with piano. That is not what I usually want from an Amy Lee ballad. I have heard much better ballads from her and from Evanescence: Hello, Far From Heaven, Secret Door, My Immortal, Lost in Paradise, and others. Those songs feel more haunting, more mysterious, more emotionally powerful. Forever Without You does not reach that level for me.
I also do not really like About Us or Tell Me When You Had Enough. About Us, especially, feels a little annoying to me. I know many people seem to love it, and that is completely fine, but it does not work for me. It does not give me the emotional or musical impact I want from Evanescence. Self Destruct also is not one of my favorites.
Another thing I noticed is that, apart from Afterlife, I sometimes get the impression that some songs do not really know how to end. The final notes or final moments do not always feel satisfying to me. With Evanescence, I usually expect a song to leave a mark until the very last second — either by haunting you, exploding, fading beautifully, or closing with real emotional weight. On Sanctuary, some endings feel weaker than I expected.
What is strange is that I sometimes feel more connected to Amy Lee’s work outside Evanescence lately. Songs like End of You with Poppy and Courtney LaPlante, Hand That Feeds with Halsey, Fight Like a Girl, Love Exists, Speak to Me, One Day the Only Butterflies Left Will Be in Your Chest as You March Towards Your Death, or Sakura Rising feel incredibly strong to me. I know those songs are not Evanescence. But that is exactly the point. Sometimes Amy sounds freer, more precise, or more inspired when she is outside the weight of the Evanescence name.
And that is probably my biggest question with Sanctuary: where does Amy want to take Evanescence now?
Because Amy Lee is Evanescence in so many ways. Her voice, her writing, her presence, her emotional world — she carries the soul of the band. But with Sanctuary, I feel like the album is trying to move forward without always knowing exactly what shape it wants to take. It has good songs, some very good ones, but I do not find it as mysterious, breathtaking, cohesive, or unforgettable as Evanescence can be at their best.
So no, I do not think Sanctuary is a bad album. Not at all. I understand why many fans love it, and I respect that. But for me, it is not a masterpiece. It has beautiful moments, strong songs, interesting ideas, and Amy’s voice is still magnificent. But it also has songs that do not work for me, ballads that I find weaker than her best ones, and a general direction that still feels a little unclear.
Maybe my opinion will change with more listens. Some albums need time. Some songs grow slowly. But right now, I would say Sanctuary is a good Evanescence album with some excellent moments, but not one of their greatest.
And honestly, I think it is okay to say that.
Being a fan does not mean loving everything blindly. Being a fan means knowing the artist, knowing what they can create, and being honest when something touches you deeply — or when it does not completely reach you.
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