Throwback Thursday Then vs Now: Amy Lee 2003 vs 2023 — Two decades of iconic style

From corseted gothic dresses and heavy eyeliner during the Fallen era to elegant, dark couture with layered tulle and leather in 2023 — Amy Lee continues to evolve while staying true to her hauntingly powerful presence.

“My style has always reflected the music. Whether it’s distressed Victorian lace or bold, structured silhouettes, it’s about creating something theatrical and immersive—becoming the character the song needs.”
— Amy Lee (paraphrased from multiple interviews)

Check out the photos from our gallery archive—featuring iconic stage looks from Amy Lee across two decades. From the dramatic gothic styles of the early 2000s to her more cinematic and refined ensembles in recent years, these moments showcase her evolution as both a musician and visual artist. Dive into the full gallery for more throwback gems!

Amy Lee • Throwback

Throwback Thursday – Through the Lens: Amy Lee’s Iconic Photoshoots

From the piano-driven introspection of “Fallen” (2003) to the orchestral grandeur of “Synthesis*”(2017), Amy Lee has used visuals as a powerful extension of her music. In this article, we revisit four landmark photoshoots—each one capturing a different chapter of her artistic evolution. For this throwback Thursday we explore some of Amy Lee’s most iconic photoshoots.

1. Fallen Era Promo Shoots

Why It Matters:
When Evanescence was still refining their sound, this black-and-white studio session set the visual tone for Fallen. Photographers focused on stark lighting to highlight Amy’s duality—vulnerability and strength—mirroring the album’s themes.

2. The Open Door Era Shoots

Why It Matters:
By fall 2006, Evanescence was preparing to release their sophomore album, The Open Door. The promotional imagery shifted from raw monochrome to deeper color palettes—crimson accents, derelict Victorian backdrops—reflecting Amy’s gothic storytelling and the album’s more orchestral direction.

3. Self-Titled Album Era Shoots

Why It Matters:
After a five-year hiatus, Evanescence returned with their self-titled third album. For this campaign, Amy Lee teamed up with fashion photographers to produce modern, high-contrast images—bold makeup, architectural backdrops—that signaled a mature, more experimental sonic palette.

4. Synthesis Orchestral Era Shoots

Why It Matters:
When Evanescence recorded Synthesis—an orchestral reimagining of earlier songs—Amy Lee embraced a classical aesthetic. Photographers shot her at the Omaha Civic Center, surrounded by the dark wood paneling and symphony lighting, to capture that fusion of rock voice and orchestral power.

Conclusion

Every photoshoot marks a milestone in Amy Lee’s journey—from gothic piano ballads to orchestral reinventions. Which of these four resonates most with your memory of Evanescence? Drop a comment below with your favorite era, and feel free to share any personal anecdotes—perhaps you first saw one of these images in a magazine, fan forum, or on stage during a tour. Let’s keep the conversation going!

Amy Lee • Throwback

Flashback: Amy Lee in Kerrang! 14 June 2003

For this weeks throwback we visit June  14, 2003, When Kerrang! ran an in‑depth feature on Amy Lee—then just 21—fresh off the seismic success of Evanescence’s debut album Fallen. Shot at London’s Metropolitan Hotel on June 5, the spread opens with a striking portrait and Lee’s own words: “People hear our music and want to do things for us. They have a passion for it.”

Amy and co‑founder Ben Moody both hail from Little Rock, Arkansas—a state of barely a million people with no prior tradition of chart‑topping rock acts. Kerrang! leans into that contrast with a tongue‑in‑cheek rundown of odd Arkansas laws (no car‑horn tooting after 9 PM, sandwich‑shop fines for female teachers with bobs, etc.), underscoring how removed they once were from the world’s spotlight.

By spring 2003, Fallen had already climbed to #3 on the UK Indie chart and #4 on the US Billboard chart, with over 100,000 copies sold in the UK and more than a million in the US. It was “Bring Me To Life” that truly broke the band—Wind‑Up Records convinced conservative FM stations to play it “in the middle of the night,” MTV picked up the lavish video, and listeners flooded radio lines “for the next half hour” demanding to know who these newcomers were.

The interview offers glimpses of the June 2003 lineup—Amy on vocals and keyboards, Ben Moody and John LeCompt on guitars, Rocky Gray on drums, and Will Boyd on bass—and highlights the creative spark between Lee’s focused precision and Moody’s playful wit. Lee appears “paralysingly thin” in a red Mickey Mouse sweatshirt, her skin described as the “colour of coffee‑notepaper,” yet her intensity and sincerity shine through every answer.

Looking back from 2025, it’s remarkable to see how Amy’s early intentions played out. Fallen went multi‑platinum, sold‑out tours followed, and Evanescence’s sound evolved—but that core commitment to honesty and artistry, first captured in Kerrang!’s June  2003 issue, has never wavered. For long‑time fans, revisiting this feature is more than nostalgia; it’s a reminder of why we fell in love with Amy Lee’s voice—and why we still do, two decades later.

Note: see below for the rest of the images —

Evanescence • Throwback

Throwback Thursday: Evanescence’s Unforgettable Self-Titled Album (2011)

This Throwback Thursday, we’re revisiting Evanescence’s powerful self-titled album era, released in October 2011. Marking a significant moment in the band’s history, this album showcased a revitalized sound and deeper lyrical introspection from Amy Lee and her bandmates.

One standout moment from this era was their electrifying live performance at the Rock in Rio festival in Brazil, held on October 2, 2011. Amy Lee, dressed in striking gothic attire, delivered an intense, passionate set that captivated thousands of fans in attendance and millions more watching globally.

A key highlight was their performance of “What You Want,” the dynamic lead single from the self-titled album, which exemplified Evanescence’s evolved sonic approach with energetic rhythms and powerful vocals.

Relive the excitement with this memorable performance:

Did you experience Evanescence live during their self-titled album tour? We’d love to hear your favorite moments—share your memories in the comments below!

Evanescence • Throwback

Throwback Thursday: Evanescence Rise to Fame

Every Thursday we dive into some nostalgic moments and reminisce about the rise of Evanescence, whose trademark theme was mixing gothic rock and haunting melodies into the mainstream among the early 2000s.

It all started in Little Rock, Arkansas, where a young Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody met at a youth camp whilst they started writing music together. The humble beginnings would eventually take Evanescence to the top of the charts with their groundbreaking debut album, “Fallen,” in March 2003.

Evanescence live at the Music Farm in Charleston, SC 2003

“Fallen” isn’t just an album — it’s a cultural moment, a phenomenon. “Bring Me to Life”, “My Immortal,” and “Going Under” spoke to a generation with their emotional resonance and dark, cinematic sound. With Amy Lee’s soaring top notes, Evanescence pushed into a realm of music history through their fusion of the rock, metal, and orchestral genres.

Particularly, “Bring Me to Life” was propelled to stardom for the inclusion within the 2003 movie Daredevil. The Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance was awarded for the single and “Fallen” went on to sell over 17 million units throughout the world.

Despite lineup changes, personal struggles, and long gaps between albums, the evolution has continued, staying true to their emotional intensity and musical ingenuity. From The Open Door historically representing growth in 2006 through to Synthesis in 2017 and The Bitter Truth in 2021, these albums talk about growth, resilience, and artistic bravery.

The throwback today celebrates not just an account of success in their early days but the everlasting essence of Evanescence: a band that dared to be different and change the face of rock music forever.

What’s your favorite memory of Evanescence? Drop a comment below and let’s share certain moment!

Evanescence • Throwback

Throwback Thursday Evanescence’s The Open Door

Evanescence’s The Open Door is such an iconic album! Released in 2006, it marked a darker, more mature evolution in their sound. Songs like “Call Me When You’re Sober” and “Lithium” really defined the band’s blend of orchestral rock and gothic, atmospheric elements. The emotional intensity in Amy Lee’s vocals just hits different on that album. Do you have a favorite track from The Open Door?

Throwback

Reflection – A look back at fan sites

Reflection from Justin

In 2004 I started my first blog which featured a lot of my favorite hobbies. Soon I joined MSN Groups because a lot of people were creating fan groups on it. I was impressed with all that could be done and started to create my own. Evanescence were one of my first fan groups I created on there and I slowly learned how to design website graphics. After about a year or so I started to look into how to get a domain name so I could have my own website and have the freedom of doing anything I wanted.

It took me about another year to actually buy a domain name and at first I just had the domain name point to one of my msn group page about Amy Lee but I knew that I really wanted to get my own website but was to inexperienced to do it at the time. It wasn’t until 2007 that I applied to have my very own website at fan-sites.org and was thrilled to actually get accepted. I opened up an Evanescence fansite called Evmortal and kept it for a few years. I had a ton of help from other webmasters who taught me how to code and how to work with photoshop which greatly improved my websites. I was sad to see that msn groups were closing down and that all my first fan groups would be gone but this caused me to learn even more coding.

At the time there were hundreds of fansites dedicated to Amy Lee and Evanescence. Everyone who owned a fan site were so creative with them and had tons of different fan art and fun contest to do. It really was a fun time for me. I adopted an Amy Lee website from another fansite webmaster and helped her with the website but sadly the domain expired and I did not own it so I had to shut it down which is where it led me to make my own Amy Lee website called Amy-l.net. Amy Lee Net stayed open for 4 years before shutting down.

After six years of making websites I got a little but restless with what I was doing. Then I had a couple personal issues with family members who had died and financial difficulties that I finally could not afford to keep anymore of my websites open. About a year and half ago I started looking for some fansites for information on Amy Lee and was really sad to see that not many where opened anymore, this made me decide that I wanted to re-open my fansite. I had to buy a new domain because my old host had shut down and they owned the domain and I also had to find a new affordable host which I was very fortunate to find one. I started to import all the data that I had on my computer from the original site but also had to create new content that needed updated. In conclusion I am very fortunate for all the memories I have had from created fansites and would not trade it for the world and I sincerely hope you enjoy all the content I try to provide.