It’s been five years since Evanescence released their second album, “The Open Door”. But the boys in the band and founder, songwriter, pianist and singer, Amy Lee, haven’t just sat back resting on their laurels with more than 24 million record sales to date with the first two albums. On the contrary, the charismatic 29-year old singer left no stone unturned in further developing herself and her musical talents, focusing on everything from painting to writing soundtracks and even learning to play the harp! “A wonderful, very diverse instrument”, enthuses Amy. “Trying my hand at the harp was an important kick for me. As an artist you need something that drives you and motivates you. You have to do a lot of little things that push you forward and help you develop your vision.”
For the new self-titled album, the band teamed up with rock specialist producer Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Rush, Stone Sour, Alice In Chains, Deftones) and also made a fundamental change in their approach. Amy decided to let the band take on more of the songwriting load, which created a brand new “Us” feeling within Evanescence. “I showed them more trust, and they didn’t disappoint me. They got fully involved and gave the music a new kind of energy that made it even more interesting in the end.”
The result is an album that reflects this new spirit by bearing the name of the band, an homage to the new sense of unity and the creative job-sharing that went into its creation. At the same time it is the hardest, most experimental and most playful work Evanescence has ever recorded. If that sounds like a contradiction, it’s not. The new album embodies the band’s desire to spread their collective musically, to cross previously uncrossed borders, to try new approaches and also to simply have fun playing music. “It’s fun to just be completely over-the-top dramatic for once and really push the envelope as far as you can”, explains Amy. “We just threw out the rulebook and followed our instincts this time. After all, nothing’s more boring than normality.”
The perfect example of this new ambitious approach is the album’s first single, “What You Want”. It heralds the band’s return with the line, “Hello, hello. Remember me? I’m everything you can’t control”. It also sets the musical tone for the rest of the album with its instantly recognizable vocals, symbiosis of classical music and rock combining razor-sharp staccato riffs, piano, harp, strings and pulsating electronics. All of this is wrapped in a cloak of large-scale melodrama, deep romantic emotion and anthemic euphoria. The album “Evanescence” is a blueprint for crossing borders between different genres and sentiments. It’s also a daring endeavor to retain the band’s artistic identity while taking huge steps forward.
One might think that spanning this apparent divide would be a huge challenge. But Amy and the band seem to master it with ease, almost casually even in emotional ballads like “Swimming Home”, poppy ear-catchers like “The Other Side” and powerful rockers like “Erase This”. This 12-song journey keeps the suspense level in top gear from start to finish and manages that rarest of achievements: It sweeps the listener up into a world crisscrossed with daydreams here and pure adrenaline there, proving once again just how much emotional power great music has.
After a nearly four-year break from performing live, Evanescence hit the road with a renewed purpose and power in Germany in November with shows in Offenbach, Düsseldorf, Berlin and Munich. “I miss the fans”, says Amy. “There’s no better feeling than the deep connection a performance can create between the audience and the band. It’s a real gift, truly astonishing. There’s nothing else like it in the world. When everyone’s singing together and you can feel that you’re a part of it, part of a whole, that’s the greatest.”
Fact Check Evanescence:
Over 24 million record sales worldwide; hit single “Bring Me To Life” went Top 10 in 15 national charts (incl. USA: No. 5, England: No. 1, Germany: No. 2); winner of two GRAMMY awards in 2003 (Best New Artist and Best Hard Rock Performance for “Bring Me To Life”);a GRAMMY nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance for “Sweet Sacrifice”Evanescence are: Amy Lee (vocals/piano), Terry Balsamo (guitar), Tim McCord (bass), Will Hunt (drums) and Troy McLawhorn (guitar).
More info on Evanescence is available at http://www.evanescence.com/.