The goods keep coming. The title-track is probably the best song here, all aspects of the Evanescence sounding at their Jordan-bolstered best, while in the stark, seemingly fragile How Do I Heal, Amy’s poignant delivery recalls 2003’s untouchable My Immortal. If you wanted any further proof of the lady’s vocal prowess, go find out what she does on Forever Without You. The number of singers who could replicate that can be counted on your fingers with a few to spare.
Sure, there are certain experiments here like Calm Down that take the electronic glitches too far, while Self Destruct should have been kept as a curio, but you’d still rather see a band of this standing act push itself than stand still. It whets the appetite for September’s big UK arena shows, more rare treats from one of the most treasured acts in our world.
Verdict: 4/5
For fans of: Within Temptation, In This Moment, Starset
Sanctuary is released on June 5 via BMG.