20 Years of Evanescence

The year 2015 marks the 20th anniversary of Evanescence. 20 years ago, Ben Moody heard Amy Lee playing piano at a summer youth camp in Little Rock, AR. Little did these 2 kids know that this moment would spark a musical partnership between the two, that would eventually lead to the formation of the band that millions around the globe know and love today. Celebrate by reliving 20 years of Ev history, sharing memories, and voting in special polls!



The legend goes that a 14 year old Ben heard 13 year old Amy playing Meatloaf's "I'd Do Anything For Love" on piano (though Amy insists she also played a more impressive selection of classical pieces by Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart). Impressed by her skill, Ben approached the young pianist...
   

"During some kind of break/recreation time I was sitting in the gym watching a basketball game. On the other side of the court was a stage for plays and a piano. I was just sitting there bored to tears when all of the sudden I was given a quick jolt as my ears were filled with the sound of the piano intro to Meatloaf’s “I Would Do Anything For Love.” I looked over at the piano and there was this girl effortlessly displaying immense amounts of talent. After my initial envious rage subsided I hopped to my feet and ran right through the basketball game straight to the piano and introduced myself. She then impressed me further with songs that she had written. I thought I was in heaven. But then she sang. I nearly died. Coming from this tiny little youth camp reject was one of the most powerful, beautiful voices I’d ever heard." -Ben

From there, the two had a friendly songwriting competition, exchanging songs they'd written back and forth. These first songs, of which early recordings would all later surface/be released, were "Solitude" (Amy), "Understanding" (Ben), "Give Unto Me" (Amy), and "My Immortal" (Ben). They considered band names such as Childish Intentions, Stricken, Halo Machine, and For The Fallen before coming across Evanescence in the dictionary. The duo continued to write and record songs together, eventually releasing homemade EPs and getting local radio stations to play their music. On a few occasions, they also managed to get musicians together to play live shows, the earliest recording of which was a May 7, 1999 show shared by a fan in 2009. Along with many older fan-favorite tracks, a previously unknown song was performed.



The duo soon recruited the talented musician and songwriter David Hodges. Together, the trio wrote and recorded a high-quality demo album in 2000 to shop around to labels. Origin included revamped versions of older songs like, "Imaginary" and "Whisper", and also boasts tracks that would later be considered Evanescence classics, such as "Even In Death" and "Lies".

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Impressed by the band's demos, a music producer played their tracks for the co-owner of Wind-Up Records, who was equally impressed. The band was signed to the label, relocated to Los Angeles, and were put into artist development for 2 years while writing and perfecting their sound.

"We've all fallen, but at the same time we're not broken. There is the hint that we are going to get up again." -Amy

Differences in direction led David to leave Evanescence before the release of Fallen, but Amy and Ben were soon joined by former collaborators John LeCompt, Will Boyd, and Rocky Gray for the album's debut and subsequent tour. Fallen was met with massive critical and commercial success, selling over 17 million copies worldwide. Evanescence was catapulted into fame with smash hits "Bring Me To Life" and "My Immortal", topping music charts across the world.



It seemed nothing could derail Evanescence until Ben abruptly left the band due to creative differences and conflict between him and Amy on October 22, 2003. The band rose to this unexpected challenge by quickly recruiting Terry Balsamo of Cold, whom Ev had previously toured with. Terry fit in seamlessly and stayed with the band throughout the remainder of their massive world tour and participated in the recording of the 2004 live CD/DVD Anywhere But Home.

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After touring ended, the band began writing for their follow-up album. During this time, Amy found a creatively challenging and uplifting songwriting partner in Terry, leading the pair to co-write the majority of the new album together.

"I didn't have somebody — I don't want to be mean — holding me back. Instead, I had [Terry] lifting me up. Terry is just an amazing instigator. He'll push me to do something I wouldn't have done maybe, because I'd be afraid to or something. He's a great writer, and it was just like we were just having fun with it for a change." - Amy

Despite various challenges and setbacks the band encountered during this time - such as Terry suffering a stroke, being embroiled in a legal battle with their former manager, and Will's departure - Evanescence stormed back onto the scene in 2006 with sophomore effort, The Open Door, led by the smash hit single "Call Me When You're Sober". The album garnered positive reviews from critics and sold over 5 million copies worldwide. With newly recruited bassist Tim McCord, the band embarked on a year-long world tour.

Trouble would soon arise again with the dramatic departure of long-time band members John and Rocky in 2007. New recruits were quickly found in Troy McLawhorn and Will Hunt, who would prove to be a perfect fit for Evanescence.

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Following a short hiatus, the band regrouped to start working on their much anticipated third album. After the first recording session didn't pan out, they tried a new approach - writing together as a band.

"I've never felt so supported by my band members. We've really relied on each other. And everyone being a part of this album, from the ground up, is an entirely new approach for us. There's nobody that's just coming in to play guitar. Everybody's invested. We're more truly a band now than ever before." -Amy

This new process proved to be a success, with the self-titled Evanescence debuting at #1 across the world and receiving positive reviews, with critics praising the band's heavier-than-ever sound. Comeback single, "What You Want", enjoyed great success on rock radio, reaching the top 10 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart. Despite it having been 5 years since their last album, Ev proved that they were back and were here to stay.



The band immediately hit the road to play shows around the globe for over a year. During this time, Ev was given the distinct honor of being invited to perform at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Norway. The band also gave fans a special surprise at the end of touring by performing the never-before-heard The Open Door b-side, "If You Don't Mind".

Take the Evanescence era poll!

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Evanescence is currently on hiatus again, while Amy takes some time to be a mom and score films. But that shouldn't stop us fans from celebrating the 20th anniversary of the band we love! I hope you'll relive and share your Ev memories here at Ev-Fanart and also vote in the special polls I've made for the occasion.

20 Years of Evanescence poll site