Evanescence

About Evanescence

The dark rock combo Evanescence look and sound like they've just stepped out of a fairy tale. One of the original Brothers Grimm ones, where not everyone lives happily ever after at all. The consumptively lovely singer/pianist Amy Lee met writing partner and guitarist Ben Moody while still in high school in Little Rock, Arkansas. The two liked each other's style and taste in music and hit it off instantly. After settling on the evocative name Evanescence, they recorded a couple demo EP's but had difficulty finding musicians to play live shows with. Still, demos for their tracks "Give Unto Me" and "Understanding" found their way onto radio and gained them local popularity. Their fondness for black lace and eyeliner sometimes gets them categorized as goth, and for awhile they were heavily promoted as a Christian band, but their piano-driven sound and bitter, spooky lyrics owe as much to Stevie Nicks as to Bauhaus. As Evanescence grew in popularity, they became increasingly irritated with the Christian Rock branding, stating that, while they were Christians, it was not the main focus of their music. Their smash debut Fallen went 6X platinum and sent the singles "Bring Me To Life" with guest vocalist Paul McCoy from 12 Stones and "My Immortal" to the top of the charts. But international fame proved divisive for the duo of Amy and Ben?Ben left the band during their triumphant European tour, and Amy has since stated that the two of them had been romantically involved before the band took off. They've been taking their time with a second release of original material, 2006's The Open Door. Evanescence's single "Call Me When You're Sober" was a summer radio staple, but the album's release was postponed for final tweaking.