Evanescence are defined by Amy Lee’s beautiful melodies, compelling lyrics, poignant piano and stunning vocals, fused with Terry Balsamo’s urgent yet intricate guitar to form a seamless, ethereal mixture that perfectly channels the band’s hard rock and classical sensibilities.
Evanescence is Amy Lee (vocals, piano), Terry Balsamo (guitar), Tim McCord (bass), Troy McLawhorn (guitar) and Will Hunt (drums). Fallen, their major-label debut, was released in April 2003 to critical and commercial success and has sold more than fifteen million copies. Their second major label debut, The Open Door, debuted at Number One on the Billboard charts and reached platinum status in just over a month.
Written late in 2005, The Open Door was recorded and mixed in March 2006. Marking the return of producer Dave Fortman, the album’s musical elements include a classically-infused choir and strings on several tracks, giving further colour to songs of introspection, longing, doubt, self-respect and, ultimately, empowerment. The album opens with “Sweet Sacrifice,” a post-relationship catharsis that head-dives from an otherworldly intro into a hard-driving thrash of hard rock guitars and soaring rock vocals.
Originally hailing from Little Rock, Arkansas, the band’s evolving sound – a nearly mystical marriage between rock, goth and classical – was informed by a curious duality.
Amy Lee, who spent nine years studying classical piano, explains, “When I was in high school I listened to a lot of death metal bands. Both genres are intricate, complex types of music that are very dramatic, and I’m naturally drawn to that.” Her love for Mozart's Requiem in D minor influenced her so much that they sampled the epic chorus of the choir within their piece Lacrymosa.
Amy Lee, who spent nine years studying classical piano, explains, “When I was in high school I listened to a lot of death metal bands. Both genres are intricate, complex types of music that are very dramatic, and I’m naturally drawn to that.” Her love for Mozart's Requiem in D minor influenced her so much that they sampled the epic chorus of the choir within their piece Lacrymosa.
The drama in Evanescence’s music – a kind of audio odyssey that can turn from piano-led introspection to hammering guitar – has resonated with listeners everywhere. The band’s aggressive core finds a counterpart in Amy Lee’s passionate vocals, lyrics that forge a connection with audiences searching for identity or struggling with feelings of desire, hope love and loss. The Open Door is a logical transformation of epic proportions for the band, which, in many ways has only just begun to make its mark on the music world.
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