Evanescence

Evanescence are a rock band formed in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1995 by vocalist Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody (later replaced by Terry Balsamo, then Troy McLawhorn and Will Hunt on drums). One of the most commercially successful acts in 2000s hard rock, they brought a distinctive blend of gothic operatic vocals, heavy nu-metal guitars, and orchestral arrangements to mainstream rock radio, achieving extraordinary global sales on the strength of one of the decade's most recognisable debut albums. Early independent EPs and the demo compilation *Origin* (2000) built a regional following before Wind-Up Records signed them. *Fallen* (2003) was an instant phenomenon: produced with a dense, brooding sound that layered Lee's classical soprano over crushing electric guitars and cinematic strings, it yielded the omnipresent 'Bring Me to Life' — featuring a rap verse by Paul McCoy of 12 Stones that became a source of later ambivalence for the band — and the gothic ballad 'My Immortal.' The album sold over seventeen million copies worldwide and won two Grammy Awards including Best New Artist and Best Hard Rock Performance. Moody's departure during the subsequent tour, and the band's difficult second-album gestation, produced *The Open Door* (2006), which debuted at number one in multiple countries and contained 'Call Me When You're Sober' and 'Sweet Sacrifice.' Lee's increasing creative control was evident in its more complex arrangements and piano-based compositions. A three-year hiatus ended with the self-titled *Evanescence* (2011), which reached number one in the US. *Synthesis* (2017) presented new and reimagined songs in purely orchestral form, while *The Bitter Truth* (2021) — their first album of original material in a decade — was well-received as a return to their heavy rock strengths. Amy Lee's four-octave voice and the band's theatrical visual aesthetic gave Evanescence a gothic grandeur that set them apart from their nu-metal contemporaries and earned them a devoted global following.