 Evanescence - Having sold nearly 14 million records
worldwide, well more than 6 million in the U.S. alone, with their major-label
debut Fallen, Evanescence is poised to continue their meteoric rise with their
forthcoming CD, The Open Door (Wind-up Records), scheduled for release October
3. The album from the two-time Grammy-winning band is 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. The contributions of members John LeCompt (guitar) and Rocky Gray
(drums) are also evident.
"Making this record has been really intense," explains Lee. "Terry suffered a
stroke last October and is still recovering, we got a new manager [Andy Lurie],
and I've come out of a difficult breakup. But everything we've been through
together has benefited this album." With Fallen, says Lee, the band had much to
prove while defining its identity. This time, finding a cohesive writing partner
in Terry Balsamo, "we really took our time crafting this album and had the
freedom to express a broader range of emotions: not just pain and sadness, but
also anger and, yes, even happiness."
Written late last year, The Open Door was recorded at The Record Plant in Los
Angeles and mixed at Ocean Way Studios in March 2006. Marking the return of
long-time friend and producer Dave Fortman, the album's musical elements include
a classically-infused choir and strings on several tracks, giving further color
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. Its first single, the mid-tempo
"Call Me When You're Sober," reinforces the moving-away-from-dysfunction theme.
Other standout tracks on The Open Door include "Lithium," which embraces feeling
over numbness, "All That I'm Living For," Lee's tribute to band life, "Weight of
the World," her plea for perspective from the expectation of young fans, and
"Good Enough," a string-and-choir-infused closer distinguished as the band's
first truly (almost) contented song ("It feels really good ending the album this
way," says Lee). Having toured for a year-and-a-half straight with only a month
off following the release of Fallen, Evanescence hopes to hit the road this time
out with a care not to neglect key markets worldwide. Its U.S. tour begins
immediately after the October 3rd release of The Open Door, rewarding hardcore
fans with a "sneak peak" of the album during a handful of more intimate theater
dates before segueing into much larger arena shows.
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. 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."
Evanescence self-released two EPs and a first full-length album, the
much-sought-after Origin, before finding a home at Wind-up Records. Fallen,
their major-label debut, was released in April 2003 to critical and commercial
success. The internationally appealing Top 10 singles "Bring Me to Life" and "My
Immortal" helped drive airplay and led to two 2003 Grammy Awards (Best New
Artist and Best Hard Rock Performance for "Bring Me To Life"). Propelling the
band to sales of nearly 14 million albums worldwide, Fallen spent more than 100
weeks on Billboard's Top 200 chart, was certified gold or platinum in over 35
countries, and sold out arenas globally. Anywhere But Home, their 2004 live DVD
release, has sold over one million copies to date.
The inherent drama in Evanescence's music - a kind of audio odyssey that can
turn on a dime from piano-led introspection to hammering guitar - has resonated
with listeners everywhere. The band's aggressive core finds a counterpart in
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 (but certainly not predictable) 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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