Amy Lee: I made Kelly Clarkson cry

The singer is the frontwoman of American rock band Evanescence-  also comprising of Terry Balsamo, Tim McCord, Troy McLawhorn, and Will Hunt.

The group have been out of the limelight for several years, but have a new album out later this year. The self-titled record will hit stores next month, and is the group’s first offering since 2006’s The Open Door.

Amy has been doing a host of shows recently, and Kelly attended one of them. Amy was thrilled to find she’d moved the singer to tears.

“She came to one of my shows last month and we met for the first time! She was really into it. She said I made her cry, which was a huge compliment,” she explained, before it was suggested it might have been down to the show being “awful”.

“I hope not!” she laughed in response. “I actually think it would be really funny.”

Amy has previously revealed she is “moved and stoked” by the reaction to the band’s comeback. The raven-haired star has revealed which emotion she was overcome with most.

“I was most moved,” she told NME magazine. “I’ve been brought to tears interacting with fans recently. It feels like they’re growing up now. It’s awesome. So moved, definitely. Well how can you not be stoked? I was stoked as well as being moved.”

Amy has generated a lot of press attention with the revelation that Evanescence are to reform. The musician has revealed her coping mechanism.

“To me, it’s loads and loads of coffee. It gives me a great perk,” she confessed.

Source: musicrooms.net

NME First Listen: "Evanescence"

It's been eight whole years since Evanescence shot to the top of the UK singles chart with their debut cut 'Bring Me To Life' and five years since they last released a studio album. Given the pseudo nu metal tendencies of that debut smash, the operatic leanings of singer Amy Lee's voice and their brief dabble in the bonkers, yet extremely profitable world of Christian rock, they've been billed as proponents of just about every genre over the years.

Now back with their self-titled third record, in spite of the fact that pretty much the band's whole line-up, bar Lee, has been dispensed with and replaced over the years, it's pretty much business as you were, musically speaking.

'What You Want'
You'll have heard this one. A big thumping drumbeat and driving guitar riff kick things off, before giving way to a stomping chorus written with NFL stadiums in mind. They're back alright.

'Made Of Stone'
Probably the heaviest track on the record, with a riff that could have been taken straight from 'Ride The Lightning'. It features Amy Lee being confrontational on a former flame and being 'all out of love'. This is the Arkansas rockers at their spikiest.

'The Change'
Built around a grinding riff, a super operatic vocal line from Amy Lee and a ridiculously catchy chorus, this is one of the album's poppier moments.

'My Heart Is Broken'
This one sounds quite a lot like a Disney ballad, beginning with Amy Lee cooing "I will wander until the end of time" over a piano line straight off Powers Ballad Vol.12. It gets heavier at the end though, don't worry.

'The Other Side'
Kicking off with a sludgy, almost Meshuggah esque riff, this is one of the record's gloomiest moments, with Lee seeming to reach out to someone beyond the grave in the chorus.

'Erase This'
Things get really intense here, with a swirling set of strings and Lee singing about being caught in a flood. It gets very metal in the outro too, with a riff that Kerry King would be proud of thundering over the last 30 seconds.

'Lost In Paradise'
Another piano ballad, but more much stripped back than 'My Heart Is Broken'. Quite reminiscent of 'My Immortal' from the band's debut 'Fallen' before it was re-recorded with that massive guitar breakdown.

'Sick'
After the ballad comes the backlash, with Lee spitting persistently snarling "I'm sick of it all" over a Soundgarden inspired guitar wall.

'End Of The Dream'
Another heavy one, which is built around a muscular riff, a menancing low slung bassline and a big soaring chorus. No quiet fade out yet.

'Oceans'
The record's most brooding moment, with Lee gently singing over a latter day Nine Inch Nails style synth. A big ass riff kicks in when the chorus comes around though.

'Never Go Back'
Now we're back to heavy again and a major upping of the tempo. A blistering track, that sounds like something Iron Maiden might have recorded if Bruce Dickinson called in sick and they drafted in Sarah Cracknell for the day.

'Swimming Home'
The album's swansong is a slow fade out, with Lee's vocals draped over a minimal backdrop of electronica. She spends the whole song apologizing too, which seems like a bizarre way to send off an album.

Verdict
It's pretty good and surprisingly heavy. The riffs rock pretty hard and Amy Lee has kept her tendency toward big ballads down to two. It won't win anybody over who wasn't keen on the band's early stuff. But it'll certainly satisfy rabid fanbase who've had to make do with Nightwish for the last five years.

By Tom Goodwyn

Source: nme.com

Review: Spin

5/10

The one thing people tell you about Evanescence, if you ask, is that they have a good singer. Amy Lee can hang out indefinitely in a place most of her peers can't reach: a ragged, intense peak of expressed turmoil, where frequencies rise and pain swells into bliss. You might expect that the problem with Evanescence's third album of epic goth theater is that Lee's band hold her back. Instead, it's that they don't hold her back enough; she hops to that intense peak the second a song allows, and often doesn't return. Imagine if fireworks didn't burst or fade, but just hung there like frozen flowers.

Lee coos verses and belts choruses, while her band -- which changed lineups after 2003's smash debut, Fallen, and changed again before this album -- spice the grinding guitars and weeping piano with feints at electro-pop ("Swimming Home"). When the arrangements provide a path for Lee to follow, all that dark melodrama becomes moving, even fun -- in "Sick," the loose, lazy melody gradually tightens into a chanted chorus, and on the solid single "What You Want," Lee's voice spirals downward on the word "down." But too much of the time, Evanescence get lost in the cavernous spaces carved out by their unsecret weapon.

By Theon Weber

Source: spin

"My Heart is Broken" preview

"My Heart Is Broken," is a brand new track from Evanescence's upcoming album, and today it can be streamed exclusively on Amazon.

Evanescence's Amy Lee: 'It’s been too long since our last album'

Evanescence frontwoman Amy Lee has spoken to NME about the band’s self-titled third album, which is set for release October 10.

Lee explained that after the band got into the studio, she wanted the album to come out as soon as possible. The LP is the band’s first in five years and the follow-up to their 2006 effort 'The Open Door'. She said:

“We really wanted it to be out this year. It’s been too long. I was like, ‘I’m not waiting until 2012, we have to push this through and make it happen this fall!

Lee also revealed that it took her a whole month just to record the vocals. When asked by NME about how the recording process for the album worked, Lee explained:

(It’s) band members first, pianos and stuff next and then vocals for a really long time… It was, like, a month of just singing. The songs are hard! I really pushed myself vocally.

She also explained that producer Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters), helped her to work out when the album was finished. She said: “Nick is an awesome producer. He really helped me get the plan and have confidence in the decisions that we made. For me, I have a lot of ideas and sometimes it just comes down to ‘ok, everything that I’m doing I have two options!’”

“He’s awesome, because as I’m doing these things I’m asking him from the vocal booth or the piano room or whatever, ‘which one of these should I do?’ He’s good at helping me make a quick decision. I really trust his opinion because he makes great records.”

Evanescence tour the UK in November, their first in four years, playing a run of seven shows which begins with the first of two nights at London's HMV Hammersmith Apollo on November 4 and ends on November 13, when the band play Birmingham's O2 Academy.

Source: nme.com

What You Want (Single) Review

Evanescence accomplished the impossible. In 2003 their debut single 'Bring Me To Life' was one of very few (if not, the only) gothic rock, albeit commercial, songs to not only reach number one in the UK music charts, but also keep a firm grip on the top for four weeks. Yes indeed, there was a time when David Guetta didn’t have his 'Little Bad Girl' or Pitbull hadn’t invaded us from Planet Pit. Front woman, founder and winner of most mesmerizing eyes in rock, Amy Lee, has seen band line-up changes to rival many. The most notable being when co-writer and guitarist Ben Moody upped and left not long after the release of debut album Fallen (which racked up an astounding 17 million + copies sold). And so 2011 sees a new line-up, a new lease of life and the release of new single 'What You Want'; the first from the new self-titled album coming in October.

As is usually the case, I find that the first listen of a new song doesn’t tell me if I’m going to like it or not. In fact, normally if I don’t like a song the first time, then I know I’m guaranteed to be obsessed about it after the next ten plays. As was the situation with 'What You Want', which didn’t leave a lasting impression on me to start with, but has grown to become a firm favourite this year. It’s the embodiment of what and who Evanescence are, which is at the core a rock band but with gothic, classical and pop influences sewn together to create something unique. It’s what I fell in love with. The track kicks off with a fist-pumping drum intro alongside Amy’s familiar strong and haunting vocals. “Do what you what you want, if you have a dream for better. Do what you what you want, till you don’t want it anymore (remember who you really are)” she slyly croons.

As the verse grows, the layers unfold and there’s electronic sparks underneath chunky, distorted guitar chords and urgent bass notes. Then we’re joined by an old friend of the group, the piano, which sprinkles some magic into the developing atmosphere of the bridge. The true star here is the brilliantly catchy chorus; something which comes as a natural gift to Evanescence. They always manage to create and weave captivating melodies that attach to your cranium like leeches. And it’s with the spell-binding chorus that the song and band comes to life; it’s fast, punchy, positive and extremely likeable. Nothing sums it up better then the visible enjoyment and confidence exuding from the band in the music video. “Hello, hello remember me? I’m everything you can’t control. Somewhere beyond the pain there must be a way to believe we can break through!” Amy chants at the adoring crowd while cymbals crash, riffs explode and hearts break.

The theme of striving for freedom is an obvious one but perfect for a come-back song like this. Plus there’s the added all too familiar story of a failing relationship but who are we kidding, this is Evanescence not Bob Dylan. And it’s exactly what the fans like; something relatable and somewhat rebellious. Amy has always managed to balance the moody and dark side of her lyrics with positive and motivational undertones, something that I particularly enjoy. Their image certainly has them stereotyped by some and unfairly so. Black clothing doesn’t equal black hearts people!

'What You Want' is probably one of the most danceable songs that the band has ever made. Perhaps as a way of reaching out to new fans, but also maybe just to show how much fun they’re having. As the song comes to an epic climax, the band make a “we’re invincible” gesture in the video by striding into the sea...It definitely leaves the impression that they’re more than excited to be back. For Evanescence fans it’s a brilliant return to form reminding us how good they are at what they do. For others who like equal amounts of head-banging and sing-a-long moments, then you may also enjoy this dramatic goth-pop morsel.

Source: altsounds.com

Amy Lee: Evanescence fans are incredible

Amy Lee is “moved and stoked” by the fans that have supported Evanescence’s rise back into the spotlight.

The singer-songwriter fronts the American rock band, which also comprises Terry Balsamo, Tim McCord, Troy McLawhorn and Will Hunt.

The band have been out of the limelight for several years, but have a new album out soon. The self-titled record will hit stores on October 11 and is the group’s first since 2006’s The Open Door.

Amy appreciates the on-going support from the band’s “true” fans.

“There’s a difference between a fan who goes on iTunes and buys the single and the fan who’s in for life, who buys the first record and the second record. I love the fans that really care about the band – and we totally have that,” she explained.

“I’ve been so moved and stoked this past year watching the fans come back to life. I’ve been doing promo and travelling around and I’m recognising people from seven years ago and you really do get to build little relationships with people around the world.”

Amy appreciates the humbling things in her life. The 29-year-old star loves seeking home comforts after her hectic lifestyle on the road.

“I appreciate the simple stuff now more than I used to. I’ve had a lot of ‘fantastic’ in my life, I’ve had a lot of amazing, unforgettable moments, but home, family, your roots, that’s so much more important to me than all of that,” she told Kerrang! magazine.

“It’s important to remember that because no matter what happens, no matter how crazy things get, that’s secure.”

Source: musicrooms.net

Amy Lee Says Album Art 'About Evanescence, Not Just Me'

Self-titled album is the first that won't feature the frontwoman on its cover.

If one were to study the covers of Evanescence's first two albums, they'd quickly notice that, aside from all the dark swirly bits, they share another rather unifying concept: Namely, they both feature frontwoman Amy Lee ... and only frontwoman Amy Lee.

Of course, things are different these days. For the first time, Lee says that Evanescence are really, truly a band, and the songs on their upcoming third album are the end result of countless hours spent hammering out rhythms and melodies together. Which is why they made the decision to call the new album, simply, Evanescence.

For further proof of this point, one only has to glance at the cover of the album, which features nothing more than the band's name (and some of the prerequisite dark and swirlies). And while some fans may be mystified by the simple design, Lee told MTV News that there's definitely a message behind the minimalism.

"Well, both of our other records are me on the cover, and I think it's cool to have that photo, you know, that people can look at and go, 'OK, that's who that is.' But I feel like, by now, they know who we are, and I wanted something really different," she said. "I didn't feel like we had to put a photo on the cover, I wanted it to be more mysterious and more about Evanescence itself, not just me."

And that concept extends beyond Evanescence's cover image. As Lee explained, on the new album, she and her musical mates are exploring every aspect of the band ... starting with the name itself. Because, for the first time, Evanescence is more than just its frontwoman.

"The idea to not have any photos on the outside I thought was really cool," she said. "And all the images and the artwork is a play on the meaning of the word 'Evanescence.' It means 'to dissipate like vapor,' so I decided to go with light and vapor ... it's really about Evanescence, not just me."

Source: mtv.com

Evanescence Avoided 'The Classic Route' With 'What You Want' Video

Amy Lee tells MTV News that the band's new video represents them 'coming back to the world.

Almost since the day she wrote it, Amy Lee has referred to Evanescence's "What You Want" as being "really different" from any song in the band's back catalog. So, when it came time to cook up a concept for the video, well, why would that change?

"We'd been working really fast, and we were still finishing the album and it was almost time to shoot the video, and I didn't have an idea, which is weird for me, I usually have a big vision right away," Lee laughed. "But the song is really different for us, so I knew that I didn't want to go the classic, sort of fantastic, epic [thing]. I mean it's still epic, but we didn't want to go the classic route — I wanted to do something different."
Lee actually invited her sister, Carrie, to the recording studio for a few fresh ideas. "She's a writer, so I was like, 'Would you just sit here with me and listen to the song a couple times and just tell me what you see?' " Lee recalled. "She just started saying things that were right on. She was like, 'This should be in New York. You guys need to do something different, this song feels different.' And she started talking about running across the Brooklyn Bridge, and it being where I live, and I was like, 'Oh my God, this is great.'

While you can credit Carrie with the basic concept behind "What You Want" — a video that retells Evanescence's history, from their early days grinding it out in sweaty clubs throughout the South to their recent hiatus, when Lee moved to New York City — the climactic scene, in which the band wades into the surf at New York's Coney Island, was very much Amy's idea. And, yes, there's a deeper meaning to it.

"That was my real part, I kind of came up with the ending; I feel like it's a representation of us coming back to the world," she said. "We have a pretty large international fanbase, so I always think about us going on tour, and so much of touring for us is going overseas. But it's a little more than that; it's us heading into the unknown, coming into a new world, coming back after a long time; you've seen the past in the rest of the video, and that's the unknown future."

Of course, getting her bandmates onboard with that vision — and the early-morning swim it required — proved to be a bit more difficult than Lee had originally anticipated. But, as is the case with everything Evancescence these days, eventually, they all agreed to take the plunge together; some, less willingly than others.
"Yeah, [guitarist] Terry [Balsamo] especially did not want to get in the water," Lee laughed. "It was a little cold. I loved it though. I think the guys did, too."

Source: mtv.com

Evanescence Press Forward, Look Back In 'What You Want' Video

Gritty performance footage mix with dramatic New York scenes that illustrate the band's history and future.

In late July, Evanescence — and fans — crammed into a sweltering Brooklyn warehouse to hammer out the video for "What You Want," the first single off their much-anticipated new album (and, for anyone keeping score at home, their first video in almost four years).

In between takes, frontwoman Amy Lee told MTV News that the clip, directed by longtime pro Meiert Avis (U2's "Where the Streets Have No Name"), was meant to show "the history of the band." They wanted it to evoke the times when Evanescence used to play in Little Rock's "gritty, dirty club" Vino's as well as the band's more recent hiatus, which saw Lee and bassist Tim McCord relocate to New York City.

On Tuesday (September 13), we finally got to see the final product, as "What You Want" premiered on the band's official site. And boy, was Amy spot-on in her analysis.

"Want" is most definitely a historical thing, capturing Evanescence's early days, slogging it out in sweaty clubs. It also recalls the halcyon days of big-ticket rock videos, full of sweeping shots of the New York skyline, a dramatic scene in which Lee appears to leap off the Brooklyn Bridge and some claustrophobic, cathartic performance footage. It even has a striking ending, in which Lee and her bandmates disappear into the surf down at Coney Island, as the sun breaks over the horizon.

Lee has said many times that "What You Want" is a definite departure for Evanescence, and that holds true in the case of both the song and the video. The tune definitely snarls more than most in their back catalog, and the video feels very much like a true band clip; it's artfully autobiographical and, perhaps most notably, features all of Evanescence.

So, "Want" is notable for several reasons, least among them the fact that it officially brings to end their hiatus from the world of music videos. It's also important to realize that, for perhaps the first time in their rather tumultuous history, they're unified and pressing on toward the future. By looking back.

Source: mtv.com

Amy Lee Skates To Detention On 'When I Was 17'

Evanescence singer, Theophilus London and Chris Klein featured on new episode, airing Saturday at 11 a.m. ET on MTV.

From accomplished vocalist to skilled pianist, Evanescence singer Amy Lee has plenty of talents to boast. But in the latest episode of "When I Was 17," airing Saturday, Amy reveals another skill that might surprise her fans: roller skating. In the episode, the singer-songwriter recounts how skating around her high school hallways landed her in some serious trouble.

"When I was 17, our school had really slick floors. There was this really big hall, and it was perfect for roller skating," the singer says. So, Amy decided to take advantage of the situation. "The halls are empty when people are in class, and if it's just study hall or art or whatever, then why not go for a little skate?"
Her "little skate" however wasn't without its consequences.

"I don't know why I thought that that would be good," she says. "So, I was skating by myself. Total nerd. And some other teacher was in the hall, and I skated by, and she was like, 'Detention!' "
While detention is a pretty common punishment for misbehaving high school students, it caught Amy's father off-guard.

"It was a little bit of a big deal. She got in trouble, and Amy typically never got in trouble," says her father, John.

Of course, even back in high school, Amy found a way to translate her experience with the teacher who sent her to detention into something creative.

"One of my art pieces after that was her getting skated over by a giant skate," Amy says.

"When I Was 17," also featuring Theophilus London and Chris Klein, airs Saturday at 11 a.m. ET on MTV.

Source: mtv.com

Deluxe CD/DVD Tracklist

Disc 1 CD
01 What You Want
02 Made of Stone
03 The Change
04 My Heart Is Broken
05 The Other Side
06 Erase This
07 Lost in Paradise
08 Sick
09 End of the Dream
10 Oceans
11 Never Go Back
12 Swimming Home
13 New Way to Bleed*
14 Say You Will*
15 Disappear*
16 Secret Door*

*Bonus Track


Disc 2 DVD
01 What You Want (Video)
02 Making the What You Want Music Video - Day 1
03 Making the What You Want Music Video - Day 2
04 Behing the Scenes In the Studios
05 Behing the Scenes At the Photoshoot
06 On the Songs: Secret Door
07 On the Songs: The Change
08 On the Songs: Never Go Back
09 On the Songs: Made of Stone
10 On the Songs: Disappear
11 On the Songs: What You Want
12 On the Songs: My Heart Is Broken
13 On the Songs: Oceans
14 On the Songs: Lost in Paradise

Source: emimusic.ch

Tracklist for "Evanescence"

Amazon has revealed the tracklist for the standard edition.

1. What You Want
2. Made Of Stone
3. The Change
4. My Heart Is Broken
5. The Other Side
6. Erase This
7. Lost In Paradise
8. Sick
9. End Of The Dream
10. Oceans
11. Never Go Back
12. Swimming Home

Source: amazon.com

Evanescence Remember 1991: When Rock Rocked

As Remembered by Amy Lee, Evanescence: "We moved from Rockford, Illinois, to Little Rock, Arkansas, when I was 13. It was really hard, you know, right at the wrong age, didn't have any friends, didn't know anyone, moved to a new school. It was real preppy, didn't fit in ... all that classic stuff. And, at the same time, there was some music that I was addicted to, like, needed it, and Pearl Jam's Ten was one of those records. I had the tape ... and I would listen to it, turn it over, listen to the whole other side, start it over again. All night. Like, I could just lie in bed and cry or think ... that was the outlet. I love that record. I love 'Black,' that song's just so totally beautiful, I could listen to that one over and over. 'Alive,' 'Jeremy,' probably the biggest song on the record for me. That video, that kind of horrifying, childlike experience, it completely moved me and touched me. That had to be the song for me. I wore that tape out, completely. And, I remember, the [liner] had them with their hands raised, together, and I had that on my wall. ... They felt like I felt, and their music described things I couldn't say out loud. And that idea and revelation was so inspiring to me, like, I wanted to live inside the songs."

Source: mtv.com

Hi-Res album cover

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