Evanescence w/ The Pretty Reckless and Rival Sons

It took the Arkansas goth-metal band Evanescence a full five years to follow up their 2006 sophomore album, The Open Door, with their new self-titled record, thanks to a few lineup changes (something the group is no stranger to at this point) and some false-start sessions with producer Steve Lillywhite, who was later replaced with Nick Raskulinecz. For all that drama, the end result is actually the group's least turbulent album. The Evanescence signatures are still there: Guitars rage, strings weep and eye-shadowed singer Amy Lee still bellows like an opera singer in peril, but there are softer electronic tones around the edges, and the songs are catchier and less vindictive than those of The Open Door. This is the work of a band finding its comfort zone.