Formed by lead singer Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody in 1995, the duo had met a year earlier at a youth camp in Little Rock, Arkansas. Lee and Moody subsequently began writing and recording songs together, which included the early tracks “Solitude”, “Give Unto Me”, “Understanding”, and “My Immortal”. A couple of these songs found their way onto local radio, following which the pair performed their first live show and settled on the name Evanescence. In 1998 the band released their debut self-titled EP, limited to a hundred copies, followed a year later by the EP “Whisper”.
Later in 1999 Evanescence invited keyboard player and drummer David Hodges to expand the lineup, who recorded on the band’s debut album “Origin” in 2000. Evanescence subsequently signed with Wind-up Records, who relocated the band to Los Angeles and gave them living and rehearsal space on top of vocal and acting classes. After two years, in which time drummer Rocky Gray, rhythm guitarist John LeCompt, and bassist Will Boyd were added to the lineup, the band completed their label debut.
Featuring Dave Fortman on production duties, Evanescence released “Fallen” in March 2003, becoming one of the year’s most successful albums. Debuting at No. 7 however rising to No. 3 on the Billboard 200, the gothic-inspired, metal crunching, climatic-pop release secured five Grammy nominations of which the band won Best New Artist and Best Hard Rock Performance. The record was led by the smash hit single “Bring Me to Life”, which charted in over 15 countries and secured platinum certification. The album transformed Evanescence into an internationally recognised group, and was supported by an extensive worldwide tour.
Following the supporting tour bassist Will Boyd left the group to spend time with his family, with former Revolution Smile guitarist Tim McCord taking his place. The band’s official sophomore album, “The Open Door”, was released in October 2006 and eclipsed the success of their debut by topping the U.S. Billboard 200. Led by the single “Call Me When You’re Sober”, the album earned a string of positive reviews and was once again supported with relentless touring.
In 2011 Evanescence returned from touring and time out to released their self-titled, third studio album. Once again topping the Billboard 200, the record is seen as a cohesive, creative, and progressive album for the group which lends infleunces from gothic rock, nu metal, and electro. Spanwing the singles “What You Want”, “My Heart is Broke”, and “Lost in Paradise”, the record’s supporting tour was alongside The Pretty Reckless and Fair to Midland.
I've been a huge fan of Evanescence since I was young, and through the changes of band members, i've remained enthused by their music and desperate to get a chance to see them live.
My friend and I were completely blown away by the performance that they gave at Wembley Arena, the dynamics and precision of the performance provided a smooth blended sound, incredibly similar to the recorded version of their music. The control of the vocals was really stunning, and Amy's ability to hold those high belting notes time after time was astounding and refreshing.
It was great to hear some of their new material alongside the classics, and they introduced and played it with enthusiasm that rubbed off to the audience, who were hearing the tracks for the first time. The way that they intertwined the new with the old worked really well, showing progression in their sound and subject matter, but the roots of their style were present and underlying in each song.
As well as the incredible performance from the band, credit must be given to the production team for the awesome lighting and costume, providing a spectacular visual experience for the audience too.
It was a great touch also that Amy Lee was given the opportunity to perform a couple of songs at the piano, showing off her beautiful voice. The entire audience seemed to be mesmarised and still. It was a magical moment that i'm extremely grateful I was able to experience.
yazhow
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