Evanescence's "Lost In Paradise" bows at #99. This is vying to become the group's fourth top 10 hit. The group's third album, Evanescence, enters The Billboard 200 at #1 this week. Two songs from the album are listed on Hot Digital Songs. "Lost In Paradise" debuts at #53. "What You Want" bows at #118.
Source: music.yahoo.com
Evanescence's self-titled third album is in stores now.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Evanescence 'Thrilled' By #1 Billboard Debut
'We made an album we're really proud of and now we get to watch it fly,' Amy Lee tells MTV News.
On Wednesday (October 19), Evanescence officially completed their comeback when it was announced that their self-titled third album would top next week's Billboard albums chart, with sales of more than 127,000 copies.It's the band's second-consecutive #1 debut: As any Ev fan surely knows, their last was five years ago, when The Open Door bowed atop the charts in 2006.
And in the time since, they've shed members, gone on a hiatus and, as frontwoman Amy Lee told MTV News, very nearly called it quits entirely.
So you can certainly understand why Lee and her bandmates are feeling so happy today. In an e-mail to MTV News, the singer decided to share a bit of that happiness with us and with Evanescence's fanbase.
"What can I say, we're thrilled about it!" she wrote. "We made an album that we're really proud of and now we get to watch it fly. We weren't expecting this and we're just so grateful to our fans."
It's certainly been a long road back. After coming back together, Evanescence holed up with producer Nick Raskulinecz in Nashville and unveiled the fruits of that labor to MTV News in July. They then premiered the first single, "What You Want," live on MTV in August and played a raucous release-day show in Los Angeles last week.
They'll play a run of U.S. and U.K. shows until early November, and, armed with a #1 album, they're planning a full-blown Stateside tour in early January.
Source: mtv.com
Evanescence Nets Second No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart
Rock band Evanescence returns to the Billboard 200 chart, scoring its second No. 1 album, as its self-titled third set bows with 127,000 copies sold according to Nielsen SoundScan. The act, led by singer Amy Lee, last released an album in 2006, when "The Open Door" debuted at No. 1 with 447,000.
The new set's first single, "What You Want," rises 15-13 on the Rock Songs airplay chart this week, while also holding a bullet at No. 17 on the Alternative Songs tally. The group's first album, 2003's "Fallen," spawned the Billboard Hot 100 hits "Bring Me To Life" (No. 5) and "My Immortal" (No. 7).
Source: billboard.com
The new set's first single, "What You Want," rises 15-13 on the Rock Songs airplay chart this week, while also holding a bullet at No. 17 on the Alternative Songs tally. The group's first album, 2003's "Fallen," spawned the Billboard Hot 100 hits "Bring Me To Life" (No. 5) and "My Immortal" (No. 7).
Source: billboard.com
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Taylor Momsen Calls Opening For Evanescence 'Surreal'
Pretty Reckless singer tells MTV News, 'Evanescence was one of the first shows I ever went to.'
"Evanescence was one of the first shows I ever went to," the singer and former "Gossip Girl" actress told MTV News last week, right before her band, the Pretty Reckless, opened for Evanescence at the historic Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles.
"I'm a big fan of Evanescence, so it's really exciting to be opening for them," she told us.
The accolades went both ways: Evanescence frontwoman Amy Lee had nothing but nice things to say about the young rocker.
"She's got a great voice; she's real sweet," Lee said with a smile, laughing that being one of Momsen's first concerts makes her feel "old, but very, very flattered."
The 18-year-old Momsen has been on tour since her band's debut album, Light Me Up, was released last year. "We've been touring a lot overseas lately, so it's definitely a lot of fun to be back in the States," she told us.
Describing her band's performance style, Momsen revealed, "We never really have a set list. We kind of go up and play whatever and work it out onstage. It keeps it exciting that it's different every night."
As far as writing material for a second album, she said, "We're always writing. We're just figuring out now how to write on the road, which is definitely a different type of process."
Source: mtv.com
Monday, October 17, 2011
Evanescence Discuss Gear and New Album
In 2007, after a five-year roller coaster that zipped out two multi-platinum studio albums, a live album, a string of tours and band lineup changes, Amy Lee decided to give her band, Evanescence, a break.
So for nearly three years, Lee spent time with her husband, Josh Hartzler, fixed up her New York home and experienced life.
“It was good, because I didn't make any kind of plan,” Lee told Guitar World while she was in San Francisco preparing to play the first U.S. date on the new tour. “I didn't think about what was next for Evanescence or me. I just thought if I get inspired, then I'll know.”
In 2009, Lee started writing and obsessing about music again.
“I started missing the band more and more,” she said. “I missed the guys and wanted to work together again.”
The result is the band's new self-titled album that was released in the U.S. on October 11. The album, produced by Steve Lillywhite and Nick Raskulinecz, wouldn't have sounded the same if it weren't for Lee's perfectionism and current band that includes lead guitarist Terry Balsamo, rhythm guitarist Troy McLawhorn, bassist Tim McCord and drummer Will Hunt.
Guitar World caught up with Lee, Balsamo and McLawhorn to discuss the break, the new album and guitars. During the interviews, Guitar World learned both Balsamo's and McLawhorn's early influence was Kiss. While Balsamo dug the flamboyant riffs of Ace Frehley, McLawhorn wanted to be drummer Peter Criss.
Lee, on the other hand dabbled in classical music and fell in love with the music climate of the 1990s. The new album reflects those influences, and brings Evanescence to a new level.
GUITAR WORLD: Who were the music heroes that made you want to play guitar?
Balsamo: The first thing musically that came into my life was Elton John, but guitar-wise it was Ace Frehley and then Angus Young.
McLawhorn: I'm not exactly sure. I started off wanting to be a drummer. I was a huge Peter Criss fan as a kid, but my dad and grandfather played acoustic guitar and there was always one laying around the house. I think I got more serious about the guitar when I was 10. We moved into a new neighborhood and this kid down the street who became my best friend throughout school was a really good drummer. He was eight years old and was already pounding the drums. So in an effort to jam, I started to pick up his dad's guitar and tried to learn "Crazy Train" or an AC/DC song. I joined Columbia House record club and got the first Van Halen album. Eddie was incredible and was a whole new level and a new ballgame. He's still one of my favorite guitar players. My top three guitarists are Eddie Van Halen, Billy Gibbons and Rick Nielsen.
As you started playing guitar more regularly, did it ever occur to you to play professionally?
Balsamo: It always seemed to me that something was going to come out of it. I felt that if I kept going after it, it would pay off. After I graduated high school, I asked (myself) if I wanted to keep doing it and then Pantera came along and that made me say, “Yes, by all means.”
McLawhorn: As a kid, you don't have a choice. You ask your parents and, if you're lucky, they'll buy you something. There was a little music store down the street and I saw this Lotus Explorer guitar. It was huge and I still have it.
What is your guitar of choice?
Balsamo: For many years it was my Ibanez and I still use Ibanez, but on this last recording, the producer kept asking me to use a Gibson. The Gibson was always something I would use while recording to get different tones, but I started playing it a little more live lately. I also love Charvel guitars. Every guitar we used on the song, we play live.
McLawhorn: If I had my choice, it would have been a Strat, Les Paul or an SG. For the past 10 years, I've been using PRS and Les Paul, exclusively. I also have a Fender Telecaster that I love, but I doesn't fit the music I play and I don't want to change out the pickups and get rid of that twangy sound and all that. On tour I'm using a PRS Baritone and a seven-string Gibson Flying V, they just came out with.
Tell us your experience making the new album.
Lee: We spent a lot of time together writing songs and we have tons of music. We have more than enough for the album and have a lot left for next time. We had a lot of writing sessions with me, Terry and Tim, this time. We also did a lot of writing as a whole band. All of us sat in a circle with our instruments and did jam sessions until we came up with a cool idea. Sometimes I come up with a start on my own and then we would collaborate, but it's awesome to have so many great musicians in the band. Sometimes I'll get an idea and not have that pressure to flesh the whole thing out by myself. There are four other people coming up with their own ideas, too.
Balsamo: We wrote a whole lot this time. There are two or three songs that we wrote together, things just flowed well. We were thinking the same thing, but we had to make sure we worked together, without us playing the exact same parts. So there is the same riff, but two things going on at the same time. During the recording process, we fed of each other and tried to make things really tight.
After taking that long break, did you feel the pressure as you began working on the new album?
Lee: There is always that pressure. I'm an obsessor. I want to make something great. We've already made two awesome records and I never want to put anything out that I think isn't better than what we last did. The challenge was finding the vision of what we wanted to do, because I felt a great sense of freedom creatively. After making those two albums, I felt like, "OK, I can do whatever I want, and if it is going to be a new Evanescence album, should it be a crazy departure?"
After a couple of years of writing and experimenting, we felt like we discovered the album.
Was there a question about you all playing together again?
Balsamo: I knew we would do it again, it was just a matter of when.
McLawhorn: After we finished the tour in 2007, we all went off and did other things. I didn't know what was going to happen. I had another band and assumed I was finished with Evanescence, but when things started going bad with the other band, I called Amy and she said she was ready to make another album and would love me to be a part of it.
guitarworld.com
So for nearly three years, Lee spent time with her husband, Josh Hartzler, fixed up her New York home and experienced life.
“It was good, because I didn't make any kind of plan,” Lee told Guitar World while she was in San Francisco preparing to play the first U.S. date on the new tour. “I didn't think about what was next for Evanescence or me. I just thought if I get inspired, then I'll know.”
In 2009, Lee started writing and obsessing about music again.
“I started missing the band more and more,” she said. “I missed the guys and wanted to work together again.”
The result is the band's new self-titled album that was released in the U.S. on October 11. The album, produced by Steve Lillywhite and Nick Raskulinecz, wouldn't have sounded the same if it weren't for Lee's perfectionism and current band that includes lead guitarist Terry Balsamo, rhythm guitarist Troy McLawhorn, bassist Tim McCord and drummer Will Hunt.
Guitar World caught up with Lee, Balsamo and McLawhorn to discuss the break, the new album and guitars. During the interviews, Guitar World learned both Balsamo's and McLawhorn's early influence was Kiss. While Balsamo dug the flamboyant riffs of Ace Frehley, McLawhorn wanted to be drummer Peter Criss.
Lee, on the other hand dabbled in classical music and fell in love with the music climate of the 1990s. The new album reflects those influences, and brings Evanescence to a new level.
GUITAR WORLD: Who were the music heroes that made you want to play guitar?
Balsamo: The first thing musically that came into my life was Elton John, but guitar-wise it was Ace Frehley and then Angus Young.
McLawhorn: I'm not exactly sure. I started off wanting to be a drummer. I was a huge Peter Criss fan as a kid, but my dad and grandfather played acoustic guitar and there was always one laying around the house. I think I got more serious about the guitar when I was 10. We moved into a new neighborhood and this kid down the street who became my best friend throughout school was a really good drummer. He was eight years old and was already pounding the drums. So in an effort to jam, I started to pick up his dad's guitar and tried to learn "Crazy Train" or an AC/DC song. I joined Columbia House record club and got the first Van Halen album. Eddie was incredible and was a whole new level and a new ballgame. He's still one of my favorite guitar players. My top three guitarists are Eddie Van Halen, Billy Gibbons and Rick Nielsen.
As you started playing guitar more regularly, did it ever occur to you to play professionally?
Balsamo: It always seemed to me that something was going to come out of it. I felt that if I kept going after it, it would pay off. After I graduated high school, I asked (myself) if I wanted to keep doing it and then Pantera came along and that made me say, “Yes, by all means.”
McLawhorn: As a kid, you don't have a choice. You ask your parents and, if you're lucky, they'll buy you something. There was a little music store down the street and I saw this Lotus Explorer guitar. It was huge and I still have it.
What is your guitar of choice?
Balsamo: For many years it was my Ibanez and I still use Ibanez, but on this last recording, the producer kept asking me to use a Gibson. The Gibson was always something I would use while recording to get different tones, but I started playing it a little more live lately. I also love Charvel guitars. Every guitar we used on the song, we play live.
McLawhorn: If I had my choice, it would have been a Strat, Les Paul or an SG. For the past 10 years, I've been using PRS and Les Paul, exclusively. I also have a Fender Telecaster that I love, but I doesn't fit the music I play and I don't want to change out the pickups and get rid of that twangy sound and all that. On tour I'm using a PRS Baritone and a seven-string Gibson Flying V, they just came out with.
Tell us your experience making the new album.
Lee: We spent a lot of time together writing songs and we have tons of music. We have more than enough for the album and have a lot left for next time. We had a lot of writing sessions with me, Terry and Tim, this time. We also did a lot of writing as a whole band. All of us sat in a circle with our instruments and did jam sessions until we came up with a cool idea. Sometimes I come up with a start on my own and then we would collaborate, but it's awesome to have so many great musicians in the band. Sometimes I'll get an idea and not have that pressure to flesh the whole thing out by myself. There are four other people coming up with their own ideas, too.
Balsamo: We wrote a whole lot this time. There are two or three songs that we wrote together, things just flowed well. We were thinking the same thing, but we had to make sure we worked together, without us playing the exact same parts. So there is the same riff, but two things going on at the same time. During the recording process, we fed of each other and tried to make things really tight.
After taking that long break, did you feel the pressure as you began working on the new album?
Lee: There is always that pressure. I'm an obsessor. I want to make something great. We've already made two awesome records and I never want to put anything out that I think isn't better than what we last did. The challenge was finding the vision of what we wanted to do, because I felt a great sense of freedom creatively. After making those two albums, I felt like, "OK, I can do whatever I want, and if it is going to be a new Evanescence album, should it be a crazy departure?"
After a couple of years of writing and experimenting, we felt like we discovered the album.
Was there a question about you all playing together again?
Balsamo: I knew we would do it again, it was just a matter of when.
McLawhorn: After we finished the tour in 2007, we all went off and did other things. I didn't know what was going to happen. I had another band and assumed I was finished with Evanescence, but when things started going bad with the other band, I called Amy and she said she was ready to make another album and would love me to be a part of it.
guitarworld.com
Amy Lee's Top 10 albums
Amy Lee, Evanescence:
1. Bjork – ‘Vespertine’
"Bjork is my idol. When I met her I could hardly speak, it was quite embarrassing. I’m always amazed that the rest of the world wasn’t able to catch up on how astounding 'Vespertine' actually is. Her art has inspired me so much."2. Adele – ‘21’
3. Deftones – ‘Around The Fur’
4. Tool – ‘Aenima’
5. Nine Inch Nails – ‘The Fragile’
6. Tori Amos – ‘Boys For Pele’
7. Portishead – ‘Portishead’
8. Tron Soundtrack - ‘Daft Punk’
9. John Mayer – ‘Continuum’
10. Garbage – ‘Garbage’
Source: nme.com
1. Bjork – ‘Vespertine’
"Bjork is my idol. When I met her I could hardly speak, it was quite embarrassing. I’m always amazed that the rest of the world wasn’t able to catch up on how astounding 'Vespertine' actually is. Her art has inspired me so much."2. Adele – ‘21’
3. Deftones – ‘Around The Fur’
4. Tool – ‘Aenima’
5. Nine Inch Nails – ‘The Fragile’
6. Tori Amos – ‘Boys For Pele’
7. Portishead – ‘Portishead’
8. Tron Soundtrack - ‘Daft Punk’
9. John Mayer – ‘Continuum’
10. Garbage – ‘Garbage’
Source: nme.com
Evanescence concert more the Amy Lee show at Comerica
The gloomy-goth-girl-not-getting-sex deal, the Addams Family-lettered logo, the videos and album covers drained of any hot reds and yellows. It was all there in 2003 when Evanescence hit the streets with "Fallen," an album that went on to sell more than 7 million copies in the U.S. alone.Now, with a new album just out mere days ago, a self-titled effort more about branding the Evanescence name than exploding it into a bold new direction, one wondered if the fans would come out for yet another reheating of the formula.
One needn't have worried. Moms with teen daughters in slutty Beetlejuice outfits were there at Comerica Theatre on Friday, Oct. 14. So were a surprising number of dudes chanting "Amy! Amy!" like it was "The Jerry Springer Show" back from a commercial break. Also out in force were young women almost 10 years removed from the "Fallen" years, seemingly there more to relive a memory with an old friend who got them through a tough time than to make any new associations.
It's a tough tightrope to walk and Evanescence succeeded.
No matter how many times the name Evanescence flashed on the screen like a not-very-subtle subliminal message, this was the Amy Lee show beginning, middle and end. Consider that not one musician is afforded more than a few perfunctory seconds to show their mettle (or nu-metal, as it were) before Lee's operatic pipes intercede. Her voice is their sound and only trademarkable feature, whether it's juxtaposed against heavy metal riffing or standalone piano and she is singing virtually non-stop in this 16-song set.
The crowd matched her stamina, remaining on their feet through the whole show, even the balladeer junctures in the show where people who want to sit usually do.
Rocking a lot harder than you might expect, they opened boldly with the new headbanger of a single "What You Want," the first of eight songs from the new album (that's exactly half of the show for you mathematical slackers not keeping score).
The biggest shrieks came when the piano movers made their first appearance and wheeled a baby grand onstage for "Lost in Paradise."
"Thank you; we love you very much too," Lee answered, rather businesslike, as if she were Tracy Flick running for class president a third time. It's with this pianissimo material that you realize why the Goth girls and boys love Amy Lee - everything she sings is black and white with no grey areas of ambiguity, no shades of irony or off-colored humor. Really, when your heart is broken, you want a song that's as idea driven as "My Heart is Broken" to carry you through and that's what she delivers.
Not being a show where audience participation is necessary or even solicited from Lee, people worked out their own involvement, like the 30-ish woman a few rows ahead of me, contorting herself in order to sing "I know what's wrong with me" just like Lee.
"I hope everyone comes back from the bathroom in time," Lee joked when she returned alone onstage for the encores. No worries; Evanescence arrived just in time to supply the bombast when needed for "Your Star" and "My Immortal."
And then it was over. I can't recall ever seeing a concert audience disassemble out into the streets so quietly, not unlike a movie audience content to just let everything sink in.
In that quiet time, they might recall what they thought of The Pretty Reckless, the middle opener from New York City. The fact that it's 2011 and we no longer even talk about women in rock as being a novel thing went out the window during their prehistoric heavy metal set. And you've got to tip your hat to the fact that they have you thinking in those terms again. Part of you thinks this could be cool post-millennial hipster irony, that a female lead singer, Taylor Momsen of "Gossip Girl" fame, can come out dressed in lingerie like some Apollonia 6 escapee singing Pat Benatar sex-kitten songs and still expect to be taken seriously. The other part of you feels like you've been shoved into a time machine to the year 1981 and you're looking for a time portal somewhere so you don't have to spend the rest of the night listening to bands in spandex whose names end in double xx's and zz's.
Evanescence' Set List
"What You Want"
"Going Under"
"The Other Side"
"Weight of the World"
"The Change"
"Made of Stone"
"Lost in Paradise"
"My Heart Is Broken"
"Lithium"
"Sick"
"Oceans"
"Call Me When You're Sober"
"Imaginary"
"Bring Me to Life"
Encore:
"Your Star"
"My Immortal"
Source: azcentral.com
Friday, October 14, 2011
Evanescence shows change of pace on new record
Debuting with its album “Fallen” in March of 2003, Evanescence was off to what seemed like a strong start. Containing songs such as the hit “Bring Me To Life” the album was sure to set the band skyrocketing to success in the world of rock music. However, since 2006, the group has not released any new studio albums – until now.
The band’s newly released self-titled album is exactly what listeners expect to hear. The band prides itself on its rock and metal sound, and that is exactly what listeners are given with this album.
The album opens with the new popular single “What You Want.” The song is an instant blast into the band’s hopes for the future of the album and opens with a bang. Fans will surely be happy to hear singer Amy Lee and her vocals back in action, especially with alleged rumors of the band having a new lead singer. No need to fear, Lee is still Evanescence’s main woman. Carly Smithson, who was thought to be the new lead singer of the band, replacing Lee, is in fact in a band of her own. The confusion between the two was due not only to their similar looks, but also to the fact that Smithson’s band mates are actually former members of Evanescence as well.
Overall, Evanescence has stayed true to its originally intended style of a mix of rock metal and pop. This album, however, differs from the band’s first, in the sense that the album is actually a little more upbeat and “fun,” as Lee stated in an interview with Spin Magazine. If audiences can recall, the band’s first album – “Fallen” – can be described as anything but fun, filled with depressing, emotional lyrics and hard rock melodies, with a few melodramatic piano ballads tossed in between. As much as fans seemed to have enjoyed the past album, the band has seemed to want to take a new spin on things. Unlike “Fallen,” this self-titled album is what seems to be the band’s way of starting new, while keeping a little bit of what made the group what it is. The album does not have as many piano ballads as the band’s debut – one of the only ones being “Lost in Paradise,” which seems to be a growing favorite among listeners. Most of the songs are fast tempo and stick mainly to the rock style. In a way, the band’s sound seems to have changed its style, in the sense that the music is more of fast-paced rock songs rather than the typical piano ballad by Lee – always dealing with love, death or some other emotional issue. The lyrics and song titles are less gothic than previously and while the lyrics still tend to deal mostly with the darker side of love and life in general, the album’s overall tone is much less depressing than “Fallen.”
The new self-titled album can be described mostly as an explosion of emotion, possibly a reaction of the band’s pent up energy from its break in productivity. The album is nothing short of 12 songs, (16 in the deluxe version) filled with Lee’s vocals pounding away with the strong guitars and drumming. Possibly what made the band so highly noted upon its first debut, Lee’s vocals are most definitely one of the most known and favored aspects of the band. This being one of the reasons this new album will have so much success with its fans. Lee is possibly one of the defining aspects of this album – her vocals powering through each and every song, evoking deep emotion while providing great amounts of entertainment to listeners. Her voice matches the mood and feel of the band’s style perfectly. Low and rich, Lee’s vocals are really what make Evanescence such a distinguishable band, and there is no doubt it will do the same on this new album.
Evanescence fans everywhere finally have something to be excited about with the new release of the self-titled album. Released on Oct. 11, 2011, the album can be purchased on iTunes in two versions: original and deluxe. For fans that just can’t get enough, the deluxe version contains four bonus tracks, giving a total of 16 tracks altogether. Unlike some bonus tracks, which may stray from the album’s overall collective sound, the bonus tracks featured on the deluxe version will not disappoint fans who may be looking for a little something extra. “Secret Door,” already growing in popularity, gives fans a taste of Lee’s slower piano ballad, which they proved to love upon the band’s release of “Immortal” from its first album. Other bonus tracks include “New Way To Bleed,” “Say You Will” and “Disappear,” which all flow with the album’s overall theme of faster-paced rock songs. The comeback album is sure to please fans who have been patiently waiting for the band’s return.
Source: dailycollegian.com
The band’s newly released self-titled album is exactly what listeners expect to hear. The band prides itself on its rock and metal sound, and that is exactly what listeners are given with this album.
The album opens with the new popular single “What You Want.” The song is an instant blast into the band’s hopes for the future of the album and opens with a bang. Fans will surely be happy to hear singer Amy Lee and her vocals back in action, especially with alleged rumors of the band having a new lead singer. No need to fear, Lee is still Evanescence’s main woman. Carly Smithson, who was thought to be the new lead singer of the band, replacing Lee, is in fact in a band of her own. The confusion between the two was due not only to their similar looks, but also to the fact that Smithson’s band mates are actually former members of Evanescence as well.
Overall, Evanescence has stayed true to its originally intended style of a mix of rock metal and pop. This album, however, differs from the band’s first, in the sense that the album is actually a little more upbeat and “fun,” as Lee stated in an interview with Spin Magazine. If audiences can recall, the band’s first album – “Fallen” – can be described as anything but fun, filled with depressing, emotional lyrics and hard rock melodies, with a few melodramatic piano ballads tossed in between. As much as fans seemed to have enjoyed the past album, the band has seemed to want to take a new spin on things. Unlike “Fallen,” this self-titled album is what seems to be the band’s way of starting new, while keeping a little bit of what made the group what it is. The album does not have as many piano ballads as the band’s debut – one of the only ones being “Lost in Paradise,” which seems to be a growing favorite among listeners. Most of the songs are fast tempo and stick mainly to the rock style. In a way, the band’s sound seems to have changed its style, in the sense that the music is more of fast-paced rock songs rather than the typical piano ballad by Lee – always dealing with love, death or some other emotional issue. The lyrics and song titles are less gothic than previously and while the lyrics still tend to deal mostly with the darker side of love and life in general, the album’s overall tone is much less depressing than “Fallen.”
The new self-titled album can be described mostly as an explosion of emotion, possibly a reaction of the band’s pent up energy from its break in productivity. The album is nothing short of 12 songs, (16 in the deluxe version) filled with Lee’s vocals pounding away with the strong guitars and drumming. Possibly what made the band so highly noted upon its first debut, Lee’s vocals are most definitely one of the most known and favored aspects of the band. This being one of the reasons this new album will have so much success with its fans. Lee is possibly one of the defining aspects of this album – her vocals powering through each and every song, evoking deep emotion while providing great amounts of entertainment to listeners. Her voice matches the mood and feel of the band’s style perfectly. Low and rich, Lee’s vocals are really what make Evanescence such a distinguishable band, and there is no doubt it will do the same on this new album.
Evanescence fans everywhere finally have something to be excited about with the new release of the self-titled album. Released on Oct. 11, 2011, the album can be purchased on iTunes in two versions: original and deluxe. For fans that just can’t get enough, the deluxe version contains four bonus tracks, giving a total of 16 tracks altogether. Unlike some bonus tracks, which may stray from the album’s overall collective sound, the bonus tracks featured on the deluxe version will not disappoint fans who may be looking for a little something extra. “Secret Door,” already growing in popularity, gives fans a taste of Lee’s slower piano ballad, which they proved to love upon the band’s release of “Immortal” from its first album. Other bonus tracks include “New Way To Bleed,” “Say You Will” and “Disappear,” which all flow with the album’s overall theme of faster-paced rock songs. The comeback album is sure to please fans who have been patiently waiting for the band’s return.
Source: dailycollegian.com
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Review: All Music
3 1/2 out of 5 stars
Difficult births are no stranger to Evanescence. Nothing ever quite seems to come easy for Amy Lee, yet the five years separating Evanescence’s 2006 sophomore effort The Open Door and its eponymous 2011 album were relatively quiet, the band undergoing some lineup changes -- not to mention a switch of producers, from Steve Lillywhite to Nick Raskulinecz -- but nothing comparable to the messy departure of Ben Moody between the group’s first two albums. Such comparative calm is reflected within the grooves of Evanescence, which is less tortured tonally even if it remains quite dramatic. Lee’s default mode is to sing to the rafters, her operatic bluster sometimes overbearing when her settings are gloomy, but Raskulinecz pulls off a nifty trick of brightening the murk, retaining all of the churning drama but lessening the oppression by brightening the colors and pushing the melody. While there’s hardly a danger of Amy Lee removing her thick mascara, she’s not pouting all the time; there’s some shade and light here, some variety of tempos, enough to give Evanescence the illusion of warmth, not to mention a fair share of crossover hooks. It’s aural candy for aging goths and tortured tweens alike.
Source: allmusic.com
Evanescence Finds A Good Place
Arkansas goth rocker Amy Lee had a smile in her voice when she described the scene outside her window at a concert stop in San Juan, Puerto Rico, last week.
Blue skies, warm breezes and the bluest ocean. Paradise.
"I'm hitting the beach as soon as we're done here," she said.
After years of tumult with her band Evanescence - a bad break with longtime friend and co-founder Ben Moody in 2003 and a revolving door of lineup changes in the years since - Lee is finally in a good place.
"This is the strongest lineup we've ever had. Will (Hunt) is the most amazing drummer in the world. He brings insane amount of punch to the band. I remember when he first joined it was like everything just jumped into 3-D all of a sudden," Lee said, then lavished praise on other band members.
"I guess part of this whole thing right now is we all like each other," she said, which was not the case for much of the band's early years.
Despite selling 17 million copies worldwide of their 2003 debut album "Fallen" and winning a pair of Grammys for the effort the following year, Lee and Evanescence were very much a dysfunctional family.
Even after Moody's abrupt departure midway through a European tour in 2003, the band struggled to regain its footing. The departure, ironically, led the band to pull out of its 2003 Tucson show with KFMA's Butter Ball - the second Tucson no-show for the band that year. The KFMA show was to have launched the band's U.S. tour.
On Tuesday, Evanescence released its third album, "Evanescence," a project that Lee believes puts the band back on track creatively.
"I definitely feel a great sense of teamwork, togetherness. We're in this thing together," the 29-year-old classically-trained pianist says. "I would never want to say that we weren't good before. We made a lot of amazing music. But we are in a place right now that is very significant. We wouldn't be calling the album 'Evanescence' if I wasn't ready to put that stamp in time."
The record comes five years after Evanescence's experimental multiplatinum sophomore album "The Open Door," an album Lee said was almost too dark. That's saying a lot for a woman who has built her reputation on solid goth credentials, from her often handmade Victorian-style clothing to her streaked black hair and tatts.
" 'Open Door' was, I think, very heavy, but also very dark and moody and almost slow and drudging in its heaviness," she said. "('Evanescence') has got a lot of energy. I think part of these songs with that energy and that speed and that intensity comes from working with the band and jamming together and working with the drummer sitting there. I think that the band really has a new tightness. I think all those things push it to a more energetic level."
The album's first single, "What You Want," already has gone to radio, where it was inching its way into Billboard's Top 10 on the rock charts. It was at No. 15 this week.
"I think the first single is a good representation. The music is dynamic. It's all over the place. When you get into it, you're going to hear the deep tracks. There's the epic heart-breaking moments and some things that I think are classics for this band in a way, but just stronger," she added.
Evanescence recorded the album in Nashville, Tenn., at Martina and John McBride's Blackbird Studio, which Lee said also contributed to its softer attitude.
"It felt like we were off the grid a little bit," Lee said of the six months the band spent in Music City, living in an apartment together and riding into the studio every day. "It felt like we could really just create. It made for a little bit of an escape, honestly."
Lee said she will play several cuts off the album alongside the band's early hits - including "Where Will You Go," "Imaginary," So Close," "Understanding," "Bring Me To Life," "Going Under" - at their long-awaited Tucson debut concert Saturday at Casino del Sol's AVA. The show will pay passing nods to the band's past as it introduces fans to its future.
"We just have fun out there. We get out there and leave it on the stage," Lee said. "There's a lot of energy in our show. It's the album on the next level."
Source: azstarnet.com
Blue skies, warm breezes and the bluest ocean. Paradise.
"I'm hitting the beach as soon as we're done here," she said.
After years of tumult with her band Evanescence - a bad break with longtime friend and co-founder Ben Moody in 2003 and a revolving door of lineup changes in the years since - Lee is finally in a good place.
"This is the strongest lineup we've ever had. Will (Hunt) is the most amazing drummer in the world. He brings insane amount of punch to the band. I remember when he first joined it was like everything just jumped into 3-D all of a sudden," Lee said, then lavished praise on other band members.
"I guess part of this whole thing right now is we all like each other," she said, which was not the case for much of the band's early years.
Despite selling 17 million copies worldwide of their 2003 debut album "Fallen" and winning a pair of Grammys for the effort the following year, Lee and Evanescence were very much a dysfunctional family.
Even after Moody's abrupt departure midway through a European tour in 2003, the band struggled to regain its footing. The departure, ironically, led the band to pull out of its 2003 Tucson show with KFMA's Butter Ball - the second Tucson no-show for the band that year. The KFMA show was to have launched the band's U.S. tour.
On Tuesday, Evanescence released its third album, "Evanescence," a project that Lee believes puts the band back on track creatively.
"I definitely feel a great sense of teamwork, togetherness. We're in this thing together," the 29-year-old classically-trained pianist says. "I would never want to say that we weren't good before. We made a lot of amazing music. But we are in a place right now that is very significant. We wouldn't be calling the album 'Evanescence' if I wasn't ready to put that stamp in time."
The record comes five years after Evanescence's experimental multiplatinum sophomore album "The Open Door," an album Lee said was almost too dark. That's saying a lot for a woman who has built her reputation on solid goth credentials, from her often handmade Victorian-style clothing to her streaked black hair and tatts.
" 'Open Door' was, I think, very heavy, but also very dark and moody and almost slow and drudging in its heaviness," she said. "('Evanescence') has got a lot of energy. I think part of these songs with that energy and that speed and that intensity comes from working with the band and jamming together and working with the drummer sitting there. I think that the band really has a new tightness. I think all those things push it to a more energetic level."
The album's first single, "What You Want," already has gone to radio, where it was inching its way into Billboard's Top 10 on the rock charts. It was at No. 15 this week.
"I think the first single is a good representation. The music is dynamic. It's all over the place. When you get into it, you're going to hear the deep tracks. There's the epic heart-breaking moments and some things that I think are classics for this band in a way, but just stronger," she added.
Evanescence recorded the album in Nashville, Tenn., at Martina and John McBride's Blackbird Studio, which Lee said also contributed to its softer attitude.
"It felt like we were off the grid a little bit," Lee said of the six months the band spent in Music City, living in an apartment together and riding into the studio every day. "It felt like we could really just create. It made for a little bit of an escape, honestly."
Lee said she will play several cuts off the album alongside the band's early hits - including "Where Will You Go," "Imaginary," So Close," "Understanding," "Bring Me To Life," "Going Under" - at their long-awaited Tucson debut concert Saturday at Casino del Sol's AVA. The show will pay passing nods to the band's past as it introduces fans to its future.
"We just have fun out there. We get out there and leave it on the stage," Lee said. "There's a lot of energy in our show. It's the album on the next level."
Source: azstarnet.com
‘Heavier’ Evanescence has a different edge
Amy Lee is a harp nerd. Or at least one in training.
“I’m a nerd in that I own and play the harp,” the Evanescence frontwoman says, laughing. “I think that’s enough.”
Adding to her instrumental repertoire is only one of many musical changes on the goth-tinged alt-rock band’s new self-titled album.
Lee, Evanescence’s sole remaining original member from the band’s 2003 breakthrough debut Fallen, has added more edge, synthesizers and programming to the rock mix, making “an even heavier version of Evanescence.” The singer had to learn “really hard” piano parts for the band’s just-launched U.S. tour that runs through Nov. 1 before heading to Europe.
“I always want to do something that’s bigger and better and more interesting than before,” Lee says “I guess partially, that’s just for my own indulgence. The vocals are higher and the piano parts are more complicated. So I’m doing my best! It’s like playing a harder level of a video game.”
Many of Evanescence’s fans have remained loyal to the group over the years, and Lee hears a lot from them on Twitter. What remains to be seen is how this new album will sell compared with the previous two.
Released when Lee was just 22, Fallen sold a healthy 17 million copies worldwide, buoyed by the hit single Bring Me to Life and two Grammy Awards, including best new artist. But Evanescence’s 2006 sophomore effort, The Open Door, sold only 6 million. All the while, Lee weathered a bandmate merry-go-round, the key loss being the resignation of fellow founding member and childhood friend Ben Moody.
Moody, who left the band after its debut album, released a solo effort in 2009 and founded We Are the Fallen with American Idol finalist Carly Smithson and two former Evanescence members. The current Evanescence lineup includes ex-Cold guitarist Terry Balsamo (who has been with the band since Moody’s departure), rhythm guitarist Troy McLawhorn, bassist Tim McCord and drummer Will Hunt.
Lee acknowledges struggling with the attention from media and fans. “It’s different than real life. You have to be really careful and sometimes it feels like you just can’t ever be alone. And other times, it feels like you can only be alone in a weird way.”
With her 30th birthday approaching in December, Lee looks back now with a healthy sense of humor, and even jokes about using dry ice, fan-powered wind whipping through her hair and “Michael Jackson smoke” in her new shows.
“You’re still figuring out who you are at that point, so I did a little bit of growing up in front of everybody, which is fine. I’m great with it now,” Lee says of the band’s early days in the spotlight. “I needed to be an adult without being onstage — I needed to just be Amy and not the lead singer of Evanescence for a little while, and want this and do this because I couldn’t help it and because I had music that I was so in love with that I couldn’t stand not to share with the whole world.”
Lee began working on new songs after Open Door, first just for fun and later deciding to turn them into a proper record. Some were acoustic and Neil Young-inspired, and then she moved into an electronic phase. On the new album, the song Swimming Home came out of that tinkering with ambience and different sounds and feelings, she says, while Made of Stone was a fully electronic song that Lee turned into a “big, rocking Evanescence song.”
Her personal life was changing in that time, too. Lee married Josh Hartzler, a New York therapist and “awesome dude,” in 2007, and she also started taking harp lessons on a lark. Lee liked it so much, she began using the instrument in her songwriting and played it on the new record.
“It is not easy,” she says. “I had a little head start because I could play the piano and they’re in the same family. It’s cool to have something different, though, when you’re writing. A different instrument will make you write a different way.”
Raised in Arkansas, Lee studied music theory and composition at Middle Tennessee State University before leaving to focus on Evanescence, but she’s maintained a love for learning, which crosses over into passions such as painting, cooking and being a harp master.
OK, well maybe not a master. “My instructor is incredible. I’m like a level 2 — she’s like a level 10,” Lee says.
“When I’m writing music, I like to sit at the piano and put my fingers on the keys and not think. Even though it’s difficult to execute perfectly, there’s still some cool freedom in just rocking the harp without a lot of thought going into it.”
Source: tucsoncitizen.com
Evanescence at the Palladium: Concert Review
The Bottom Line:Singer Amy Lee's commanding vocals had the audience at attention, but only partly engaged.
It wasn't a sold out performance at the Hollywood Palladium on Tuesday night, but for a band that hasn't released an album in five years, Evanescence drew a more than respectable crowd to the famed art deco venue, a staple of L.A.'s Sunset Blvd. since 1940.
In a way, the audience, like Evanescence's music, was hard to categorize. Among the sea of people straining for a glimpse of singer Amy Lee and bobbing toward the front of the stage were twenty-something punks with green hair, middle-aged men with moustaches and long ponytails, bleach-blonde ladies and pitch-black goths.
With that in mind, any attempt to generalize the night would be an exercise in futility, unless, of course, you're talking about opener Taylor Momsen of The Pretty Reckless. True to her eyebrow-raising form, the former Gossip Girl star paired raccoon eyes with provocative fish-nets, knee-high leather boots and an all black mini-dress, although surprisingly, for the earlier part of the evening, she covered up with an oversized flannel and black leather jacket, before peeling off the layers and writhing around on stage.
Momson has made plenty of headlines over the past year for her stage antics, but she kept it relatively tame for the Los Angeles audience, dropping a few F-bombs, but more importantly, delivering a slew of songs with power and conviction behind a gravelly voice that sounds like it belongs to an artist well beyond her 18 years. In return, the actress-turned-singer received a variety of adoring obscenities hurled from the audience -- to one, she responded, “I think you’re fucking sexy, too.”
Cheering Momson on was Gossip Girl co-star Connor Paolo (aka Eric Van Der Woodesen), who shouted words of encouragement from the VIP balcony then bolted before the headliner hit the stage. The Pretty Reckless set included a cover of Audioslave’s “Like a Stone," which received mixed reaction.
Evanescence took position promptly at 10:05, kicking off their set with "What You Want," the first single off their brand new self-titled album, which happened to drop on the same night as the show. Donning a black tanktop, black tulle skirt and red flannel embellishment around her waist, Lee then sauntered across the stage leading into "Going Under," from 2003's Fallen, to deafening applause.
But while Lee's hypnotizing voice sounded remarkably similar to her recordings, she bantered so little -- which is to say, hardly at all, unless it involved announcing the name of a new track or plugging the band's just-released album -- that it soon started to feel less like a concert experience and more like a singalong with the iPod on Evanescence shuffle and extra-loud.
Still, Lee delivered with high energy and an undeniably fierce vocal style, best demonstrated on the gut-wrenching ballads “My Heart is Broken,” “Lithium” and the night's closer, “My Immortal,” where she sat at a piano placed front and center. Leading into “Heart,” Lee even made a rare joke, telling the fans to be quiet so she could concentrate.
But at times throughout the band's set, the at attention audience seemed only partly engaged. With several cell phones and even some actual lighters in the air, about half of the crowd obliged to the singer’s requests for sing-a-longs. To their credit, that half gave it their all.
Set List:
What You Want
Going Under
The Other Side
Weight of the World
The Change
Made of Stone
Lost in Paradise
My Heart is Broken
Lithium
Sick
Oceans
Sober
Imaginary
Bring Me to Life
Encore:
Never Go Back
Your Star
My Immortal
Source: hollywoodreporter.com
In a way, the audience, like Evanescence's music, was hard to categorize. Among the sea of people straining for a glimpse of singer Amy Lee and bobbing toward the front of the stage were twenty-something punks with green hair, middle-aged men with moustaches and long ponytails, bleach-blonde ladies and pitch-black goths.
With that in mind, any attempt to generalize the night would be an exercise in futility, unless, of course, you're talking about opener Taylor Momsen of The Pretty Reckless. True to her eyebrow-raising form, the former Gossip Girl star paired raccoon eyes with provocative fish-nets, knee-high leather boots and an all black mini-dress, although surprisingly, for the earlier part of the evening, she covered up with an oversized flannel and black leather jacket, before peeling off the layers and writhing around on stage.
Momson has made plenty of headlines over the past year for her stage antics, but she kept it relatively tame for the Los Angeles audience, dropping a few F-bombs, but more importantly, delivering a slew of songs with power and conviction behind a gravelly voice that sounds like it belongs to an artist well beyond her 18 years. In return, the actress-turned-singer received a variety of adoring obscenities hurled from the audience -- to one, she responded, “I think you’re fucking sexy, too.”
Cheering Momson on was Gossip Girl co-star Connor Paolo (aka Eric Van Der Woodesen), who shouted words of encouragement from the VIP balcony then bolted before the headliner hit the stage. The Pretty Reckless set included a cover of Audioslave’s “Like a Stone," which received mixed reaction.
Evanescence took position promptly at 10:05, kicking off their set with "What You Want," the first single off their brand new self-titled album, which happened to drop on the same night as the show. Donning a black tanktop, black tulle skirt and red flannel embellishment around her waist, Lee then sauntered across the stage leading into "Going Under," from 2003's Fallen, to deafening applause.
But while Lee's hypnotizing voice sounded remarkably similar to her recordings, she bantered so little -- which is to say, hardly at all, unless it involved announcing the name of a new track or plugging the band's just-released album -- that it soon started to feel less like a concert experience and more like a singalong with the iPod on Evanescence shuffle and extra-loud.
Still, Lee delivered with high energy and an undeniably fierce vocal style, best demonstrated on the gut-wrenching ballads “My Heart is Broken,” “Lithium” and the night's closer, “My Immortal,” where she sat at a piano placed front and center. Leading into “Heart,” Lee even made a rare joke, telling the fans to be quiet so she could concentrate.
But at times throughout the band's set, the at attention audience seemed only partly engaged. With several cell phones and even some actual lighters in the air, about half of the crowd obliged to the singer’s requests for sing-a-longs. To their credit, that half gave it their all.
Set List:
What You Want
Going Under
The Other Side
Weight of the World
The Change
Made of Stone
Lost in Paradise
My Heart is Broken
Lithium
Sick
Oceans
Sober
Imaginary
Bring Me to Life
Encore:
Never Go Back
Your Star
My Immortal
Source: hollywoodreporter.com
Evanescence and Rihanna set to top the UK charts this weekend
Arkansas rockers' comeback album is currently heading for the top spot.
Evanescence are currently on course to go straight in at Number One with their new, self-titled album on Sunday (October 16).
The Arkansas rockers, who last released an album in 2006, are presently holding off competition from Steps in the race for the top spot. The reunited pop band are at Number Two with their new compilation 'The Ultimate Collection'.
Source: nme.com
Evanescence are currently on course to go straight in at Number One with their new, self-titled album on Sunday (October 16).
The Arkansas rockers, who last released an album in 2006, are presently holding off competition from Steps in the race for the top spot. The reunited pop band are at Number Two with their new compilation 'The Ultimate Collection'.
Source: nme.com
Evanescence album promising but lacks depth
Evanescence makes a strong comeback with their new self-titled album, surprising fans with a more upbeat attitude.
"What you Want," is a perfect showcase of the fun and catchy made-for-radio sound that can be heard throughout the album. Though it is unusual for a band like Evanescence to sound so sunny, they successfully capture the mood without sounding unnatural or betraying the expectations of their fan base.
While this lighthearted attitude is enjoyable, the album fails to capture the wide range of emotions expressed in their previous album, "The Open Door" and, instead is so intent on keeping it upbeat,that the band loses itself. It can even be said that the album is a little too cheerful at times—there are a few songs that are entirely forgettable due to their lack of passion.
The one song that should be the most passionate falls flat. "My Heart is Broken," with its cliché title lyrics, completely misses the mark despite starting in the right direction. For a song that should convey deep emotional pain, it is not nearly melancholy enough. "Erase This" is equally forgettable, but for different reasons, such as being too fast-paced and too passionless to draw interest.
Though there are a few songs that fail to please, the album, as a whole, is a delight to listen to. Fans will fall in love with "Lost in Paradise," "The Change," "Never Go Back" and "Made of Stone." "Sick" provides a nice respite from the fun with its edgy, angry sound and the contrast of the hopeful and the macabre in "The Other Side" is a breath of fresh air.
"Swimming Home" is perhaps the most captivating song on the entire album. Curious in its striking difference from the other songs, it can only be described as unique. Though the vocals are undeniably lead singer Amy Lee's, the lyrics are so strange and the sound is so eerily alien that it demands attention and defies comparison. The creepy atmosphere that it creates is so impressive that it cannot be missed.
"Evanescence" was released on Tuesday and is available in stores and on iTunes.
Source: thesetonian.com
"What you Want," is a perfect showcase of the fun and catchy made-for-radio sound that can be heard throughout the album. Though it is unusual for a band like Evanescence to sound so sunny, they successfully capture the mood without sounding unnatural or betraying the expectations of their fan base.
While this lighthearted attitude is enjoyable, the album fails to capture the wide range of emotions expressed in their previous album, "The Open Door" and, instead is so intent on keeping it upbeat,that the band loses itself. It can even be said that the album is a little too cheerful at times—there are a few songs that are entirely forgettable due to their lack of passion.
The one song that should be the most passionate falls flat. "My Heart is Broken," with its cliché title lyrics, completely misses the mark despite starting in the right direction. For a song that should convey deep emotional pain, it is not nearly melancholy enough. "Erase This" is equally forgettable, but for different reasons, such as being too fast-paced and too passionless to draw interest.
Though there are a few songs that fail to please, the album, as a whole, is a delight to listen to. Fans will fall in love with "Lost in Paradise," "The Change," "Never Go Back" and "Made of Stone." "Sick" provides a nice respite from the fun with its edgy, angry sound and the contrast of the hopeful and the macabre in "The Other Side" is a breath of fresh air.
"Swimming Home" is perhaps the most captivating song on the entire album. Curious in its striking difference from the other songs, it can only be described as unique. Though the vocals are undeniably lead singer Amy Lee's, the lyrics are so strange and the sound is so eerily alien that it demands attention and defies comparison. The creepy atmosphere that it creates is so impressive that it cannot be missed.
"Evanescence" was released on Tuesday and is available in stores and on iTunes.
Source: thesetonian.com
Evanescence Plan More U.S. Tour Dates For 2012
'We're gonna be all over the world,' frontwoman Amy Lee tells MTV News backstage at the Hollywood Palladium.
LOS ANGELES — Backstage at the historic Hollywood Palladium on Tuesday, Evanescence frontwoman Amy Lee was beaming. She was just hours away from playing to an army of eager fans (who, by the way, started forming a line around the venue early in the day). And of course, her band released its long-awaited third album, Evanescence, on the same day."There's a big line out there for sure," Lee told MTV News. "I don't know what to say, it was really cute. I went and bought my album at Amoeba [Music] and then I was on my way back and I had my little album on my lap, and they were all looking at their albums too. I think they just came from there.
"We're really excited," Lee continued. "You know, we've been working on this record forever and today's the day that we've been looking forward to for a really long time. It's great to be in L.A. We're gonna play a great show and just have fun."
The show was just the second stop on the tour, which sees support from opening acts the Pretty Reckless (which Lee called "a great fit") and Rival Sons (whose sound she described as "that Zeppelin, trippy, awesome rock"). Both bands were handpicked by EV, no doubt due to their impressive live sets.
As far as what fans can expect from Evanescence's stage show, Lee promised plenty from the new LP.
"We're definitely focusing mainly on the new material," Lee said. "We're really excited about that music the most — obviously it's the newest — but of course we'll be playing some from both of our other albums too. I guess I'd say in general, our show's on the heavy-energy side, so we'll be running around singing a lot of fast songs." While it's been some time since fans have had a chance to see EV live, Lee hasn't forgotten her favorite thing about touring.
"I love the fans!" Lee said with a smile. "I think the shows — I guess that's a boring answer — but definitely the thing that we're looking forward to when we're on the road is the concerts. Seeing the fans — hopefully getting them to lose their minds."
Which is exactly what they did when the band took the stage later that night at the Palladium. A seeming sea of black shirts filled the venue to near capacity. Of course, the band echoed the same dark wardrobe, punctuated by a burst of plaid on Lee's dress. Capturing every moment were a throng of cell phones and cameras hoisted in the air. Oh, and plenty of devil horns.
The energetic L.A. show was one stop among a slew of U.S. cities that the band will hit from now until November 1. But if your hometown isn't on the current schedule, don't fret: EV is already planning the next leg of the Stateside tour.
"We're still booking it, but I think we're gonna be doing another U.S. run next January, late January, somewhere in there," Lee said. "That's kind of the plan. If not, it will be soon after. We're gonna be all over the world, so — we always tour the world, but this time we're making a point to try to hit a lot the countries that we've always wanted to go to and have never been to, or that we see fans tweeting us or whatever and saying, Why don't we come there? We've never been to Indonesia, or whatever. So yeah, we've got a big list of places that we're gonna be touring for the foreseeable future."
Souce: mtv.com
Amy's favorite Bjork songs
Evanescence, the band’s first album is five years, thankfully marks a return to their sinister chug and Amy Lee’s heavenly wail. But there’s a deeper focus on electronic textures thanks to the programming of Nine Inch Nail Chris Vrenna and the frontwoman’s deep, long-lasting love of artists like Portishead, Massive Attack, and Depeche Mode. Here Lee–who is featured on the cover of the new Hottest Chicks in Hard Rock issue–breaks down her four favorite songs by tireless Icelandic genre-hopper Björk, whose wild, carefree spirit lurks in Evanescence‘s darkest corners.
Crystalline
“Björk inspires me in a lot of ways. Her voice is one of the most amazing voices in the world. And she’ll just say whatever. The way she uses the English language, probably because it’s not her first language, she uses it for the way the words sound as much as what the words mean. That always inspired me. When I’m writing lyrics, I think that way, too. I want the meaning to matter, but the way they actually sound coming out your mouth matters, too. Smart girl, that one.
Army Of Me
“I know that’s everybody’s favorite, but it’s just so good. There’s a whole album of covers of that one song. If you go on iTunes, there’s an album that’s fully just that song 12 times by 10 different bands.”
Joga
“I’m probably pronouncing that one wrong. I love that song. [An MTV News reporter] was saying that [new song "Lost In Paradise"] reminds him of this song. That’s a song that inspired me from a long, long time ago. It definitely inspired me musically ages ago.”
Pagan Poetry
“That’s another great one that I listen to a lot. Man, the lyrics are so good. ‘On the surface simplicity/But the darkest pit in me/It’s pagan poetry’… I love that! Totally speaks to me, it’s so beautiful!”
Source: evthreads.com
Crystalline
“Björk inspires me in a lot of ways. Her voice is one of the most amazing voices in the world. And she’ll just say whatever. The way she uses the English language, probably because it’s not her first language, she uses it for the way the words sound as much as what the words mean. That always inspired me. When I’m writing lyrics, I think that way, too. I want the meaning to matter, but the way they actually sound coming out your mouth matters, too. Smart girl, that one.
Army Of Me
“I know that’s everybody’s favorite, but it’s just so good. There’s a whole album of covers of that one song. If you go on iTunes, there’s an album that’s fully just that song 12 times by 10 different bands.”
Joga
“I’m probably pronouncing that one wrong. I love that song. [An MTV News reporter] was saying that [new song "Lost In Paradise"] reminds him of this song. That’s a song that inspired me from a long, long time ago. It definitely inspired me musically ages ago.”
Pagan Poetry
“That’s another great one that I listen to a lot. Man, the lyrics are so good. ‘On the surface simplicity/But the darkest pit in me/It’s pagan poetry’… I love that! Totally speaks to me, it’s so beautiful!”
Source: evthreads.com
Evanescence & Five Finger Death Punch Eyeing Top Of Billboard 200 Chart
After a long five-year wait, Evanescence is back-and perhaps headed for its second No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.
The band's new self-titled third studio release could sell around 110,000 to 125,000 copies by week's end on Sunday, Oct. 16--so say industry prognosticators.
While that is probably a big enough sales figure to secure a No. 1 arrival, don't count out the resilient Adele and her "21" album. It sold 112,000 this past week according to Nielsen SoundScan, and has been moving between 110,000 to 154,000 on a weekly basis for the past month-and-a-half. "21" rose a spot to No. 2 on the Billboard 200 this week and has never left the top four positions since it bowed at No. 1 on March 12.
Evanescence's new album, if it hits No. 1, will mark the Amy Lee-fronted group's second chart-topper, following "The Open Door" in 2006. That album bounded in with 447,000 copies sold. "Door" was the follow-up to the rock act's breakthrough debut, "Fallen," which spent 106 weeks on the Billboard 200 and has sold 7.6 million copies in the U.S.
Another rock band, Five Finger Death Punch, could be cruising to a top three debut on the Billboard 200 as its third album, "American Capitalist," may sell around 80,000 to 100,000. Its last release, 2009's "War Is the Answer," jumped in at No. 7 with a 44,000 launch. Its sales-to-date stand at 569,000.
2011 "American Idol" runner-up Lauren Alaina and Ryan Adams' "Ashes & Fire" could both start in the top 10 as well-shifting about 60,000 and 50,000 copies each, respectively. Country superstar Martina McBride's "Eleven" is flirting with a top 10 debut (perhaps 35,000) as is Joe Jonas' solo debut "Fastlife" (maybe 25,000).
Source: billboard.com
The band's new self-titled third studio release could sell around 110,000 to 125,000 copies by week's end on Sunday, Oct. 16--so say industry prognosticators.
While that is probably a big enough sales figure to secure a No. 1 arrival, don't count out the resilient Adele and her "21" album. It sold 112,000 this past week according to Nielsen SoundScan, and has been moving between 110,000 to 154,000 on a weekly basis for the past month-and-a-half. "21" rose a spot to No. 2 on the Billboard 200 this week and has never left the top four positions since it bowed at No. 1 on March 12.
Evanescence's new album, if it hits No. 1, will mark the Amy Lee-fronted group's second chart-topper, following "The Open Door" in 2006. That album bounded in with 447,000 copies sold. "Door" was the follow-up to the rock act's breakthrough debut, "Fallen," which spent 106 weeks on the Billboard 200 and has sold 7.6 million copies in the U.S.
Another rock band, Five Finger Death Punch, could be cruising to a top three debut on the Billboard 200 as its third album, "American Capitalist," may sell around 80,000 to 100,000. Its last release, 2009's "War Is the Answer," jumped in at No. 7 with a 44,000 launch. Its sales-to-date stand at 569,000.
2011 "American Idol" runner-up Lauren Alaina and Ryan Adams' "Ashes & Fire" could both start in the top 10 as well-shifting about 60,000 and 50,000 copies each, respectively. Country superstar Martina McBride's "Eleven" is flirting with a top 10 debut (perhaps 35,000) as is Joe Jonas' solo debut "Fastlife" (maybe 25,000).
Source: billboard.com
Review: IGN
Five years since the release of their sophomore album, Arkansas rockers Evanescence finally return with their third effort. A hiatus and scrapped sessions with producer Steve Lillywhite behind them, the quintet brought in Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Deftones) to handle production duties. The result is an album that delivers on the orchestral-laced hard rock thrust and Amy Lee's soaring vocals fans have come to expect, with a few surprising experiments along the way.
Lee's skyward vocals suit the album's obsession with the emotional frustration and devastation of a break-up well, ripe with romantically longing tunes like gorgeous power ballad "Lost In Paradise", where her breathy vocals in the beginning awaken as she passionately apologizes for not sticking with the guy who believed in her. While there are moments of beauty, like the twinkling piano and classical strings wrestling with burly riffs on "The Change", there are plenty of tracks where the guitar assault does its best to smother the strings for a more direct hard rock sound, as with the thick slab of metal-kissed guitar shoving the orchestra to the background on "End Of The Dream".
Lee's alluring vocals hang over the rubbery thicket of guitars on "Made Of Stone", almost as if she is haunting the song. Their attempt to pretty up "Never Go Back" nearly derails the track, with guitar gnawing over a grumbling bass groove sounding great before they clumsily toss in a bit of unnecessary piano in the hook of what is otherwise an invigorating listen, as Lee desperately professes her love. For all the familiar cascading piano and grubby march of guitar and stomping drums on fiery "My Heart Is Broken", where Lee's siren-esque vocals shine, the band takes a few interesting chances late in the album.
A hazy synth hum and stuttering beat make for a head turning sonic shift on the excellent "Oceans", with plenty of guitar in the hook to make up for the neon fog in the verses. The icy chill of electo-pop ballad "Swimming Home" is a twitchy, sleepy experiment gone awry, and is enough of a sonic departure to be better served as a bonus track or b-side. The slamming beat and odd blend of twinkling piano and electro-pop dance elements toil with thrashing guitars for a cluttered, but uplifting listen as Lee pleads for freedom of expression on the oddly poppy vocal of "What You Want".
With a few tracks spreading their wings a bit and plenty of surefire fan favorites, like the dramatic roaring vocals and guitars sawing through piano on tense "Erase This", Evanescence's latest is great album that delivers the familiar while keeping an eye on the future.
8 out of 10
Source: ign.com
Lee's skyward vocals suit the album's obsession with the emotional frustration and devastation of a break-up well, ripe with romantically longing tunes like gorgeous power ballad "Lost In Paradise", where her breathy vocals in the beginning awaken as she passionately apologizes for not sticking with the guy who believed in her. While there are moments of beauty, like the twinkling piano and classical strings wrestling with burly riffs on "The Change", there are plenty of tracks where the guitar assault does its best to smother the strings for a more direct hard rock sound, as with the thick slab of metal-kissed guitar shoving the orchestra to the background on "End Of The Dream".
Lee's alluring vocals hang over the rubbery thicket of guitars on "Made Of Stone", almost as if she is haunting the song. Their attempt to pretty up "Never Go Back" nearly derails the track, with guitar gnawing over a grumbling bass groove sounding great before they clumsily toss in a bit of unnecessary piano in the hook of what is otherwise an invigorating listen, as Lee desperately professes her love. For all the familiar cascading piano and grubby march of guitar and stomping drums on fiery "My Heart Is Broken", where Lee's siren-esque vocals shine, the band takes a few interesting chances late in the album.
A hazy synth hum and stuttering beat make for a head turning sonic shift on the excellent "Oceans", with plenty of guitar in the hook to make up for the neon fog in the verses. The icy chill of electo-pop ballad "Swimming Home" is a twitchy, sleepy experiment gone awry, and is enough of a sonic departure to be better served as a bonus track or b-side. The slamming beat and odd blend of twinkling piano and electro-pop dance elements toil with thrashing guitars for a cluttered, but uplifting listen as Lee pleads for freedom of expression on the oddly poppy vocal of "What You Want".
With a few tracks spreading their wings a bit and plenty of surefire fan favorites, like the dramatic roaring vocals and guitars sawing through piano on tense "Erase This", Evanescence's latest is great album that delivers the familiar while keeping an eye on the future.
8 out of 10
Source: ign.com
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Evanescence Dazzle Hollywood Audience on Second Night of Their Tour
If anyone thought the several-year layoff of the multi-platinum and Grammy winning rock band Evanescence might result in a lackluster show at the start of a new tour, they would be sorely mistaken.
As the band proved at the Hollywood Palladium at tour stop last night, they are more than ready to play. Comprised today of Terry Balsamo (guitar), Troy McLawhorn (guitar), Tim McCord (bass), Will Hunt (drums) and of course one of the most compelling front people of her generation, singer-pianist Amy Lee, Evanescence hit the stage promptly at 10:05PM and through the course of 17-songs took the tightly-packed house on a journey that focused heavily on their new album 'Evanescence ' (released the day of the show), while also delivering the anthemic hits.
Kicking off with the album's first single, 'What You Want,' it was clear from the outset that Lee's performing chops have only gotten stronger during her time away from the band. From the moment the purple and aqua lights washed over her, she was sashaying, swaying, and dancing with the flow of the music, letting her body flow freely against the muscular, brooding chords of the new music.
Dressed in a black sequined dress with a plaid wrap around her waist and knee-high boots, Lee evoked other classic female rockers from earlier eras, such as Stevie Nicks and Kate Bush. Still a gothy, raven haired beauty who understands how to sell a song onstage, Lee seemed thoroughly energized performing the new songs, girlishly chatting them up and then delivering them with the force of the gods.
Her full-bodied voice still soars when she wants it to, but it has also aged nicely and allows her to bring new earthy drama to her performance, in particular when she sits down at the Baldwin baby grand mid-set for several songs including the new 'My Heart is Broken' and 'Lithium,' from the band's second album, 2007's 'The Open Door.'
But for all the introspective grace and delicate, airy intensity she brings at the piano, it's when she's stalking the stage that Lee seems the most gripping, commanding and lusty. Although she has been out of the Evanescence limelight for a couple of years, Lee's sultry priestess of rock persona has evolved nicely. Physically throwing her self into the music as she does, she elevated the crowd numerous times over the course of the evening, pausing several times to revel in the moment of the new album's release.
But in the end, it's about the songs, and the new material melded strongly with the classics. This may not be an official 'comeback' but clearly this is a band that has picked up right where they left off, delivering smart, emotional, darkly catchy anthems to an audience whose appetite for the band seems only to have grown.
This was a triumphant night in Hollywood. Welcome back Evanescence. Welcome back, Amy Lee.
Setlist:
'What You Want'
'Going Under'
'The Other Side'
'Weight of the World'
'The Change'
'Made of Stone'
'Lost in Paradise'
'My Heart Is Broken'
'Lithium'
'Sick'
'Oceans'
'Call Me When You're Sober'
'Imaginary'
'Bring Me To Life'
Encore:
'Never Go Back'
'Your Star'
'My Immortal'
New York rock band The Pretty Reckless and Rival Sons both delivered strong opening sets.
Tour Dates:
Oct 14 Phoenix Comerica Theatre
Oct 15 Tucson AVA Amphitheatre
Oct 18 San Antonio Sunken Gardens
Oct 19 Dallas Palladium
Oct 21 Milwaukee Eagles Ballroom
Oct 22 Chicago Congress Theatre
Oct 24 Detroit Royal Oak Music Theatre
Oct 25 Toronto The Sound Academy
Oct 27 Montreal Metropolis
Oct 28 Boston Palladium
Oct 30 Atlantic City Showboat - House of Blues
Nov 1 NYC Terminal 5
Source: noisecreep.com
As the band proved at the Hollywood Palladium at tour stop last night, they are more than ready to play. Comprised today of Terry Balsamo (guitar), Troy McLawhorn (guitar), Tim McCord (bass), Will Hunt (drums) and of course one of the most compelling front people of her generation, singer-pianist Amy Lee, Evanescence hit the stage promptly at 10:05PM and through the course of 17-songs took the tightly-packed house on a journey that focused heavily on their new album 'Evanescence ' (released the day of the show), while also delivering the anthemic hits.
Kicking off with the album's first single, 'What You Want,' it was clear from the outset that Lee's performing chops have only gotten stronger during her time away from the band. From the moment the purple and aqua lights washed over her, she was sashaying, swaying, and dancing with the flow of the music, letting her body flow freely against the muscular, brooding chords of the new music.
Dressed in a black sequined dress with a plaid wrap around her waist and knee-high boots, Lee evoked other classic female rockers from earlier eras, such as Stevie Nicks and Kate Bush. Still a gothy, raven haired beauty who understands how to sell a song onstage, Lee seemed thoroughly energized performing the new songs, girlishly chatting them up and then delivering them with the force of the gods.
Her full-bodied voice still soars when she wants it to, but it has also aged nicely and allows her to bring new earthy drama to her performance, in particular when she sits down at the Baldwin baby grand mid-set for several songs including the new 'My Heart is Broken' and 'Lithium,' from the band's second album, 2007's 'The Open Door.'
But for all the introspective grace and delicate, airy intensity she brings at the piano, it's when she's stalking the stage that Lee seems the most gripping, commanding and lusty. Although she has been out of the Evanescence limelight for a couple of years, Lee's sultry priestess of rock persona has evolved nicely. Physically throwing her self into the music as she does, she elevated the crowd numerous times over the course of the evening, pausing several times to revel in the moment of the new album's release.
But in the end, it's about the songs, and the new material melded strongly with the classics. This may not be an official 'comeback' but clearly this is a band that has picked up right where they left off, delivering smart, emotional, darkly catchy anthems to an audience whose appetite for the band seems only to have grown.
This was a triumphant night in Hollywood. Welcome back Evanescence. Welcome back, Amy Lee.
Setlist:
'What You Want'
'Going Under'
'The Other Side'
'Weight of the World'
'The Change'
'Made of Stone'
'Lost in Paradise'
'My Heart Is Broken'
'Lithium'
'Sick'
'Oceans'
'Call Me When You're Sober'
'Imaginary'
'Bring Me To Life'
Encore:
'Never Go Back'
'Your Star'
'My Immortal'
New York rock band The Pretty Reckless and Rival Sons both delivered strong opening sets.
Tour Dates:
Oct 14 Phoenix Comerica Theatre
Oct 15 Tucson AVA Amphitheatre
Oct 18 San Antonio Sunken Gardens
Oct 19 Dallas Palladium
Oct 21 Milwaukee Eagles Ballroom
Oct 22 Chicago Congress Theatre
Oct 24 Detroit Royal Oak Music Theatre
Oct 25 Toronto The Sound Academy
Oct 27 Montreal Metropolis
Oct 28 Boston Palladium
Oct 30 Atlantic City Showboat - House of Blues
Nov 1 NYC Terminal 5
Source: noisecreep.com
EVANESCENCE, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH ROCK THE ONE-DAYS
Welcome back, Amy Lee. Where’ve ya been?
Evanescence, the band fronted by the sultry lead vocalist, returns to the charts next week with its self-titled third album—and first since 2006’s The Open Door—which is expected to do between 110-120k.
That will put it in a race with Adele for the top spot on next week’s chart, based on one-day sales reports from those retailers not participating in theOccupy Wall Street protest.
Prospect Park rockers Five Finger Death Punch’s third album, American Capitalist—not named after manager Jeff Kwatinetz, or maybe it is—will bow with between 85-90k in sales, which should be enough to make it Top Three on next week’s chart.
Source: hitsdailydouble.com
Evanescence, the band fronted by the sultry lead vocalist, returns to the charts next week with its self-titled third album—and first since 2006’s The Open Door—which is expected to do between 110-120k.
That will put it in a race with Adele for the top spot on next week’s chart, based on one-day sales reports from those retailers not participating in the
Prospect Park rockers Five Finger Death Punch’s third album, American Capitalist—not named after manager Jeff Kwatinetz, or maybe it is—will bow with between 85-90k in sales, which should be enough to make it Top Three on next week’s chart.
Source: hitsdailydouble.com
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