Evanescence's self-titled third album, due out on Tuesday (Oct. 11), arrives five years after their last effort and captures a hard-fought journey for the hard-rock maestros. After scoring hits like "Bring Me to Life," "Going Under" and "Call Me When You're Sober" on their first two albums, the group became trapped in a hiatus that saw multiple lineup changes and nearly ended in the band's permanent split. Fortunately, Evanescence rebooted and returned with a more complete sound for "Evanescence," which they'll support with a fall U.S. trek.
Frontwoman Amy Lee will be stopping by Billboard on Tuesday, Oct. 11 at 4pm EST to celebrate the album release, open up about the band's struggles and forecast Evanescence's future. She'll be answering fan questions live on camera, so tweet your burning queries now to @billboard using hashtag #bbAmy then come back to this page watch the live chat on Tuesday.
Source: billboard.com
Evanescence's self-titled third album is in stores now.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Saturday, October 8, 2011
In-Studio w/ Evanescence
During the first half of 2010, Evanescence worked on a new album with producer Steve Lilywhite, but ultimately, Amy Lee decided against releasing what she termed an “experimental” record; instead, the band regrouped several times and developed some new material together. After searching for an appropriate producer to make a new, from-scratch album, the group ultimately hired Nashville-based Nick Raskulinecz (pronounced “Rask-a-len-iks), whose long and impressive resume includes sonically adventurous albums by the Foo Fighters, Alice in Chains, Coheed and Cambria, Stone Sour, The Deftones, Rush and many others. Paul Fig (Figueroa), who has worked on numerous projects with Raskulinecz since assisting on an album by The Exies at Sound City in L.A. back in 2004, engineered the sessions at Nashville’s Blackbird Studios this past spring. The album is simply titled Evanescence.
“Evanescence’s camp called me and asked if I might be interested in working with them,” Raskulinecz explains. “Never having been a fan of the band, I said yes anyway because you never know. And when they sent me a few demos, I really heard some stuff that I thought could be great. That’s how it starts with any project for me.
“Amy and I had a great meeting,” he continues. “She came down from New York, and we met at Blackbird in the studio that I had a vision for making the record in—Studio D. I’ve made other records there before and I thought she would love the vibe and the ‘hang’ of it. It’s such a great room to be creative in and make music in. So we just sat in the control room for a couple of hours and talked, and she asked me all kinds of questions. I think I had five or six songs at that point and I told her my ideas and what I thought about them. And she liked a lot of what I had to say and didn’t like a little bit of what I had to say, but she accepted it. Then I think she had a couple of other meetings with other dudes after me, but I got the call a few days later telling me they’d picked me.” Lee and the band had apparently been most impressed by the producer’s recent work with Alice in Chains and The Deftones.
Once the ball was rolling, Raskulinecz and the group spent a month at SIR in Nashville—five days a week, eight hours a day—making sure the songs and arrangements were as strong as they could be, “and then from there you really dive into the details of what everybody is doing individually,” he says.
“Amy knows what she wants. She’s very focused and she’s very passionate about her songs and her music,” he continues. “It all starts with the piano melodies and the parts and the vocals, and then it goes from there. It’s Amy’s vision, but along with Tim and Terry. When I got involved, those three were kind of the core of all the songs I had heard. But I know when Will Hunt, the drummer, got involved, things evolved a little bit more, and he was in on some of the songwriting. And then when Troy came on board, he was really important in bringing some great ideas to the table. Everybody in Amy’s band is a great musician and a great guy. Will Hunt is an animal on the drums; he’s amazing. The rhythm section of Will and Tim is on fire, man!
“Going into this record, before we even went into Blackbird, I knew that sonically it was going to be a big, dense album, so me and Paul Fig were very aware of that. The recording of it was very calculated. We knew that there would be lots of tracks—drums, drum samples, a big bass sound, two guitar players, piano, tons of vocals, harmonies and overlapping tracks—just massive. So it was a lot to organize and keep track of, but at the same time I wanted to make sure that by the time you got to the mix you could still hear everything.”
TAKE UPON TAKE UPON TAKE
Still, even with all the layering of parts (we’ll get to that momentarily), it was important for Raskulinecz and Fig that the base of the album be completely performance-oriented. “It wasn’t, ‘Play it once or twice and go have a snack; I’ll sit here and edit it for the next five hours,’” Raskulinecz says with a chuckle. “It was more like, ‘That was all right. Let’s do it again—take 25.’ It was lots of takes and comping from there, and then going back and punching in.
“The way we did it is we made stripes for everything. We would get scratch guitar, scratch bass and scratch vocals just with a click, and then we would track the drums to that.”
Adds engineer Fig, “Nick likes to concentrate on the performance, so it’s usually beginning to end. If there are tough sections, maybe we’ll come in halfway. Generally we’ll have six or seven playlists of drums we like and we’ll comp something together from those performances. But he really doesn’t want it to sound like somebody chopped it up and then slapped it together.” Hunt plays a 26-inch kick drum, which Fig miked with a Sennheiser e 602 on one side and a FET 47 on the other. Toms were captured with AKG 451s set in hypercardioid.
Lee would sing her scratch vocals in the control room of Blackbird Studio D, without headphones, through a Shure SM7. “When we did the vocals for real, obviously we did it differently,” Raskulinecz notes. “She’s an amazing singer—she can sing all day long.” Fig: “There were a couple of days when Nick had to be somewhere else and I was working with her on vocals and I was worried maybe I was pushing her too hard. But she’s like an athlete. She stepped to the plate and hit it out of the park.”
Raskulinecz and Fig did a shootout to choose the right vocal mic for Lee—the winner was a long-body Neumann U47 that is, coincidentally, Blackbird owner John McBride’s favorite U47. (Fig: “That mic was mind-blowing—it could handle anything she could belt at it.”) That was used for all of Lee’s leads; her backing vocals—and there are many of them—went through a Telefunken 251. “Amy is really singing at the highest level possible,” Raskulinecz offers. “Some of those songs have 30 to 40 tracks of vocals, easily: Lead vocal, doubled in spots, tripled in spots, then the choruses are all tripled and the harmonies are all tripled and then there are overlapping vocals, ones that weave in and out of each other.” And the rest of the vocal chain? Sorry, Fig says, “That’s Nick’s personal chain.” Trade secret, apparently.
SEND IN THE BAND
Lee’s piano work is all over the album (she’s classically trained, with serious chops); she also added all sorts of electronic keys work, including a Roland RD700X and various soft synths. Additionally, Chris Vrenna (of Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson fame) contributed a plethora of electronic sounds and textures that were added in once the instruments and most of the vocal tracks were in place. This, too, was part of the original vision for the album.
“I don’t think there’s less than 30 to 38 pairs of stereo tracks of electronics on every single song,” Raskulinecz comments. “It’s little parts and noises and ambience; more synth, lots of low bass. This album has a massive low end. I introduced Amy to the Moog Taurus [analog synth bass] pedals, which is one of my favorite pieces of gear ever. Rush was famous for that, and I was instrumental in bringing those back into their sound [when I produced them]. They didn’t even own any of that stuff anymore when I got involved with them. Anyway, we put that all over this album.”
Balsamo and McLawhorn played multiple guitars through a wide assortment of amps, large and small, including Marshalls (2250 and JCM 800), AC-30s, Bogner Shiva and Uberschall, Buddha Superdrive combo amps and others. “We have our own little secret amp collection, too,” Fig teases. Favorite guitar mics on these sessions included Shure 57s (ol’ reliable), FET 47s, AKG 441s, Mojave Audio MA-100s and Sennheiser 421s—“combinations of those going across four amps,” Fig says. “For some overdubs we had an MA-100 and MA-200 and a [Neumann] 87.” Adds Raskulinecz, “This isn’t one of those records were there’s layers and layers of guitars. Amy plays a lot of cool piano parts on every song so that took the place of a lot of guitar-style overdubs. Instead, we tried to make the guitar parts really interesting within themselves so there didn’t have to be a ton of them. We were real conscious about that.” The piano parts were recorded to tape, using multiple mics inside, a PZM on the floor beneath and AKG C-12s farther away.
The last part of the recording process was adding David Campbell’s lush and evocative string parts, which were cut at Avatar Studios in Manhattan during two intensive days of sessions. And that, friends, puts us at well over 100 tracks for most songs. “To play one song back, we had to have two Pro Tools rigs and a tape machine,” Raskulinecz says. “We completely maxed out the first Pro Tools rig with just the band—guitar, bass, drums, vocals, piano. Then there was another Pro Tools rig that had all of the programming and electronics and some of the strings on it. And then there was a Studer 24-track chasing with all the rest of the strings on it.”
BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER
Finally, the avalanche of tracks was sent to veteran engineer/mixer Randy Staub (Metallica, Bon Jovi, Nickelback, Motley Crue, etc.), who has worked on several previous projects for Raskulinecz. Staub mixed the record at The Warehouse in Vancouver on Studio 1’s SSL G Series console. Ted Jensen mastered the disc at Sterling Sound in New York City. “He crushes it every time,” Fig says admiringly of Staub. “It always comes back from Randy sounding bigger than life.”
Which is exactly what Amy Lee wanted from this album. That, and to project some of the fun she and the band had making it. That’s not to say there aren’t plenty of brooding goth-rock textures on this album—there are. But as she told Spin magazine in the spring, “This has been a long trip and parts have been hard. But it’s about not taking everything so seriously this time.” Even so, “Writing with the band and working with a heavy rock producer has made it more of a rock record.It’s Evanescence but with all these new sounds.”
Oct 1, 2011 9:00 AM, By Blair Jackson
Source: mixonline.com
Friday, October 7, 2011
ALBUM PREMIERE: Evanescence's Self-Titled Return
Evanescence's Amy Lee drops a surprising F-bomb when discussing her band's new album: "The record is FUN -- and that's a totally new thing for us," she tells SPIN. How much fun? Find out for yourself with our exclusive stream of the self-titled LP right here, four days before it hits stores on October 11.
Lee also emphasizes how, despite her much publicized fallouts with ex-band members over the years, Evanescence is a truly collaborative effort: "Everyone being a part of this album, from the ground up, is an entirely new approach for us. There's nobody that's just coming in to play guitar. Everybody's invested. We're more truly a band now than ever before."
With that in mind, we asked the other four members of Evanescence to talk about their favorite songs on the new album. And if you want to hear more from Amy herself, check out our latest interview, from SPIN's October issue.
TERRY BALSAMO, GUITAR: "SICK"
"It's one of the most important songs on the record to me because it was one of the first written and it set a heavy direction for the rest of the record."
WILL HUNT, DRUMS: "NEVER GO BACK"
"This song for me has all the elements of a band who know who they are, but aren't afraid to push the envelope and take risks. This tune is my fave on the record because it's heavy and uncompromising, but beautiful and epic at the same time. It really takes me on an emotional roller coaster."
TROY McLAWHORN, GUITAR: "THE CHANGE"
"It has a whole different feel without going too far away from what fans of the band would expect from us, while it opens the door for us to explore music that is more groove-based. I love the way the verse is subdued and almost has a reggae feel, and then opens up into a massive chorus. When we get to the bridge, it's full on rock with a tinge of a metal. If we tried to write it with those parameters in mind it never would have happened. That's why I love it!"
TIM McCORD, BASS: "THE OTHER SIDE"
"It's groovy, loud, and rockin', and the subject matter hits home with me. It makes me think of, and miss someone that I've lost."
Source: spin.com
Lee also emphasizes how, despite her much publicized fallouts with ex-band members over the years, Evanescence is a truly collaborative effort: "Everyone being a part of this album, from the ground up, is an entirely new approach for us. There's nobody that's just coming in to play guitar. Everybody's invested. We're more truly a band now than ever before."
With that in mind, we asked the other four members of Evanescence to talk about their favorite songs on the new album. And if you want to hear more from Amy herself, check out our latest interview, from SPIN's October issue.
TERRY BALSAMO, GUITAR: "SICK"
"It's one of the most important songs on the record to me because it was one of the first written and it set a heavy direction for the rest of the record."
WILL HUNT, DRUMS: "NEVER GO BACK"
"This song for me has all the elements of a band who know who they are, but aren't afraid to push the envelope and take risks. This tune is my fave on the record because it's heavy and uncompromising, but beautiful and epic at the same time. It really takes me on an emotional roller coaster."
TROY McLAWHORN, GUITAR: "THE CHANGE"
"It has a whole different feel without going too far away from what fans of the band would expect from us, while it opens the door for us to explore music that is more groove-based. I love the way the verse is subdued and almost has a reggae feel, and then opens up into a massive chorus. When we get to the bridge, it's full on rock with a tinge of a metal. If we tried to write it with those parameters in mind it never would have happened. That's why I love it!"
TIM McCORD, BASS: "THE OTHER SIDE"
"It's groovy, loud, and rockin', and the subject matter hits home with me. It makes me think of, and miss someone that I've lost."
Source: spin.com
Evanescence comes together for new, self-titled album
On their first album in five years, the self-titled "Evanescence," Grammy-winning gothic rock band Evanescence finally sounds like the band it has always wanted to be -- tight, together and mature. On October 11, Evanescence releases the 12-track collection produced by Nick Raskulinecz, known for his work with Alice in Chains and Foo Fighters. Frontwoman Amy Lee told Reuters the new record is more collaborative than the band's previous two.
"We know how to work together and play off each other's strengths and that is different from our other albums," Lee told Reuters. "It's cool because we do have some life experiences together and there isn't a new member. It feels like a family reunion."
Evanescence burst onto the rock scene with their 2003 smash hit "Fallen," which featured the band's breakthrough single, "Bring Me to Life," followed by the popular "My Immortal" and "Going Under," about the end of a bad relationship. The multi-platinum album earned the band a Best New Artist Grammy nomination, and peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200.
Shortly thereafter, the five-member band underwent major changes when co-founder, guitarist and songwriter Ben Moody abruptly left amid creative differences. John LeCompt and Rocky Gray also later went their own ways.
Terry Balsamo replaced Moody and has been the band's lead guitarist and co-songwriter with Lee. Drummer Will Hunt and guitarists Troy McLawhorn and Tim McCord now round out the group, which has had the same lineup since 2007.
Since Evanescence's last album, 2006's multi-platinum, "Open the Door," the members have all matured. The 29 year-old Lee, for one, has married, spent time decorating the New York home she shares with her husband and taken up playing the harp.
The album's name and cover art reinforce a new sense of cohesiveness. The cover, which features only a graphic of the band's name, is the first that is not a solo shot of Lee.
"I've been in a totally different place. I've not been 'the girl in the band,' "said Lee. "I've been writing and living. It was awesome."
RETURN TO SPOTLIGHT
With lyrics like, "remember who you really are" and "stand and face the unknown," the album's booming lead single, "What You Want," is Lee's self-directed pep talk upon her return to the spotlight.
"That song is me talking to myself about not being afraid and coming back to this thing and living the life I was born to live," she said. "Sometimes, it takes a lot to do this. And I do love it very much, but there is always that fear of putting yourself under the microscope."
The single and its accompanying video, guest-starring 200 real Evanescence fans, has been warmly received.
MTV.com's James Montgomery called "What You Want" "a song that's powerful enough to shake rock radio to its very foundation" and the video has been watched almost 2.5 million times on YouTube.
"It's great to know we still have so many great fans. They've been through a lot with us," said Lee.
The band has kept fans in mind even while trying out different sounds, such as the affecting "Lost in Paradise," one of Lee's favorites. "So many of our songs say, 'we're strong' 'we're a rock band' but 'Lost in Paradise' is extremely raw and real and broken -- I love that about it."
Loyalists will find familiar songs like "Oceans" and "End of the Dream" with light vocals from Lee.
And the singer is quick to reassure followers that even "with all the growth and experimentation, we didn't betray what the fans want. It's still an Evanescence record."
The band kicks off a 15-city tour The Pretty Reckless and Rival Sons in Oakland on October 10 and makes stops in Dallas and Chicago before wrapping in New York on November 1.
Source: reuters.com
"We know how to work together and play off each other's strengths and that is different from our other albums," Lee told Reuters. "It's cool because we do have some life experiences together and there isn't a new member. It feels like a family reunion."
Evanescence burst onto the rock scene with their 2003 smash hit "Fallen," which featured the band's breakthrough single, "Bring Me to Life," followed by the popular "My Immortal" and "Going Under," about the end of a bad relationship. The multi-platinum album earned the band a Best New Artist Grammy nomination, and peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200.
Shortly thereafter, the five-member band underwent major changes when co-founder, guitarist and songwriter Ben Moody abruptly left amid creative differences. John LeCompt and Rocky Gray also later went their own ways.
Terry Balsamo replaced Moody and has been the band's lead guitarist and co-songwriter with Lee. Drummer Will Hunt and guitarists Troy McLawhorn and Tim McCord now round out the group, which has had the same lineup since 2007.
Since Evanescence's last album, 2006's multi-platinum, "Open the Door," the members have all matured. The 29 year-old Lee, for one, has married, spent time decorating the New York home she shares with her husband and taken up playing the harp.
The album's name and cover art reinforce a new sense of cohesiveness. The cover, which features only a graphic of the band's name, is the first that is not a solo shot of Lee.
"I've been in a totally different place. I've not been 'the girl in the band,' "said Lee. "I've been writing and living. It was awesome."
RETURN TO SPOTLIGHT
With lyrics like, "remember who you really are" and "stand and face the unknown," the album's booming lead single, "What You Want," is Lee's self-directed pep talk upon her return to the spotlight.
"That song is me talking to myself about not being afraid and coming back to this thing and living the life I was born to live," she said. "Sometimes, it takes a lot to do this. And I do love it very much, but there is always that fear of putting yourself under the microscope."
The single and its accompanying video, guest-starring 200 real Evanescence fans, has been warmly received.
MTV.com's James Montgomery called "What You Want" "a song that's powerful enough to shake rock radio to its very foundation" and the video has been watched almost 2.5 million times on YouTube.
"It's great to know we still have so many great fans. They've been through a lot with us," said Lee.
The band has kept fans in mind even while trying out different sounds, such as the affecting "Lost in Paradise," one of Lee's favorites. "So many of our songs say, 'we're strong' 'we're a rock band' but 'Lost in Paradise' is extremely raw and real and broken -- I love that about it."
Loyalists will find familiar songs like "Oceans" and "End of the Dream" with light vocals from Lee.
And the singer is quick to reassure followers that even "with all the growth and experimentation, we didn't betray what the fans want. It's still an Evanescence record."
The band kicks off a 15-city tour The Pretty Reckless and Rival Sons in Oakland on October 10 and makes stops in Dallas and Chicago before wrapping in New York on November 1.
Source: reuters.com
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Review: Entertainment Weekly
Goth goddess Amy Lee has to not only deal with constant turnover — she is now the band's sole original member — but also shoulder the burden of being a woman in hard rock's sea of Y chromosomes. On Evanescence, the band's first album in five years, she still occasionally lapses into drama-club caterwauling, but when she uses baroque orchestral accoutrements to wage an air assault on her demons (as she does on the blistering ''Oceans''), she's more than just the token girl in the pit. B
Source: Entertainment Weekly
Lee: Scrapped Material Could Resurface 'On Different Projects Someday'
The material Amy Lee initially wrote and subsequently abandoned for Evanescence's new album is not lost and gone forever, she says.
Lee began working on new music during the summer of 2009, and by early 2010 she was working with Will "Science" Hunt (not to be confused with Evanescence drummer Will Hunt) and producer Steve Lillywhite for an album that was slated for release in the fall of 2010. But even though she took a different course for "Evanescence," which comes out Oct. 11, Lee tells Billboard.com that the other songs "absolutely" have a future.
"I think that some of those songs aren't right for Evanescence," Lee explains. "Some of the songs that we had at that time could maybe be a solo thing in the future. We really do have a lot of extra songs from that time and also songs that the band wrote together; we just wrote a ton in the past few years and especially in the last one year. My head is totally focused on Evanescence right now, but I think it's totally possible that some of those songs will end up on different projects someday -- maybe solo, maybe something else."
Evanescence's Amy Lee Jumps Off Bridge in 'What You Want' Clip
Lee -- who took some time off between promoting 2006's double-platinum "The Open Door" to enjoy her 2007 marriage to Josh Hartzler -- says the early material simple "wasn't like Evanescence music. Some of it was really stripped-down and acoustic. And I went through this big phase where it was more based on programming...and not about the band really at all. The more I had all these songs, I just got really excited about them and started bringing the band into it and wanting it to be an Evanescence record, but when we went into the studio at that time, we just weren't all the way there. It just wasn't sounding right."
But Lee says the exercise did help her and her bandmates hone in on what Evanescence music actually is. "I think what was missing the most was the rock," she says. "At the heart of everything Evanescence is a rock band. We needed all that power, the aggression of the guitarist and the drums. So ('Evanescence') is truly an Evanescence record now. It's got a lot of new attitude and new elements, but it's still us."
And that, of course, led Lee to decide to give the album -- recorded at Blackbird Studio in Nashville and produced by Nick Raskulinecz -- the group's own name for a title.
"I had a lot of album title ideas," Lee notes. "But as it became more and more about the band...the more collaborative it became, it just felt like this is who we are, it's a band. And to have that feeling in the music where the band is so pumped up, it was just the only title that felt right. It's about falling back in love with this thing in a major way."
"Evanescence" is off to a good start with its first single, "What You Want," which came out in August, is in the top 20 of both the Rock Songs and Alternative Songs surveys and topped the U.K. Rock chart -- an indication that the Evanescence audience is still there despite the five-year gap between albums. "I wasn't apprehensive because I literally just didn't think about it for awhile," Lee says. "I just completely stepped away from Evanescence. I was willing to let it go. In my head I was going, 'You know what? If i get inspired again and we make another record, even if it's in 10 years, it will be worth it to wait for the inspiration and make something great.' If that means we don't have any fans -- which is a total possibility -- and everybody's forgotten us, then fine. I figured if the music's good enough, we'll be able to start over and break again. But it's definitely a very awesome, happy realization that we still have so many fans."
Evanescence begins what Lee promises will be "our most extensive tour ever" on Oct. 6 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, with North American dates kicking off Oct. 10 in Oakland, Calif., and wrapping Nov. 1 in New York City before heading over to the U.K. and Europe for the rest of that month. "Then we'll start right up again in January, after the holidays," Lee says. "We are going to be touring the whole world. We'll be back in the States several times. We're going to have a pretty extensive South American tour, an Asian tour, more Europe -- all the fun stuff."
Source: billboard.com
Lee began working on new music during the summer of 2009, and by early 2010 she was working with Will "Science" Hunt (not to be confused with Evanescence drummer Will Hunt) and producer Steve Lillywhite for an album that was slated for release in the fall of 2010. But even though she took a different course for "Evanescence," which comes out Oct. 11, Lee tells Billboard.com that the other songs "absolutely" have a future.
"I think that some of those songs aren't right for Evanescence," Lee explains. "Some of the songs that we had at that time could maybe be a solo thing in the future. We really do have a lot of extra songs from that time and also songs that the band wrote together; we just wrote a ton in the past few years and especially in the last one year. My head is totally focused on Evanescence right now, but I think it's totally possible that some of those songs will end up on different projects someday -- maybe solo, maybe something else."
Evanescence's Amy Lee Jumps Off Bridge in 'What You Want' Clip
Lee -- who took some time off between promoting 2006's double-platinum "The Open Door" to enjoy her 2007 marriage to Josh Hartzler -- says the early material simple "wasn't like Evanescence music. Some of it was really stripped-down and acoustic. And I went through this big phase where it was more based on programming...and not about the band really at all. The more I had all these songs, I just got really excited about them and started bringing the band into it and wanting it to be an Evanescence record, but when we went into the studio at that time, we just weren't all the way there. It just wasn't sounding right."
But Lee says the exercise did help her and her bandmates hone in on what Evanescence music actually is. "I think what was missing the most was the rock," she says. "At the heart of everything Evanescence is a rock band. We needed all that power, the aggression of the guitarist and the drums. So ('Evanescence') is truly an Evanescence record now. It's got a lot of new attitude and new elements, but it's still us."
And that, of course, led Lee to decide to give the album -- recorded at Blackbird Studio in Nashville and produced by Nick Raskulinecz -- the group's own name for a title.
"I had a lot of album title ideas," Lee notes. "But as it became more and more about the band...the more collaborative it became, it just felt like this is who we are, it's a band. And to have that feeling in the music where the band is so pumped up, it was just the only title that felt right. It's about falling back in love with this thing in a major way."
"Evanescence" is off to a good start with its first single, "What You Want," which came out in August, is in the top 20 of both the Rock Songs and Alternative Songs surveys and topped the U.K. Rock chart -- an indication that the Evanescence audience is still there despite the five-year gap between albums. "I wasn't apprehensive because I literally just didn't think about it for awhile," Lee says. "I just completely stepped away from Evanescence. I was willing to let it go. In my head I was going, 'You know what? If i get inspired again and we make another record, even if it's in 10 years, it will be worth it to wait for the inspiration and make something great.' If that means we don't have any fans -- which is a total possibility -- and everybody's forgotten us, then fine. I figured if the music's good enough, we'll be able to start over and break again. But it's definitely a very awesome, happy realization that we still have so many fans."
Evanescence begins what Lee promises will be "our most extensive tour ever" on Oct. 6 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, with North American dates kicking off Oct. 10 in Oakland, Calif., and wrapping Nov. 1 in New York City before heading over to the U.K. and Europe for the rest of that month. "Then we'll start right up again in January, after the holidays," Lee says. "We are going to be touring the whole world. We'll be back in the States several times. We're going to have a pretty extensive South American tour, an Asian tour, more Europe -- all the fun stuff."
Source: billboard.com
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Premiere: End of the Dream
It's taken five years for Amy Lee to solidify Evanescence's latest lineup and complete their third album, a self-titled effort that arrives in stores Oct. 11. Check out SPIN's exclusive premiere of the track "End of the Dream" here. And return to SPIN.com on Friday, October 7, when we'll be exclusively streaming the entire 12-song LP.
"End of the Dream" launches full bore with chunky guitar, then falls into a brooding grove with piano underpinning Lee's unmistakable vocals. "Follow your heart 'til it bleeds," she wails in the chorus, evincing the track's "seize the day" message. "'It's about understanding that this life isn't forever, and how you have to live it, embrace even the pain, before it's all over," Lee tells SPIN. "As much as it hurts, it just means you're alive. So don't be so afraid to get hurt that you miss out on living."
Since 2006's The Open Door, which sold more than 5 million copies, Lee retooled the band's lineup, scrapped an electronic-leaning set of songs recorded with famed producer Steve Lillywhite, then regrouped for the homestretch of recording, infusing new synthetic sounds and songs written on harp into the finished product. (Read more here.)
"End of the Dream" follows the recent release of a video "What You Want," the album's opening track. Watch it below, and return to SPIN.com on Friday to hear the whole album and read about each band member's favorite new tune.
Source: spin.com
"End of the Dream" launches full bore with chunky guitar, then falls into a brooding grove with piano underpinning Lee's unmistakable vocals. "Follow your heart 'til it bleeds," she wails in the chorus, evincing the track's "seize the day" message. "'It's about understanding that this life isn't forever, and how you have to live it, embrace even the pain, before it's all over," Lee tells SPIN. "As much as it hurts, it just means you're alive. So don't be so afraid to get hurt that you miss out on living."
Since 2006's The Open Door, which sold more than 5 million copies, Lee retooled the band's lineup, scrapped an electronic-leaning set of songs recorded with famed producer Steve Lillywhite, then regrouped for the homestretch of recording, infusing new synthetic sounds and songs written on harp into the finished product. (Read more here.)
"End of the Dream" follows the recent release of a video "What You Want," the album's opening track. Watch it below, and return to SPIN.com on Friday to hear the whole album and read about each band member's favorite new tune.
Source: spin.com
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