Flyleaf and Evanescence (as seen on my DA)

It's no secret that these are my two most favorite bands, and will be my favorite bands into old age. Tuesday morning I downloaded my preordered copy of Evanescence's third album and loved it, for a while though I had wondered how I could like two bands that are so different so much? People say they're the same thing since both are rock bands bordering the metal genre and have female leading vocals. In reality though both bands are very different.
It's ok to assume they are identical if you listen to the Fallen album since it can be considered a semi Christian album (I'd rather not get into it in this journal), but even then both of the music styles of the bands are different (although to be fair Lacey and the boys of flyleaf tend to work as a team 100% of the time while Amy Lee has a bad habit of firing bandmates when they don't go with her artistic flow). Both bands have very strong messages, flyleaf while saying they're not strictly a Christian band have admitted that prayer has a strong presence in the process of their live shows and recordings of their songs with Lacey the leading lady giving testimony about her battles with depression and the "Okay Tina" talk along with having the strength to sing songs that sound like they hit very close to home frequently. Like I said there is alot to be said about Evanescence's early success days. The original band members DID meet at a youth camp and according to word of mouth Amy Lee and the crew created the EP Origin as a prototype christian rock album (I've heard the album and it isn't what some websites are claiming, to be fair though death is a heavy theme in the EP without making the listener feel that death is a horrible thing). People have attacked Evanescence as being too depressing, but I could never really see it.
In terms of themes to the albums there is no theme to Flyleaf's first album (the album isn't even sixty minutes), but does have songs that will put a smile on your face, Flyleaf's later work would have more obvious themes, the Memento Mori album obviously about death and the Remember to Live EP reminding listeners that life is a beautiful thing (I've even nicknamed the album Remember to Love). Evanescence has shown the ability to easily take one theme and stick with it, the Fallen album being from the point of view of someone in a bad relationship and not knowing what to do or how to save themselves. The Open Door starts off with two break up songs, one addressing the situation of the first album and saying 'I'm not afraid of you anymore' and the second song "Call me When You're Sober" telling another boyfriend to get his life together. The rest of The Open Door album can be considered an album about self discovery and power. There IS one thing both Fallen and The Open Door have in common outside of relationship and self empowerment themes and that is the songs Hello and Like You both about Amy Lee's grief about the death of her sister when she was a child. Songs of very powerful emotions that Amy doesn't sing them live.
After listening to Evanescence's third album I was really happy with what I heard but spent the past two days wondering how I liked two bands with such different themes. TO be honest when I listen to music I pay attention to not only the music itself, but the lyrics and what they say to me, and both bands have very strong messages to their listeners.
When I was growing up, I didn't have Lady Gaga and Katy Perry telling everyone bullying is wrong and that you're beautiful and wonderful the way you are, and I didn't really have Christian music making me feel Jesus loved even though they said it (I like to hope that there's an alternate universe where Awesome God was never composed). The most I got growing up was Christina Aguilar's Beautiful, which felt very fake to me at the time considering all of her other songs were as pointless as any of the other pop princess songs at the time were (I DID have t.A.T.u., but they didn't really do much for me to be honest).
I did have evanescence though, even if it was the Fallen album which was a 'I'm afraid and I don't know what to do' album it helped me remember that there were real people who felt the same way I did at the time. It wouldn't be for another four years that I would discover Flyleaf and my (at the time unknown) desires for something confirming that God was real, Jesus did love me the way I was told He loved when I was little (I can honestly say the first time I listened to and analyzed All Around Me that I felt God's existence in the way of a loving father that years of Sunday classes had never made me feel was one of the most beautiful moments in my life). Today though I realized the reason why I listen to both bands and love them so much. I was texting a significant other and I realized that I liked Flyleaf because their lyrics reminded me that God Loved me regardless of what anyone else says, and that I like Evanescence because they remind me that I'm stronger mentally than many other people are. Right now they are both tied for my favorite band, and will remain that way. I hope to get the opportunity to meet both Lacey Sturn and Amy Lee in person one day and show them the art both of them have inspired over the years, when I do I promise to hugg them and take a picture of it ;)