This rock band from Little Rock, Arkansas, USA burst into the US mainstream in 2003 with the dramatic piano-driven ballad, ‘Bring Me To Life’. Founding members Amy Lee (b. 13 December 1981, Riverside, California, USA; vocals/keyboards) and Ben Moody (b. 22 January 1981, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA; guitar) met at church camp in the mid-90s, and after realising their shared love of artists such as Type O Negative and Portishead decided to form a band. Their initial writing efforts unleashed two distinctive tracks, ‘Give Unto Me’ and ‘Understanding’, which set the blueprint for Evanescence’s fusion of metal, goth rock and electronica and began to attract the attention of local radio. The duo’s debut EP was recorded with the help of William Boyd (b. 27 April 1979, USA; bass) and drummers Matt Outlaw and Rocky Gray (b. 2 July 1974, USA, ex-Living Sacrifice), and was released on CDR in 1998 on the BigWig Enterprises label. David Hodges (keyboards) was added to the line-up around this time, during which Evanescence released another EP and finished work on their long-playing debut and first non-CDR release, Origin, issued on BigWig Enterprises in November 2000.
Despite the sudden departure of Hodges, a major label contract with Wind-up Records ensued. The band’s debut for the label, Fallen, featured three reworked tracks from Origin (‘Whisper’, ‘My Immortal’, and ‘Imaginary’), alongside seven new songs and a cover version of Soul Embraced’s ‘My Tourniquet’. ‘Bring Me To Life’, on which Lee duetted with Paul McCoy of 12 Stones, was featured on the soundtrack to the hit movie Daredevil. Bolstered by the prominence of the single on the nation’s cinema screens, Fallen climbed into the Top 5 of the Billboard album chart in spring 2003. ‘Bring Me To Life’ also enjoyed success on the UK market, topping the singles chart for several weeks. Lee and Moody were joined by Gray and guitarist John LeCompt (b. 10 March 1973, USA) for live shows to promote the album.
Founder member Moody was replaced at the end of 2003 by ex-Cold guitarist Terry Balsamo (b. 9 October 1973, USA). The new line-up released the CD/DVD package Anywhere But Home, featuring a live show shot in Paris, France. Recording sessions for their new studio album were complicated by Balsamo suffering a stroke and Boyd’s abrupt departure in July 2006. The latter was replaced by Tim McCord (ex-Revolution Smile). Released in October 2006, The Open Door was premiered by the US Top 10 hit ‘Call Me When You’re Sober’. The album became the band’s first US number 1 release. Further changes occurred with the enforced departure of Gray and LeCompt in the spring of 2007. The replacements were Will Hunt (drums) and Troy McLawhorn (guitar).
