For Eva Under Fire, Villainous is not simply an album about overcoming difficult experiences. It is about what happens afterwards — when survival turns into self-acceptance, the need to please others begins to disappear, and even the darker parts of ourselves are given space to exist.

The Detroit rock band have now released their third studio album, Villainous, via Better Noise Music. Across its 13 tracks, the record traces a journey from hitting rock bottom towards reclaiming identity and taking control of life on your own terms.

For vocalist Amanda Lyberg, however, there is no single antagonist behind that story. Asked who the real villain of the record is — the world, the people who hurt us, or ourselves — her answer is simple: all three.

“There is never just one contributing factor in a villain character arc,” Lyberg tells Voice of Noir. “All songs on this album discuss that multi-faceted dynamic.”

It is an idea that runs throughout Villainous. Rather than drawing a clean line between heroes and villains, the album embraces the messier reality of anger, grief, identity and survival.

When Survival Stops Requiring an Apology

Much of Lyberg’s songwriting has been shaped by deeply personal experiences, including the loss of her father to addiction. On Villainous, those experiences remain present, but the perspective surrounding them has evolved.

“There was a lot of drama and chaos surrounding my father’s death,” she explains. “That was a pivotal moment where I decided to put my needs before others.”

Years later, she does not see songwriting purely as a way to understand what happened. Sometimes it helps preserve memories; at other times, it allows her to examine how that loss has become part of her own identity.

“I think it depends on the song. But it’s a fact that specific loss has become part of who I am. So I explore that part in my lyrics in the same way I explore other parts of self. With curiosity and compassion.”

And those songs do not always serve the same emotional purpose.

“Sometimes to give the rage an outlet. Sometimes to soothe the hurt.”

There are moments when that process becomes uncomfortable, too. Lyberg points to “Dark Soul” as an example — not necessarily because it forced her to uncover something she had been avoiding, but because it made her confront something she had already accepted and simply did not like.

“My Own Name” and the End of People-Pleasing

Alongside the album release, Eva Under Fire have placed the spotlight on “My Own Name,” an energetic track about reclaiming identity while navigating a world that can feel unfair and distorted.

For Lyberg, the threat to that identity did not necessarily come from achieving success. It came from the possibility of losing it.

“I don’t think success threatened my identity quite like the idea of failure did,” she admits. “I was used to being well received.”

That realization became part of the foundation of the song.

“My Own Name is kind of my anti-people pleasing anthem.”

It is a fitting centerpiece for an album concerned with finding your own voice. Villainous is not built around becoming invulnerable; instead, it explores what can happen when a person stops shaping themselves around everyone else’s expectations.

Maria Brink: The Perfect Villain

One of the album’s most notable collaborations arrives on its title track, “Villainous,” featuring In This Moment vocalist Maria Brink.

For Lyberg, Brink’s involvement made sense on a level that went far beyond the musical compatibility between their voices.

“Everything about that woman’s persona screams villain in the best way,” she says. “Her lyrics are also unapologetic when she contemplates ethics and morality. So she was the perfect fit.”

The collaboration strengthens one of the record’s central ideas: being labelled the villain does not necessarily mean becoming one. Sometimes it can mean refusing to behave in the way others have decided you should.

Emotional Honesty Without the Armor

Eva Under Fire’s willingness to address grief, addiction, anger and vulnerability also reflects a broader shift Lyberg sees happening throughout modern rock.

Where emotional armor may once have been expected, she believes audiences increasingly want the opposite.

“I feel emotional honesty has become the listener’s new expectation,” she says. “It’s relatable in a world so clearly broken. People need to feel seen and music can do that.”

That connection will soon be tested on one of the biggest stages of the band’s career. Eva Under Fire are heading across North America alongside Five Finger Death Punch and Cody Jinks, giving the Detroit band the opportunity to bring Villainous to a significantly larger audience.

And Lyberg is interested in learning more than how an arena-sized production works.

“How to do it for 20 years!” she says when asked what she hopes to learn from Five Finger Death Punch. “Who they surround themselves with and why. What they have learned to value.”

Most of all, she has been paying attention to the relationship the band has built with its audience.

“I see their interactions with fans and it’s truly inspiring. They’ve put so much effort into connecting with people and lifting others up. They cultivate an atmosphere where we can all rage about the darkness of the world together.”

It is an energy that feels particularly appropriate for Eva Under Fire at this moment.

“I’m drawn to that energy because I understand it.”