Evanescence

Evanescence is a band whose two founding members are from Little Rock (Pulaski County). The group is known for its dark, lyrical melodies and style of music that blends rock, classical, and other influences.

Amy Lee and Ben Moody (former lead guitarist) had met as teenagers at a summer camp in Arkansas in 1994. They started writing music together, playing together, and recording at their parents’ houses. The name “Evanescence,” which they chose for their musical collaboration, means dissipation or a disappearance, as with vapor. Before deciding on Evanescence, however, the group went through several names, including Childish Intentions and Stricken. The pair recorded a few EPs to sell at local concerts, often acoustic performances at Little Rock bookstores and coffee shops, before compiling some of their demos in Origin (2000), which contained several notable pieces, such as “Field of Innocence,” “Anywhere,” and “Lies.” Origin resulted in a contract with Wind Up Records in 2001, which resulted in the 2003 album, Fallen, as well as the expansion of the band. The lineup included Lee as lead singer and pianist, lead guitarist Moody, guitarist John LeCompt, bassist Will Boyd, and drummer Rocky Gray.

Evanescence was praised for a musical style that combined classical music and hard rock. Amy Lee, who was trained in classical piano for nine years, is the multi-instrumentalist behind the romantic sounds of the piano, the choir, and the string instruments. The rest of the band had the hard rock sound that gave the band the “alternative” label, although the band also appeared on the Christian music charts despite publicly saying that they were not a Christian band. The blend of genre conventions led to several hits, such as “Bring Me to Life” and “My Immortal” from Fallen, both of which were in the Top 10 on The Billboard Hot 100. “Bring Me to Life” also reached No. 1 in the United Kingdom. The inclusion of “Bring Me to Life” on the 2003 Daredevil movie soundtrack further heightened their reputation. Fallen was ranked third on the Billboard 200 in June 2003 and was in the top ten for almost a year.

Ben Moody left the band abruptly in October 2003, citing creative differences, in the middle of a European tour. Lee described Moody’s departure as “a relief” to the Sydney Morning Herald, adding that “we’d gotten to a point that if something didn’t change, we wouldn’t have been able to make a second record.” He was replaced by guitarist Terry Balsamo. In 2004, the band won Grammy Awards for Best Hard Rock Performance (“Bring Me to Life”) and Best New Artist. The band’s DVD, Anywhere But Home (2004), included tour footage and a few new songs. In 2006, bassist Will Boyd left the band, to be replaced by Tim McCord. Later that same year, Evanescence released its second album, The Open Door, which topped the Billboard charts. In 2007, drummer Will Hunt replaced Rocky Gray, and Troy McLawhorn replaced John LeCompt on guitar. On October 11, 2011, the band released its third studio album, the eponymous Evanescence.

In 2014, Lee released the album Aftermath, which contains music she recorded for the soundtrack for the movie War Story with cellist Dave Eggar and other musicians. Lee and her husband, Josh Hartzler, had a son in July 2014. In an August 2014 interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Lee said, “I’ve loved my time with Evanescence…but, for the foreseeable future, I don’t have any plans to do anything with the band. It’s really important to me to take some time to show some different sides of myself.” That same year, she announced that the band had been released from their record contract, becoming independent artists.

Evanescence reunited in late 2015 for its first live performance in three years (with new guitarist Jen Majura) and, the following year, toured the United States. In 2016, Evanescence released a vinyl box set of its albums to date. This was followed by a compilation album, Lost Whispers, in early 2017. Later that year, the band released the album Synthesis, which featured both new material as well as reworked versions of older songs. The band’s fifth studio album, The Bitter Truth, was released in March 2021. Majura left in 2022, and Emma Anzai joined as bassist. In 2025, the band released the song “Afterlife” as part of the soundtrack for the Netflix series Devil May Cry.

Also in 2025, Jason Jones, the founding manager of Evanescence, told The Guardian that he was fired from the band in 1999 after confiding in others about being sexually assaulted by Christian rock musician Michael Tait (who, with the Newsboys, became famous for the song “God’s Not Dead,” which was the theme song for the film franchise of the same name). However, Evanescence co-founder Ben Moody denied that Jones’s accusations were the reason for his dismissal.

For additional information:
Evanescence. http://www.evanescence.com (accessed April 5, 2021).

Hill, Jack. “Starless Evanescence.” Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, December 14, 2003, pp. 1E, 2E.

Montgomery, James. “Get Free: Amy Lee on Artistic Independence, the Future of Evanescence.” Rolling Stone, August 11, 2014. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/amy-lee-evanescence-qa-artistic-independence-20140811 (accessed April 5, 2021).

Pareles, Jon. “In Every Note, the Pangs of the Heart.” New York Times, November 2, 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/03/arts/music/evanescence-at-terminal-5-review.html?_r=0 (accessed April 5, 2021).