Evanescence
Encyclopedia
Evanescence is an American rock
band founded in Little Rock, Arkansas
in 1995 by singer/pianist Amy Lee
and guitarist Ben Moody
. After recording private albums, the band released their first full-length album, Fallen
, on Wind-up Records
in 2003. Fallen sold more than 17 million copies worldwide and helped the band win two Grammy Awards. A year later, Evanescence released their first live album, Anywhere but Home
, which sold more than one million copies worldwide. In 2006, the band released their second studio album, The Open Door
, which sold more than six million copies.
The line-up of the group has changed several times: David Hodges leaving in 2002, co-founder Moody left in 2003 (mid-tour), bassist Will Boyd in 2006, followed by guitarist John LeCompt
and drummer Rocky Gray
in 2007. The last two changes led to a hiatus, with temporary band members contributing to tour performances. Billboard ranked Evanescence #71 on the Best Artists of the Decade chart.
Announced in June 2009, the newest line-up of the band eventually returned with Evanescence
, their self-titled third studio album, and it was released on October 11, 2011. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200
chart with 127,000 copies in sales. According to Examiner.com
, the album also debuted at #1 on four other different Billboard
charts; the Rock Albums, Digital Albums, Alternative Albums, and the Hard Rock Albums charts. The first single, "What You Want
", was released on August 9, 2011. The second single, "My Heart Is Broken
", will be sent to radio stations beginning October 31, 2011. The band is currently on tour in promotion for their new record along with The Pretty Reckless
and Fair to Midland
.
" by Meat Loaf
on the piano. Their first songs together were "Solitude" and "Give Unto Me", both written by Lee, and "Understanding" and "My Immortal
", both written by Moody. The songs were edited by both artists, and they shared equal credit.
Two of Lee and Moody's songs were played on local radio stations, raising local awareness of the group and demand for a concert. The band eventually appeared live, and became one of the most popular acts in the area. After experimenting with band names, such as Childish Intentions and Stricken, they decided on Evanescence, which means "disappearance" or "fading away" (from the word evanesce, which means "to disappear").
The band released two EPs. The first is the self-titled Evanescence EP (1998), of which about 100 copies were made and distributed at the band's early live performances. The second is the Sound Asleep EP, also known as the Whisper EP (1999). There was also a third EP called Mystary EP. For their first full-length demo CD, Origin, about 2,500 copies were produced and sold to concert audiences. Origin and the EPs contain demo versions of some of the songs on their debut album, Fallen. During a radio interview, Lee and Moody encouraged fans to download the band's older songs from the Internet.
in Memphis and been suitably impressed, producer Pete Matthews played their demos to his friend at Wind-up Records
, Diana Meltzer. It was when Meltzer heard "My Immortal" the she became interested in signing the band, saying she "knew it was a hit". The Wind-up A&R told HitQuarters
that, although they already exhibited huge talent, they were still young and needed to be developed, and "given the time and opportunity they could deliver a breakthrough sound." Once signed the band were relocated to Los Angeles, given an apartment and rehearsal space and enrolled in a gym. Lee was given acting, vocal and movement classes. After almost two years producer Dave Forman was brought in to produce their first album Fallen
.
In early 2003, the lineup was completed by Amy Lee and Ben Moody's friends, John LeCompt
, Rocky Gray
and Will Boyd, all of whom worked on Evanescence's earlier songs. While they were looking to promote Fallen, Evanescence accepted an offer from the video game company Nintendo
to perform on the Nintendo Fusion Tour
, which they headlined in 2003.
Fallen spent 43 weeks on the Billboard Top 10; was certified 7x Platinum in the United States; and sold more than 15 million copies worldwide. The album was listed for 104 weeks on the Billboard 200
, and it was one of eight albums in the history of the chart to spend at least a year on the Billboard Top 50.
On October 22, 2003, Moody left the band during the European tour for Fallen, reportedly because of creative differences. In an interview several months later, Amy Lee said: "...we'd gotten to a point that if something didn't change, we wouldn't have been able to make a second record." This became a point of confusion, as Moody and Lee stated on the Fallen album liner notes that they were best friends. Lee said it was almost a relief that Moody left because of tensions created within the band. During an interview, Lee has said "I don't know, I just think it's exactly what I would've expected. He's more about kind of the pop influence sort of thing and also, you know, about being commercial and I mean selling albums: That's the part of him we often disagreed on. I wanted to do the more artistic weird thing and he'd wanna do the thing that people would want to hear..." She adds "So that's a lot of the reason [why] it's been so fun writing now, is [that] we're not thinking about that. It's like 'what do we like?', 'what's fun?', like 'what do we want to do that's different?'" Moody was replaced by Terry Balsamo
from Cold
.
Evanescence's major label
debut single "Bring Me to Life
", featuring guest vocals from Paul McCoy
of 12 Stones
, was a global hit for the band and reached number 5 on the American Billboard Hot 100
. It provided Evanescence with their first UK number-one single, where it stayed for four weeks from June–July 2003. The song also became the official theme for WWE No Way Out 2003
. The equally popular "My Immortal
" peaked at number 7 in the U.S. and UK charts, and both songs were featured in the soundtrack for the action movie Daredevil
. "Bring Me to Life" was recognized at the 46th Grammy Awards in 2004, where the band won the Best Hard Rock Performance
and Best New Artist
awards and were nominated for two others. The two other singles off Fallen are "Going Under
" (#5 U.S. Modern Rock Tracks, #8 UK Charts) and "Everybody's Fool
" (#36 U.S. Modern Rock Tracks, #23 UK Charts); all were promoted by a music video.
In 2004, Evanescence's new lineup released a DVD/CD compilation entitled Anywhere but Home
. The DVD includes a concert in Paris, as well as behind-the-scenes features, including shots of the band backstage signing autographs and warming up. Also on the CD are the live songs "Breathe No More" (from the Elektra
movie soundtrack), "Farther Away", and the band's cover
of Korn
's "Thoughtless
". The album has sold more than million copies worldwide.
, former Revolution Smile
guitarist, would switch instruments and play bass for the band.
The album progressed slowly for several reasons, including Amy Lee's desire to maximize the creative process and not rush production, other band members' side projects, guitarist Terry Balsamo
's stroke, and the loss of their former manager. Although Lee stated on the fan forum
Evboard that Evanescence's new album would be completed in March 2006, the release was pushed back allegedly because "Wind-up Records...wanted to make a few changes to the upcoming single "Call Me When You're Sober
", which hit modern rock and alternative rock radio on August 7, 2006. The 13-track album The Open Door
was released in Canada
and the United States on October 3, 2006; the United Kingdom on October 2, 2006; and Australia on September 30, 2006. The album sold 447,000 copies in the United States in its first week of sales and earned their first #1 ranking on the Billboard 200
album chart, becoming the 700th #1 album in Billboard since the chart became a weekly feature in 1956. The music video for "Call Me When You're Sober" was shot in Los Angeles and is based on the fairy tale
Little Red Riding Hood
. The Open Door became available for pre-order on the iTunes Store
on August 15, 2006; the music video for "Call Me When You're Sober" was also made available.
The tour for The Open Door began on October 5, 2006, in Toronto
and included locations in Canada, the U.S. and Europe during that year. This first tour continued on January 5, 2007 and included stops in Canada (alongside band Stone Sour
), Japan and Australia (alongside band Shihad
) and then returned to the U.S. for a second tour in the spring (alongside bands Chevelle
and Finger Eleven
). As part of their tour, Evanescence performed on April 15, 2007 on the Argentinan festival Quilmes Rock 07 along with Aerosmith
, Velvet Revolver
and other local bands. They also co-headlined on the Family Values Tour 2007
along with Korn
and other bands. The group closed their European tour with a sell-out concert at the Amphi in Ra'anana
, Israel, on June 26, 2007, and finished the album tour on December 9, 2007.
On May 4, 2007, John LeCompt announced that he had been fired from Evanescence, and also stated that drummer Rocky Gray had decided to quit. Wind-up issued a press release
on May 17, 2007, stating that two Dark New Day
members, drummer Will Hunt
and guitarist Troy McLawhorn
, would be joining the band to replace LeCompt and Gray. It was initially stated that Hunt and McLawhorn would tour with Evanescence until the end of the Family Values Tour in September 2007, but both continued to play with the band through The Open Door tour.
in New York City on November 4, 2009, with label mates Civil Twilight
. Tickets for the show sold out in five minutes. This performance acted as a warm-up for their headline appearance at the Maquinária Festival in São Paulo
, Brazil, which took place on November 8.
Evanescence entered the studio on February 22 to begin recording. Will Hunt returned as drummer while a second drummer and programmer, Will "Science" Hunt, was brought in to assist in writing but ultimately did not join the band. David Campbell, who previously worked on The Open Door, was brought back to handle string arrangements, and the album was scheduled for release by the producer Steve Lillywhite
. Lee later said that "Steve wasn't the right fit" and has since been replaced by producer Nick Raskulinecz
.
At the time the band began recording, the album was intended for an August or September 2010 release. However, on June 21, 2010, Lee announced on EvThreads.com that Evanescence had temporarily left the studio to work further on the album and "get our heads into the right creative space". Lee also indicated that record label Wind-Up Records
was going through "uncertain times", which will further delay the release of the album. The band reentered the studio in early April with producer Nick Raskulinecz
, who has produced music for Alice in Chains
and Foo Fighters
, to continue work on their third album. It was reported that the album will be released in fall, 2011. Troy McLawhorn
was reported to have rejoined the band as a primary guitarist after leaving post-grunge
band Seether
, but Evanescence's management later stated that he had not rejoined the band.
On June 12, 2011, Amy Lee announced through her Twitter account that Troy McLawhorn was officially back with Evanescence and that the release date for the new album would be October 4, 2011. Later, on July 11, 2011 it was reported by MTV News
that the release date for the album had been pushed back to October 11, and that the first single from the album will be "What You Want
". The band recorded the album in Nashville
. During an interview with Kerrang!
, Lee revealed that the new album's title will be Evanescence
. Lee said that the decision for the title of the album was her love towards Evanescence. Other themes are the ocean, quest for freedom
and falling in love.
Evanescence performed at Rock on the Range
in Winnipeg on August 20, 2011. They also performed at Rock in Rio
on October 2, 2011, alongside with Guns N' Roses
and System of a Down
as well as Brazilian attractions Pitty
and Detonautas Roque Clube.
, but that it was rejected because of its dark sound. Lee went on to state that it was just "more great stuff [for The Open Door]". Another song supposedly written for Narnia was the Mozart-inspired "Lacrymosa". The producers of Narnia, however, rebutted her claim, stating this information was "news to them" and that no Evanescence music had been planned for inclusion in the soundtrack.
In 2010, Evanescence released "Together Again" as a digital download, a song created for The Open Door but later cut. The song was released due to benefit the United Nations Foundation
for their Haiti earthquake
recovery efforts. It later received wide release as a digital download on February 23, 2011.
, Rough Guides
, Rolling Stone
and Blender
have identified Evanescence as a gothic metal
act, while other sources such as NME
, MusicMight
, IGN
and Popmatters
have termed them gothic rock
. They have been compared to a variety of bands from differing genres, such as nu metal
ensembles like P.O.D.
and Linkin Park
, gothic metal groups like Lacuna Coil
, and symphonic metal
acts like Nightwish
and Within Temptation
. David Browne of Blender offers an elaborate description of the band's music as "goth Christian nü-metal with a twist of melancholic Enya." Adrien Begrand of Popmatters describes Evanescence as utilising "nu-metal riffage". Adrian Jackson
of My Dying Bride
stated that he feels Evanescence is doing something similar to his own gothic metal group, only in a more commercial direction. Other genres and influences used to describe the band’s sound include alternative metal
, alternative rock
, hard rock
, electronica
and chamber pop. The band's official website classed their musical genre simply as 'rock
'.
Evanescence was originally promoted in Christian stores. Later, the band made it clear they did not want to be considered part of the Christian rock
genre, like fellow Wind-up Records artists Creed
. Terry Hemmings, CEO of Christian music distributor Provident, expressed puzzlement at the band's about-face, saying "They clearly understood the album would be sold in these [Christian music] channels." After many Christian stores began to remove the band's music from their shelves, Wind-up Records chairman Alan Meltzer then issued a press release in April 2003 requesting formally that they do this. In 2006, Amy Lee told Billboard that she had opposed being identified as a "Christian band" from the beginning.
Current
Former
Session musicians
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band founded in Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
in 1995 by singer/pianist Amy Lee
Amy Lee
Amy Lynn Hartzler , best known as Amy Lee, is an American singer-songwriter and classically trained pianist. She is co-founder and lead vocalist of the rock band Evanescence. She cites influences ranging from classical musicians such as Mozart to modern artists Björk, Tori Amos, Danny Elfman and...
and guitarist Ben Moody
Ben Moody
Benjamin Robert Moody is a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and actor. He is best known as co-founder, lead guitarist, and songwriter of Grammy Award-winning rock band Evanescence from 1995 to October 2003...
. After recording private albums, the band released their first full-length album, Fallen
Fallen (Evanescence album)
-Critical response:Fallen has received generally mixed to positive reviews from music critics. Johnny Loftus of Allmusic scored the album three and a half stars out of five, and named it an AMG Album Pick, saying, "The album does include flashes of the single's PG-rated nu-metal...
, on Wind-up Records
Wind-Up Records
Wind-up Entertainment, Inc. is a record label based in New York City. It was formed in 1997 by Alan Meltzer, former owner of CD One Stop, following his 1996 purchase of Grass Records. Wind-up is currently the largest independently-owned record label in the world...
in 2003. Fallen sold more than 17 million copies worldwide and helped the band win two Grammy Awards. A year later, Evanescence released their first live album, Anywhere but Home
Anywhere but Home
Anywhere but Home is the first live album and DVD by the rock band Evanescence, released in 2004. It includes all four of their Fallen music videos, an hour of behind the scenes features, and a recording of a concert at Le Zénith in Paris...
, which sold more than one million copies worldwide. In 2006, the band released their second studio album, The Open Door
The Open Door
The Open Door is the second studio album by the American rock band Evanescence. It was first released in Poland on September 25, 2006, through Wind-up Records and subsequently in more than 20 other countries worldwide...
, which sold more than six million copies.
The line-up of the group has changed several times: David Hodges leaving in 2002, co-founder Moody left in 2003 (mid-tour), bassist Will Boyd in 2006, followed by guitarist John LeCompt
John LeCompt
John Charles LeCompt is an American musician who has been part of the Little Rock heavy metal music scene since the mid-1990s. He has been associated with a great number of bands, ranging from the unknown and unsigned to multi-platinum sellers, most notably the alternative metal band Evanescence...
and drummer Rocky Gray
Rocky Gray
William "Rocky" Gray is a drummer and guitarist who has been part of the Arkansas metal scene since the early 1990s. He has an extensive career as a musician and is best known as the lead guitarist for Living Sacrifice and the drummer for We Are the Fallen...
in 2007. The last two changes led to a hiatus, with temporary band members contributing to tour performances. Billboard ranked Evanescence #71 on the Best Artists of the Decade chart.
Announced in June 2009, the newest line-up of the band eventually returned with Evanescence
Evanescence (Evanescence album)
Evanescence is the self-titled third studio album by American rock band Evanescence. The album was released on October 11, 2011, through Wind-up Records. The band started the writing process for the album in June 2009. The release of the album was changed several times...
, their self-titled third studio album, and it was released on October 11, 2011. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart with 127,000 copies in sales. According to Examiner.com
Examiner.com
Examiner.com is a media company based in Denver, Colorado, that operates a network of local news websites, allowing "pro–am contributors" to share their city-based knowledge on a blog-like platform, in 238 markets throughout the United States and parts of Canada with two national editions, one for...
, the album also debuted at #1 on four other different Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
charts; the Rock Albums, Digital Albums, Alternative Albums, and the Hard Rock Albums charts. The first single, "What You Want
What You Want (Evanescence song)
"What You Want" is a song by American rock band Evanescence. The freedom-themed song was written by Amy Lee, Terry Balsamo and Tim McCord and was included on their self-titled third studio album Evanescence...
", was released on August 9, 2011. The second single, "My Heart Is Broken
My Heart Is Broken
"My Heart Is Broken" is a song by American rock band Evanescence. It was released on October 31, 2011 as the second single from their eponymous third studio album. The song was written by Amy Lee, Terry Balsamo, Tim McCord and Zach Williams, while production was handled by Nick Raskulinecz...
", will be sent to radio stations beginning October 31, 2011. The band is currently on tour in promotion for their new record along with The Pretty Reckless
The Pretty Reckless
The Pretty Reckless are an American rock band from New York. The current members are Taylor Momsen , Ben Phillips , Mark Damon and Jamie Perkins ....
and Fair to Midland
Fair to Midland
Fair to Midland is an American progressive metal band that formed in 1998 and is based in Dallas, Texas. They are currently signed to E1 Music. According to the band's official website, their name comes from "...an old Texan play on the term 'fair to middling'." The band produced two self-released...
.
Formation and early years: 1995–2001
Evanescence was founded by singer, pianist and songwriter Amy Lee and former lead guitarist and songwriter Ben Moody. The two met in 1994 at a youth camp in Little Rock, where Moody heard Lee playing "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)I'd Do Anything for Love (but I Won't Do That)
"I'd Do Anything for Love " is a song composed and written by Jim Steinman, and recorded by Meat Loaf. The song was released in 1993 as the first single from the album Bat Out of Hell II: Back Into Hell. The title of the song confused some listeners, who were curious to know what "that" is...
" by Meat Loaf
Meat Loaf
Michael Lee Aday , better known by his stage name, Meat Loaf, is an American hard rock musician and actor...
on the piano. Their first songs together were "Solitude" and "Give Unto Me", both written by Lee, and "Understanding" and "My Immortal
My Immortal
"My Immortal" is a song by American rock band Evanescence. It was released on December 8, 2003 as the third single from their debut studio album Fallen. The song was entirely written by former guitarist Ben Moody, with the exception of the bridge, which was later added by Amy Lee, and it was...
", both written by Moody. The songs were edited by both artists, and they shared equal credit.
Two of Lee and Moody's songs were played on local radio stations, raising local awareness of the group and demand for a concert. The band eventually appeared live, and became one of the most popular acts in the area. After experimenting with band names, such as Childish Intentions and Stricken, they decided on Evanescence, which means "disappearance" or "fading away" (from the word evanesce, which means "to disappear").
The band released two EPs. The first is the self-titled Evanescence EP (1998), of which about 100 copies were made and distributed at the band's early live performances. The second is the Sound Asleep EP, also known as the Whisper EP (1999). There was also a third EP called Mystary EP. For their first full-length demo CD, Origin, about 2,500 copies were produced and sold to concert audiences. Origin and the EPs contain demo versions of some of the songs on their debut album, Fallen. During a radio interview, Lee and Moody encouraged fans to download the band's older songs from the Internet.
Fallen and Anywhere but Home: 2002–2005
Having first encountered the band at Ardent StudiosArdent Studios
Ardent Studios is a recording studio located in Memphis, Tennessee. Ardent Records/Ardent Music is the in-house label.- History :Ardent Studios was founded by John Fry and was initially a studio in his family's garage, where he recorded his first Ardent Records 45's. In 1966 the operation moved...
in Memphis and been suitably impressed, producer Pete Matthews played their demos to his friend at Wind-up Records
Wind-Up Records
Wind-up Entertainment, Inc. is a record label based in New York City. It was formed in 1997 by Alan Meltzer, former owner of CD One Stop, following his 1996 purchase of Grass Records. Wind-up is currently the largest independently-owned record label in the world...
, Diana Meltzer. It was when Meltzer heard "My Immortal" the she became interested in signing the band, saying she "knew it was a hit". The Wind-up A&R told HitQuarters
HitQuarters
HitQuarters is an international music industry publication and contact database founded in 1999. It is noted for in-depth interviews with industry figures, with past subjects including Simon Cowell, Martin Kierszenbaum, Jason Flom, Diane Warren, Peter Edge, Ron Fair and RedOne, as well as its A&R...
that, although they already exhibited huge talent, they were still young and needed to be developed, and "given the time and opportunity they could deliver a breakthrough sound." Once signed the band were relocated to Los Angeles, given an apartment and rehearsal space and enrolled in a gym. Lee was given acting, vocal and movement classes. After almost two years producer Dave Forman was brought in to produce their first album Fallen
Fallen (Evanescence album)
-Critical response:Fallen has received generally mixed to positive reviews from music critics. Johnny Loftus of Allmusic scored the album three and a half stars out of five, and named it an AMG Album Pick, saying, "The album does include flashes of the single's PG-rated nu-metal...
.
In early 2003, the lineup was completed by Amy Lee and Ben Moody's friends, John LeCompt
John LeCompt
John Charles LeCompt is an American musician who has been part of the Little Rock heavy metal music scene since the mid-1990s. He has been associated with a great number of bands, ranging from the unknown and unsigned to multi-platinum sellers, most notably the alternative metal band Evanescence...
, Rocky Gray
Rocky Gray
William "Rocky" Gray is a drummer and guitarist who has been part of the Arkansas metal scene since the early 1990s. He has an extensive career as a musician and is best known as the lead guitarist for Living Sacrifice and the drummer for We Are the Fallen...
and Will Boyd, all of whom worked on Evanescence's earlier songs. While they were looking to promote Fallen, Evanescence accepted an offer from the video game company Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
to perform on the Nintendo Fusion Tour
Nintendo Fusion Tour
Nintendo Fusion Tour is a touring rock music and video game festival sponsored by Nintendo, which began in 2003.Nintendo's Fusion Tour has provided early exposure for then-developing bands such as Evanescence, Story of the Year, My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, Anberlin and Panic! at the Disco...
, which they headlined in 2003.
Fallen spent 43 weeks on the Billboard Top 10; was certified 7x Platinum in the United States; and sold more than 15 million copies worldwide. The album was listed for 104 weeks on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, and it was one of eight albums in the history of the chart to spend at least a year on the Billboard Top 50.
On October 22, 2003, Moody left the band during the European tour for Fallen, reportedly because of creative differences. In an interview several months later, Amy Lee said: "...we'd gotten to a point that if something didn't change, we wouldn't have been able to make a second record." This became a point of confusion, as Moody and Lee stated on the Fallen album liner notes that they were best friends. Lee said it was almost a relief that Moody left because of tensions created within the band. During an interview, Lee has said "I don't know, I just think it's exactly what I would've expected. He's more about kind of the pop influence sort of thing and also, you know, about being commercial and I mean selling albums: That's the part of him we often disagreed on. I wanted to do the more artistic weird thing and he'd wanna do the thing that people would want to hear..." She adds "So that's a lot of the reason [why] it's been so fun writing now, is [that] we're not thinking about that. It's like 'what do we like?', 'what's fun?', like 'what do we want to do that's different?'" Moody was replaced by Terry Balsamo
Terry Balsamo
Terry Balsamo , is an American guitarist. He is the former guitarist of the alternative metal band Cold and the current guitarist of Evanescence.-Early projects and Cold:...
from Cold
Cold (band)
Cold is an American post-grunge band, formed in 1996 in Jacksonville, Florida. With two gold-albums Cold has sold over 1.2 million records in the US alone. On November 17, 2006, Ward announced on MySpace that, after a period of uncertainty since that February, the group had decided to disband. In...
.
Evanescence's major label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
debut single "Bring Me to Life
Bring Me to Life
"Bring Me to Life" is a song by American rock band Evanescence. It was written by Amy Lee, Ben Moody and David Hodges and produced by Dave Fortman. It also features guest vocals from Paul McCoy of the band 12 Stones. Wind-up released "Bring Me to Life" in 2003 as the lead single from Evanescence's...
", featuring guest vocals from Paul McCoy
Paul McCoy
Paul McCoy is an American musician. He is the lead singer and main-songwriter of Louisiana post-grunge band 12 Stones.-Biography:...
of 12 Stones
12 Stones
12 Stones is a rock band that was formed in 2000 in Mandeville, Louisiana. They have collectively sold more than 2 million records.-History:The four band members met in Mandeville, Louisiana, a small suburb north of New Orleans, and within 15 months were signed to a record deal with Wind-up Records...
, was a global hit for the band and reached number 5 on the American Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. It provided Evanescence with their first UK number-one single, where it stayed for four weeks from June–July 2003. The song also became the official theme for WWE No Way Out 2003
No Way Out (2003)
No Way Out was the fourth annual No Way Out pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . The event took place on February 23, 2003 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec and starred the promotion's Raw and SmackDown! brands.The main event from the SmackDown! brand was a rematch...
. The equally popular "My Immortal
My Immortal
"My Immortal" is a song by American rock band Evanescence. It was released on December 8, 2003 as the third single from their debut studio album Fallen. The song was entirely written by former guitarist Ben Moody, with the exception of the bridge, which was later added by Amy Lee, and it was...
" peaked at number 7 in the U.S. and UK charts, and both songs were featured in the soundtrack for the action movie Daredevil
Daredevil (film)
Daredevil is a 2003 American superhero film written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson. Based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, the film stars Ben Affleck as Matt Murdock, a blind lawyer who fights for justice in the courtroom and out of the courtroom as the masked vigilante Daredevil...
. "Bring Me to Life" was recognized at the 46th Grammy Awards in 2004, where the band won the Best Hard Rock Performance
Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance was an award presented to recording artists at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, for works containing quality performances in the hard rock music genre...
and Best New Artist
Grammy Award for Best New Artist
The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since 1959. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for records released in the previous year. The award was not presented in 1967...
awards and were nominated for two others. The two other singles off Fallen are "Going Under
Going Under
"Going Under" is a song by American rock band Evanescence. It was released on September 9, 2003, as the second single from their debut album Fallen. It was written by Amy Lee, David Hodges and Ben Moody, while production was handled by Dave Fortman...
" (#5 U.S. Modern Rock Tracks, #8 UK Charts) and "Everybody's Fool
Everybody's Fool
"Everybody's Fool" is a song by American rock band Evanescence. Wind-up Records released the song on June 7, 2004, as the fourth single from their debut studio album, Fallen. It was written by Amy Lee and Ben Moody and it was produced by Dave Fortman. According to Lee the song talks about...
" (#36 U.S. Modern Rock Tracks, #23 UK Charts); all were promoted by a music video.
Anywhere but Home
Anywhere but Home is the first live album and DVD by the rock band Evanescence, released in 2004. It includes all four of their Fallen music videos, an hour of behind the scenes features, and a recording of a concert at Le Zénith in Paris...
. The DVD includes a concert in Paris, as well as behind-the-scenes features, including shots of the band backstage signing autographs and warming up. Also on the CD are the live songs "Breathe No More" (from the Elektra
Elektra (2005 film)
Elektra is a 2005 superhero film directed by Rob Bowman. It is a spin-off from the 2003 film Daredevil, starring the Marvel comics character Elektra Natchios . The story follows Elektra, an international assassin whose weapon of choice is a pair of sai.For the screenplay, Zak Penn, Stuart Zicherman...
movie soundtrack), "Farther Away", and the band's cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of Korn
Korn
Korn is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The current band line up includes four members: Jonathan Davis, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, and Ray Luzier. The band was formed as an expansion of L.A.P.D.The band released their first demo album,...
's "Thoughtless
Thoughtless
"Thoughtless" is a song written by American nu metal band Korn for their fifth studio album, Untouchables. "Thoughtless" was released as the album's second single sometime in July 2002. It is about Jonathan Davis' being assaulted and harassed in school and dreaming of seeking revenge on those who...
". The album has sold more than million copies worldwide.
The Open Door: 2006–2009
A spokesperson for the band's label confirmed on July 14, 2006, that bassist Will Boyd had left the band for "not wanting to do another big tour" and wanting "to be close to his family." Amy Lee originally broke the news to the fans in a post on an unofficial Evanescence site, EvBoard.com. In an interview with MTV, posted on their website on August 10, 2006, Lee announced that Tim McCordTim McCord
Timothy McCord was announced as Evanescence's bass player in August 2006. He replaced bassist Will Boyd who left the band in mid-2006...
, former Revolution Smile
The Revolution Smile
-History:The band was formed in 2000 by former Far guitarist Shaun Lopez after he briefly played in an early version of Rival Schools headed by former Quicksand frontman, Walter Schreifels, and after he auditioned for various bands, including the Foo Fighters....
guitarist, would switch instruments and play bass for the band.
Terry Balsamo
Terry Balsamo , is an American guitarist. He is the former guitarist of the alternative metal band Cold and the current guitarist of Evanescence.-Early projects and Cold:...
's stroke, and the loss of their former manager. Although Lee stated on the fan forum
Internet forum
An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are at least temporarily archived...
Evboard that Evanescence's new album would be completed in March 2006, the release was pushed back allegedly because "Wind-up Records...wanted to make a few changes to the upcoming single "Call Me When You're Sober
Call Me When You're Sober
"Call Me When You're Sober" is a song by American rock band Evanescence. The song was written by Amy Lee and Terry Balsamo and produced by Dave Fortman and it was included on their second studio album The Open Door. On July 30, 2006 several radio stations played the track before its official...
", which hit modern rock and alternative rock radio on August 7, 2006. The 13-track album The Open Door
The Open Door
The Open Door is the second studio album by the American rock band Evanescence. It was first released in Poland on September 25, 2006, through Wind-up Records and subsequently in more than 20 other countries worldwide...
was released in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the United States on October 3, 2006; the United Kingdom on October 2, 2006; and Australia on September 30, 2006. The album sold 447,000 copies in the United States in its first week of sales and earned their first #1 ranking on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
album chart, becoming the 700th #1 album in Billboard since the chart became a weekly feature in 1956. The music video for "Call Me When You're Sober" was shot in Los Angeles and is based on the fairy tale
Fairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
Little Red Riding Hood
Little Red Riding Hood
Little Red Riding Hood, also known as Little Red Cap, is a French fairy tale about a young girl and a Big Bad Wolf. The story has been changed considerably in its history and subject to numerous modern adaptations and readings....
. The Open Door became available for pre-order on the iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
on August 15, 2006; the music video for "Call Me When You're Sober" was also made available.
The tour for The Open Door began on October 5, 2006, in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and included locations in Canada, the U.S. and Europe during that year. This first tour continued on January 5, 2007 and included stops in Canada (alongside band Stone Sour
Stone Sour
Stone Sour is an American rock band from Des Moines, Iowa. Since 2006, the group has been composed of Corey Taylor , Jim Root , Josh Rand, , Shawn Economaki and Roy Mayorga . Original drummer Joel Ekman left the group in 2006...
), Japan and Australia (alongside band Shihad
Shihad
Shihad is a New Zealand hard/alternative rock band, currently based in Melbourne, Australia. During Shihad's recording career, they have produced four number-one studio albums and three top-ten singles in their home country of New Zealand....
) and then returned to the U.S. for a second tour in the spring (alongside bands Chevelle
Chevelle
Chevelle is an American alternative metal trio that formed in 1995 in Grayslake, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. The band was originally composed of two brothers and a local friend: Pete Loeffler , Sam Loeffler , and Matt Scott . Matt was later replaced by brother Joe Loeffler...
and Finger Eleven
Finger Eleven
Finger Eleven is a Canadian rock band from Burlington, Ontario, formed in 1989. They have currently released five studio albums, with their album The Greyest of Blue Skies bringing them into the mainstream...
). As part of their tour, Evanescence performed on April 15, 2007 on the Argentinan festival Quilmes Rock 07 along with Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
, Velvet Revolver
Velvet Revolver
Velvet Revolver is an American hard rock supergroup consisting of former Guns N' Roses members Slash, Duff McKagan, and Matt Sorum, alongside Dave Kushner formerly of punk band Wasted Youth. Stone Temple Pilots vocalist Scott Weiland was Velvet Revolver's lead singer from their formation until...
and other local bands. They also co-headlined on the Family Values Tour 2007
Family Values Tour 2007
The Family Values Tour is a rock tour headlined by Korn. Korn founded the Family Values tour in 1998 and headlined the first edition. The next two lineups, in 1999 and 2001, were topped by Limp Bizkit and Stone Temple Pilots, respectively. In 2006 they revived the tour after a 5 year hiatus...
along with Korn
Korn
Korn is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The current band line up includes four members: Jonathan Davis, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, and Ray Luzier. The band was formed as an expansion of L.A.P.D.The band released their first demo album,...
and other bands. The group closed their European tour with a sell-out concert at the Amphi in Ra'anana
Ra'anana
Ra'anana is a city in the heart of the southern Sharon Plain of the Central District of Israel with a population of 68,300, . Ra'anana is bordered by Kfar Sava on the east and Herzliya on the southwest...
, Israel, on June 26, 2007, and finished the album tour on December 9, 2007.
On May 4, 2007, John LeCompt announced that he had been fired from Evanescence, and also stated that drummer Rocky Gray had decided to quit. Wind-up issued a press release
News release
A press release, news release, media release, press statement or video release is a written or recorded communication directed at members of the news media for the purpose of announcing something ostensibly newsworthy...
on May 17, 2007, stating that two Dark New Day
Dark New Day
Dark New Day is an American hard rock supergroup formed in 2004 featuring Brett Hestla of Virgos Merlot, Troy McLawhorn of DoubleDrive, Clint Lowery of Sevendust, Corey Lowery of Stereomud and Stuck Mojo, and Will Hunt of Skrape...
members, drummer Will Hunt
Will Hunt
William Martin "Will" Hunt is an American musician who has served as drummer of the band Evanescence, Dark New Day, Skrape , ELI, Static-X and Black Label Society, just to name a few. Hunt was in Skrape until 2004 and Black Label Society until 2011. Both were signed to major record labels...
and guitarist Troy McLawhorn
Troy McLawhorn
William Troy McLawhorn is an American musician who is a guitarist of the band Evanescence.-Early carrer:He was formerly of the bands Seether, Dark New Day, doubleDrive and Still Rain. After the demise of his first band, Still Rain, McLawhorn helped form Dark New Day in 1995, although they were...
, would be joining the band to replace LeCompt and Gray. It was initially stated that Hunt and McLawhorn would tour with Evanescence until the end of the Family Values Tour in September 2007, but both continued to play with the band through The Open Door tour.
Evanescence: 2009 onward
In a news posting to the Evanescence website during June 2009, Amy Lee wrote that the band was in the process of writing new material for a new album proposed for release in 2010. She stated that the music would be an evolution of previous works and be "better, stronger, and more interesting". The band played a "secret show" at the Manhattan Center Grand BallroomManhattan Center
The Manhattan Center building, built in 1906 and located at 311 West 34th Street in Midtown Manhattan, houses Manhattan Center Studios , its Grand Ballroom, and the Hammerstein Ballroom, one of New York City's most renowned performance venues...
in New York City on November 4, 2009, with label mates Civil Twilight
Civil Twilight (band)
Civil Twilight is a three-piece rock band from Cape Town, South Africa. They are signed to Wind-up Records, and have released their self-titled debut album, Civil Twilight.-Origin:...
. Tickets for the show sold out in five minutes. This performance acted as a warm-up for their headline appearance at the Maquinária Festival in São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, Brazil, which took place on November 8.
Evanescence entered the studio on February 22 to begin recording. Will Hunt returned as drummer while a second drummer and programmer, Will "Science" Hunt, was brought in to assist in writing but ultimately did not join the band. David Campbell, who previously worked on The Open Door, was brought back to handle string arrangements, and the album was scheduled for release by the producer Steve Lillywhite
Steve Lillywhite
Steve Lillywhite is an English Grammy Award winning record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited for working on over 500 records and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including XTC, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Dave Matthews Band, U2, Peter Gabriel,...
. Lee later said that "Steve wasn't the right fit" and has since been replaced by producer Nick Raskulinecz
Nick Raskulinecz
Nick Raskulinecz is a Grammy-winning American record producer. He resides in Nashville, Tennessee.-Production career:Raskulinecz is from the Bearden area of Knoxville, Tennessee. He first produced and recorded bands in Knoxville on a 8-track recorder that his grandfather bought for him...
.
At the time the band began recording, the album was intended for an August or September 2010 release. However, on June 21, 2010, Lee announced on EvThreads.com that Evanescence had temporarily left the studio to work further on the album and "get our heads into the right creative space". Lee also indicated that record label Wind-Up Records
Wind-Up Records
Wind-up Entertainment, Inc. is a record label based in New York City. It was formed in 1997 by Alan Meltzer, former owner of CD One Stop, following his 1996 purchase of Grass Records. Wind-up is currently the largest independently-owned record label in the world...
was going through "uncertain times", which will further delay the release of the album. The band reentered the studio in early April with producer Nick Raskulinecz
Nick Raskulinecz
Nick Raskulinecz is a Grammy-winning American record producer. He resides in Nashville, Tennessee.-Production career:Raskulinecz is from the Bearden area of Knoxville, Tennessee. He first produced and recorded bands in Knoxville on a 8-track recorder that his grandfather bought for him...
, who has produced music for Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist Layne Staley. The initial lineup was rounded out by drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Starr...
and Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters
Foo Fighters is an American alternative rock band originally formed in 1994 by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl as a one-man project following the dissolution of his previous band. The band got its name from the UFOs and various aerial phenomena that were reported by Allied aircraft pilots in World War...
, to continue work on their third album. It was reported that the album will be released in fall, 2011. Troy McLawhorn
Troy McLawhorn
William Troy McLawhorn is an American musician who is a guitarist of the band Evanescence.-Early carrer:He was formerly of the bands Seether, Dark New Day, doubleDrive and Still Rain. After the demise of his first band, Still Rain, McLawhorn helped form Dark New Day in 1995, although they were...
was reported to have rejoined the band as a primary guitarist after leaving post-grunge
Post-grunge
Post-grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged in the mid-1990s as a derivative of grunge, using the sounds and aesthetic of grunge, but with a more commercially acceptable tone...
band Seether
Seether
Seether is a post-grunge/alternative metal band from Pretoria, South Africa, formed in 1999. The band is currently signed to Wind-up Records...
, but Evanescence's management later stated that he had not rejoined the band.
On June 12, 2011, Amy Lee announced through her Twitter account that Troy McLawhorn was officially back with Evanescence and that the release date for the new album would be October 4, 2011. Later, on July 11, 2011 it was reported by MTV News
MTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
that the release date for the album had been pushed back to October 11, and that the first single from the album will be "What You Want
What You Want (Evanescence song)
"What You Want" is a song by American rock band Evanescence. The freedom-themed song was written by Amy Lee, Terry Balsamo and Tim McCord and was included on their self-titled third studio album Evanescence...
". The band recorded the album in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. During an interview with Kerrang!
Kerrang!
Kerrang! is a UK-based magazine devoted to rock music published by Bauer Media Group. It was first published on June 6, 1981 as a one-off supplement in the Sounds newspaper...
, Lee revealed that the new album's title will be Evanescence
Evanescence (Evanescence album)
Evanescence is the self-titled third studio album by American rock band Evanescence. The album was released on October 11, 2011, through Wind-up Records. The band started the writing process for the album in June 2009. The release of the album was changed several times...
. Lee said that the decision for the title of the album was her love towards Evanescence. Other themes are the ocean, quest for freedom
Free will
"To make my own decisions whether I am successful or not due to uncontrollable forces" -Troy MorrisonA pragmatic definition of free willFree will is the ability of agents to make choices free from certain kinds of constraints. The existence of free will and its exact nature and definition have long...
and falling in love.
Evanescence performed at Rock on the Range
Rock on the Range
Rock on the Range is an annual rock festival featuring mostly mainstream rock bands, with a classic band usually headlining the show. The festival is held at two venues; Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio and Canad Inns Stadium in Winnipeg, Manitoba...
in Winnipeg on August 20, 2011. They also performed at Rock in Rio
Rock in Rio
Rock in Rio is a series of music festivals held in three cities: Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Lisbon in Portugal and Madrid in Spain.Four incarnations of the festival were in Rio de Janeiro, in 1985, 1991, 2001 and 2011, four in Lisbon, in 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010, and two in Madrid in 2008 and 2010....
on October 2, 2011, alongside with Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
and System of a Down
System of a Down
System of a Down, also known by the acronym SOAD and often shortened to System, is a rock band from Southern California. The band was formed in 1994. It consists of Serj Tankian , Daron Malakian , Shavo Odadjian and John Dolmayan...
as well as Brazilian attractions Pitty
Pitty
Priscilla Novaes Leone , better known as Pitty, is a Brazilian rock singer.She had played in two bands, Shes and Inkoma, before starting her solo career in 2003. She has sold over 2 million copies in her career, being one of the best selling rock artists in the 2000s...
and Detonautas Roque Clube.
In other media
Lee claimed that she wrote a song for the 2005 film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the WardrobeThe Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a 2005 epic fantasy adventure film directed by Andrew Adamson and based on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the first published and second chronological novel in C. S. Lewis's children's epic fantasy series, The Chronicles of...
, but that it was rejected because of its dark sound. Lee went on to state that it was just "more great stuff [for The Open Door]". Another song supposedly written for Narnia was the Mozart-inspired "Lacrymosa". The producers of Narnia, however, rebutted her claim, stating this information was "news to them" and that no Evanescence music had been planned for inclusion in the soundtrack.
In 2010, Evanescence released "Together Again" as a digital download, a song created for The Open Door but later cut. The song was released due to benefit the United Nations Foundation
United Nations Foundation
The United Nations Foundation started up in 1998 with a $1 billion grant from Ted Turner in order to support the United Nations in executing its programs worldwide. The creation of the Foundation was intended to encourage other donors to also support the UN in its activities...
for their Haiti earthquake
2010 Haiti earthquake
The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake, with an epicentre near the town of Léogâne, approximately west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. The earthquake occurred at 16:53 local time on Tuesday, 12 January 2010.By 24 January, at least 52 aftershocks...
recovery efforts. It later received wide release as a digital download on February 23, 2011.
Musical style
Critics vary in terming Evanescence a rock or metal band, but most identify them as some form of gothic band: Publications such as The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, Rough Guides
Rough Guides
Rough Guides Ltd is a travel guidebook and reference publisher, owned by Pearson PLC. Their travel titles cover more than 200 destinations, and are distributed worldwide through the Penguin Group...
, Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
and Blender
Blender (magazine)
Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....
have identified Evanescence as a gothic metal
Gothic metal
Gothic metal or goth metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music that combines the aggression of doom metal with the dark melancholy of gothic rock. The music of gothic metal is diverse with bands known to adopt the gothic approach to different styles of heavy metal music...
act, while other sources such as NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
, MusicMight
MusicMight
MusicMight, formerly Rockdetector is a rock music website which provides artist and product information through a global website and an ongoing book series...
, IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
and Popmatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
have termed them gothic rock
Gothic rock
Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...
. They have been compared to a variety of bands from differing genres, such as nu metal
Nu metal
Nu metal is a subgenre of heavy metal. It is a fusion genre which combines elements of heavy metal with other genres, including grunge and hip hop...
ensembles like P.O.D.
P.O.D.
Payable on Death is an American Christian metal band formed in 1992. The band's line-up consists of vocalist Sonny Sandoval, drummer Wuv Bernardo, guitarist Marcos Curiel, and bassist Traa Daniels. Their Christian faith is an important part of their music.They have released seven studio albums and...
and Linkin Park
Linkin Park
Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. Formed in 1996, the band rose to international fame with their debut album, Hybrid Theory, which was certified Diamond by the RIAA in 2005 and multi-platinum in several other countries...
, gothic metal groups like Lacuna Coil
Lacuna Coil
Lacuna Coil is an Italian gothic metal band from Milan. Formed in 1994, the group has had two name changes since being previously known as Sleep of Right and Ethereal and was inspired by the combination of gothic imagery and music...
, and symphonic metal
Symphonic metal
Symphonic metal is a term used to describe heavy metal music that has symphonic elements; that is, elements that are either borrowed from classical music or, as with progressive rock music, create a style reminiscent of it, e.g...
acts like Nightwish
Nightwish
Nightwish is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Kitee, Finland. Formed in 1996 by songwriter and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, and former vocalist Tarja Turunen, Nightwish's current line-up has five members, although Tarja has been replaced by Anette Olzon and the...
and Within Temptation
Within Temptation
Within Temptation is a Dutch symphonic gothic metal/rock band founded in 1996 by vocalist Sharon den Adel and guitarist Robert Westerholt. Their music is described as symphonic metal, although their earlier material, such as Enter, was gothic metal. In an interview, Den Adel said they fell into a...
. David Browne of Blender offers an elaborate description of the band's music as "goth Christian nü-metal with a twist of melancholic Enya." Adrien Begrand of Popmatters describes Evanescence as utilising "nu-metal riffage". Adrian Jackson
Adrian Jackson
Adrian Jackson is My Dying Bride's former bassist. He was a member of the band from 1991 until January 2007 when he moved to the USA.-Equipment:* Warwick Thumb Bolt-On bass* Sansamp Processors...
of My Dying Bride
My Dying Bride
My Dying Bride are an English doom metal band formed in 1990. To date, My Dying Bride have released eleven full-length studio albums, three EPs, one demo, one box set, four compilation albums, one live album, and one live CD/DVD release. The band released their tenth studio album, For Lies I Sire,...
stated that he feels Evanescence is doing something similar to his own gothic metal group, only in a more commercial direction. Other genres and influences used to describe the band’s sound include alternative metal
Alternative metal
Alternative metal is a genre of alternative rock and heavy metal that gained popularity in the early 1990s. Most notably, alternative metal bands are characterized by heavy guitar riffs and experimental approaches to heavy music.-Origins:...
, alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
, hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
, electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
and chamber pop. The band's official website classed their musical genre simply as 'rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
'.
Evanescence was originally promoted in Christian stores. Later, the band made it clear they did not want to be considered part of the Christian rock
Christian rock
Christian rock is a form of rock music played by individuals and bands whose members are Christians and who often focus the lyrics on matters concerned with the Christian faith. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies between bands...
genre, like fellow Wind-up Records artists Creed
Creed (band)
Creed is an American rock band formed in 1995 in Tallahassee, Florida. Becoming popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the band has released three consecutive multi-platinum albums, one of which has been certified diamond, and has sold over 28 million records in the United States, with an...
. Terry Hemmings, CEO of Christian music distributor Provident, expressed puzzlement at the band's about-face, saying "They clearly understood the album would be sold in these [Christian music] channels." After many Christian stores began to remove the band's music from their shelves, Wind-up Records chairman Alan Meltzer then issued a press release in April 2003 requesting formally that they do this. In 2006, Amy Lee told Billboard that she had opposed being identified as a "Christian band" from the beginning.
Band members
Current
- Amy LeeAmy LeeAmy Lynn Hartzler , best known as Amy Lee, is an American singer-songwriter and classically trained pianist. She is co-founder and lead vocalist of the rock band Evanescence. She cites influences ranging from classical musicians such as Mozart to modern artists Björk, Tori Amos, Danny Elfman and...
– lead vocals, keyboards, harp (1995–present) - Terry BalsamoTerry BalsamoTerry Balsamo , is an American guitarist. He is the former guitarist of the alternative metal band Cold and the current guitarist of Evanescence.-Early projects and Cold:...
– lead guitar (2003–present) - Troy McLawhornTroy McLawhornWilliam Troy McLawhorn is an American musician who is a guitarist of the band Evanescence.-Early carrer:He was formerly of the bands Seether, Dark New Day, doubleDrive and Still Rain. After the demise of his first band, Still Rain, McLawhorn helped form Dark New Day in 1995, although they were...
– rhythm guitar (2007, 2011–present) - Tim McCordTim McCordTimothy McCord was announced as Evanescence's bass player in August 2006. He replaced bassist Will Boyd who left the band in mid-2006...
– bass (2006–present) - Will HuntWill HuntWilliam Martin "Will" Hunt is an American musician who has served as drummer of the band Evanescence, Dark New Day, Skrape , ELI, Static-X and Black Label Society, just to name a few. Hunt was in Skrape until 2004 and Black Label Society until 2011. Both were signed to major record labels...
– drums (2007, 2010–present)
Former
- Ben MoodyBen MoodyBenjamin Robert Moody is a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and actor. He is best known as co-founder, lead guitarist, and songwriter of Grammy Award-winning rock band Evanescence from 1995 to October 2003...
– lead guitar (1995–2003) - David HodgesDavid HodgesDavid Hodges is a songwriter, producer, composer, keyboardist and vocalist from Little Rock, Arkansas. He is best known for his work with the band Evanescence, which he left in 2002. He has also been part of the bands Trading Yesterday, The Age of Information, Avox, and David Hodges solo...
– keyboard, piano, drums, backing vocals (1999–2002) - Rocky GrayRocky GrayWilliam "Rocky" Gray is a drummer and guitarist who has been part of the Arkansas metal scene since the early 1990s. He has an extensive career as a musician and is best known as the lead guitarist for Living Sacrifice and the drummer for We Are the Fallen...
– drums, percussion (2003–2007; live member 2002-2003) - John LeComptJohn LeComptJohn Charles LeCompt is an American musician who has been part of the Little Rock heavy metal music scene since the mid-1990s. He has been associated with a great number of bands, ranging from the unknown and unsigned to multi-platinum sellers, most notably the alternative metal band Evanescence...
– rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2003–2007; live member 2002-2003) - Will Boyd – bass (2003–2006)
Session musicians
- Francesco DiCosmo - bass (2003; appears on "Fallen")
- Josh FreeseJosh FreeseJosh Freese is an American session drummer and songwriter. He is a permanent member of A Perfect Circle, The Vandals, and Devo, having formerly played drums for Nine Inch Nails from late 2005 until late 2008, and for Guns N' Roses from mid-1998 to 2001. Freese has appeared on close to 300 records....
- drums, percussion (2003; appears on "Fallen")
Discography
- FallenFallen (Evanescence album)-Critical response:Fallen has received generally mixed to positive reviews from music critics. Johnny Loftus of Allmusic scored the album three and a half stars out of five, and named it an AMG Album Pick, saying, "The album does include flashes of the single's PG-rated nu-metal...
(2003) - The Open DoorThe Open DoorThe Open Door is the second studio album by the American rock band Evanescence. It was first released in Poland on September 25, 2006, through Wind-up Records and subsequently in more than 20 other countries worldwide...
(2006) - EvanescenceEvanescence (Evanescence album)Evanescence is the self-titled third studio album by American rock band Evanescence. The album was released on October 11, 2011, through Wind-up Records. The band started the writing process for the album in June 2009. The release of the album was changed several times...
(2011)
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Kerrang! Awards | Best International Newcomer | Evanescence | |
| 2003 | MTV Europe Music Awards MTV Europe Music Awards The MTV Europe Music Awards were established in 1994 by MTV Networks Europe to celebrate the most popular music videos in Europe. Originally beginning as an alternative to the American MTV Video Music Awards, the MTV Europe Music Awards is today a popular celebration of what MTV viewers consider... |
Best Song MTV Europe Music Award for Best Song The MTV Europe Music Award for Best Song is the main award of the EMA's. It was first awarded in 1994, when "7 Seconds" won it, and has been given out since. Lady Gaga,Pink and Beyoncé have been the big winners with two awards. In 2007 and 2008 the category was named Most Addictive Track, but in... |
"Bring Me to Life Bring Me to Life "Bring Me to Life" is a song by American rock band Evanescence. It was written by Amy Lee, Ben Moody and David Hodges and produced by Dave Fortman. It also features guest vocals from Paul McCoy of the band 12 Stones. Wind-up released "Bring Me to Life" in 2003 as the lead single from Evanescence's... " |
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| 2003 | MTV Europe Music Awards | Best Group MTV Europe Music Award for Best Group The MTV Europe Music Award for Best Group is one of the original general awards that has been handed out every year since the first annual MTV Europe Music Awards in 1994.-1990s:-2000s:- See also :* MTV Video Music Award for Best Group Video... |
Evanescence | |
| 2003 | MTV Europe Music Awards | Best New Act MTV Europe Music Award for Best New Act The MTV Europe Music Award for Best New Act is one of the four original general categories that have been given out since the first annual MTV Europe Music Awards in 1994... |
Evanescence | |
| 2004 | Grammy Award Grammy Award A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry... |
Best New Artist Grammy Award for Best New Artist The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since 1959. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for records released in the previous year. The award was not presented in 1967... |
Evanescence | |
| 2004 | Grammy Award | Best Hard Rock Performance Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance The Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance was an award presented to recording artists at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, for works containing quality performances in the hard rock music genre... |
"Bring Me to Life" | |
| 2004 | Grammy Award | Album of the Year Grammy Award for Album of the Year The Grammy Award for Album of the Year is the most prestigious award category at the Grammys. It has been awarded since 1959 and though it was originally presented to the artist alone, the award is now presented to the artist, the producer, the engineer and/or mixer and the mastering engineer... |
Fallen Fallen (Evanescence album) -Critical response:Fallen has received generally mixed to positive reviews from music critics. Johnny Loftus of Allmusic scored the album three and a half stars out of five, and named it an AMG Album Pick, saying, "The album does include flashes of the single's PG-rated nu-metal... |
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| 2004 | Grammy Award | Best Rock Album Grammy Award for Best Rock Album The Grammy Award for Best Rock Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality albums in the rock music genre... |
Fallen | |
| 2004 | Grammy Award | Best Rock Song Grammy Award for Best Rock Song The Grammy Award for Best Rock Song is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs in the rock music genre... |
"Bring Me to Life" | |
| 2004 | World Music Awards World Music Awards The World Music Awards is an international awards show founded in 1989 that annually honors recording artists based on worldwide sales figures provided by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry . John Martinotti is an executive producer and co-founder of the show... |
Best Rock Artist | Evanescence | |
| 2005 | Grammy Award | Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals | "My Immortal My Immortal "My Immortal" is a song by American rock band Evanescence. It was released on December 8, 2003 as the third single from their debut studio album Fallen. The song was entirely written by former guitarist Ben Moody, with the exception of the bridge, which was later added by Amy Lee, and it was... " |
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| 2006 | MTV Europe Music Awards | Best Rock MTV Europe Music Award for Best Rock The following is a list of the MTV Europe Music Award winners and nominees for Best Rock.-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:- See also :* MTV Video Music Award for Best Rock Video... |
Evanescence | |
| 2007 | Kerrang! Awards | Sexiest Female | Amy Lee Amy Lee Amy Lynn Hartzler , best known as Amy Lee, is an American singer-songwriter and classically trained pianist. She is co-founder and lead vocalist of the rock band Evanescence. She cites influences ranging from classical musicians such as Mozart to modern artists Björk, Tori Amos, Danny Elfman and... |
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| 2007 | MTV Australia Awards MTV Australia Awards The MTV Australia Awards started in 2005 and is Australia's first awards show to celebrate both local and international acts.-History:... |
Album of the Year | The Open Door The Open Door The Open Door is the second studio album by the American rock band Evanescence. It was first released in Poland on September 25, 2006, through Wind-up Records and subsequently in more than 20 other countries worldwide... |
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| 2007 | MTV Europe Music Awards | Rock Out | Evanescence | |
| 2008 | Grammy Award | Best Hard Rock Performance Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance The Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance was an award presented to recording artists at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, for works containing quality performances in the hard rock music genre... |
"Sweet Sacrifice Sweet Sacrifice "Sweet Sacrifice" is a song by American rock band Evanescence. It was released on May 25, 2007, as the third single from their second studio album, The Open Door. It was written by Amy Lee and Terry Balsamo while the production was handled by Dave Fortman. "All That I'm Living For" was initially... " |