As the dreaded thesis card on argument looms closer, I have decided to write a review. Although I have not quite figured out what I am reviewing, but I decided to brush up on the rhetoric that is used during the process of writing reviews. I decided to read a review on music, going immediately to loudwire and typing in the name of one of my all time favorite band, Evanescence. The review, by Mary Ouellette, went over the new Evanescence album of the same name. The writer starts out quoting the first line of the first track. This was used to help establish the tone of the track. Since the first line is dark, creepy, and powerful, the author establishes that, at the very least, the review will spin the new ablum in a positive light. Which leads me to my second point: diction. Ouellette ses the best diction in the line which is probably her thesis. She writes "her lyrical content dissects the fine line between love and hate, gut-wrenching longing, and true despair and combines them with crunchy guitars, ethereal orchestral accents, and of course, her alluring piano tones". With words like "gut-wrentching", "ethereal", and "alluring", we learn just how positive a review on Evanescence we are about to get.
After her thesis, Ouellette lists each of the songs on the album, giving each a brief blurb about how the song helps make the album as good as Ouellette makes it out to be. Again, she uses her positive diction, but also, she uses an appeal to the different. She concludes her review with posing the implied question of "what category does this album belong to?" She states, with colorful imagery, how Evanescence cannot be placed into one simple category. They are fluid, moving between rock, indie, pop, and many others. Now, kids who are really into music like bands that push limits, that define genres, and that are not afraid to make a new sound. By establishing Evanescence as a multifaceted band, Ouellette makes them seem good for her audience, the kinds of people who love music but are looking for something new. In my review, I will really need to focus on my audience. Also, my diction will need to support my negative/positive review, whatever the subject matter.
http://loudwire.com/evanescence-album-review/
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