Tag Archives: synthesis

Amy Lee Faces Down Her Past

From kerrang.com K!1717: Fifteen years have passed since Evanescence first introduced themselves to the world – and life for Amy Lee is today unrecognisable to the one she knew back then. As the band’s Synthesis tour blazes across the globe, in our world-exclusive interview Kerrang! finds a vocalist reflecting on the past, focusing on the present, and considering a future that remains unwritten…

We’ve also collaborated with the band and artist Paul Brown – the man behind the Synthesis cover – for an exclusive art print!

Elsewhere in the mag, in a super-honest chat, Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz looks back over the band’s career, as well as his own personal trials and tribulations. On top of that, emo heroes The Get Up Kids tell us all about their return; we go inside the many sides of Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong; Alcest, Deafheaven and Møl explore black metal’s deepest corners; Mat McNerney reveals Grave Pleasures’ heart of darkness; and Neck Deep prove that pop-punk tours really are about pizza, partying and pissing about.

Over in the reviews section, A Perfect Circle return to set the world to rights on their beautifully-crafted third album, Metallica’s classic covers EP gets the reissue treatment, and nostalgia reigns down under as Download Festival makes its Aussie debut.

There’s also a jam-packed poster section, too: stick Panic! At The Disco, Against Me!, THE FEVER 333, The Wonder Years and Architects on your walls.

The new issue of Kerrang! is available anywhere in the world when you order online through Newsstand. But for UK residents, it hits the shops on Wednesday, April 11 from all good newsagents. [Source]

Evanescence at Royal Festival Hall

A single spotlight shines, filled with fog as it illuminates Amy Lee, talented lead singer of the alternative rock band Evanescence. It’s a cold spring night in London and the Royal Festival Hall crowd is screaming along to every lyric of the five-piece’s new album, Synthesis. The accompanying orchestra, conducted by Susie Seiter, adds a beautiful depth to each piece. Everyone in the audience, from superfans to newcomers, is swept away by the performers’ immense stage presence.

Lee is a powerful vocalist and equally formidable on the piano, and when joined by her contingents, she truly comes alive. Passion is written across her face; the intense emotion that supplements each string of words says as much as the lyrics themselves do. Even with incredible drummer Will Hunt tossing his sticks and crafting outrageous fills, all eyes are on Lee. And whenever the singing isn’t completely understandable, the frontwoman makes up for it with her range: her highest notes are perhaps even more sustained than her natural lower register.

Under deep red and violet lighting, the crowd excitedly joins Evanescence in a lively performance of Bring Me to Life, which starts off soft but ends in a rousing chorus. In Lithium, Lee proves she sings just as well without the synthesised effects that have become one of the band’s hallmarks; Lost in Paradise, showcases the majesty of the orchestra.

Before performing My Immortal, Lee explains that their fans have given a new meaning to the piece. Each member works in harmonious unity throughout the piece, shining as more than a sum of their parts.

The concert is best represented by what the singer says towards the finale of the show, when she proclaims that people who enjoy songs “this emotional … feel a lot but don’t say as much [we] feel. The only way through is what we have together.” As much as the night is about music, it is also about coming together and feeling emotions – whether those be pain, pensive contemplation, or rage – as one. [Source]

Evanescence To Reissue ‘Lost Whispers’ On Vinyl For ‘Record Store Day’

Craft Recordings will release Evanescence’s “Lost Whispers” on Record Store Day, the annual celebration of the annual celebration of independent record stores, which takes place this year on Saturday, April 21. Presented on blue translucent vinyl and limited to 2,500 copies, this represents the first time that “Lost Whispers” has been available on vinyl as a stand-alone release.

The “Lost Whispers” album gathers Evanescence’s sought-after bonus tracks, B-sides and rarities, including a studio version of the fan-favorite tour intro “Lost Whispers” and an intimate re-recording of one of the band’s earliest songs, “Even In Death (2016)” (originally featured on the 2000 demo album “Origin”).

“Lost Whispers” track listing:

A1: Lost Whispers
A2: Even In Death (2016)
A3: Missing
A4: Farther Away
A5: Breathe No More
A6: If You Don’t Mind
B1: Together Again
B2: The Last Song I’m Wasting On You
B3: A New Way To Bleed
B4: Say You Will
B5: Disappear
B6: Secret Door

Evanescence and acclaimed electronic violinist Lindsey Stirling will embark on a co-headlining 2018 summer amphitheater tour across North America. The trek, produced by Live Nation, will kick off July 6 in Kansas City, Missouri at the Starlight Theatre and will make stops in 31 North American cities. The tour will wrap September 8 in Ridgefield, Washington at the Sunlight Supply Amphitheater.

Both artists’ shows will be accompanied by a full orchestra, highlighting both acts musicality and their incredible performance abilities that continue to blow fans away. The orchestrated performances will also perfectly accent the astounding amphitheater venues across the U.S. and Canada that the two will be performing in, making for a magical summer evening.

The two artists recently collaborated on the song “Hi-Lo” from the latest Evanescence’s album, “Synthesis”, which features a virtuosic violin solo by Lindsey Stirling.

“Synthesis” was released in November. The disc sees many of Evanescence’s songs reworked in new ways, incorporating orchestral and electronic elements into the original compositions.

The “Synthesis Live” tour launched in October and like the album, it features a full orchestra and electronics. [Source]

Watch Evanescence Perform In Moscow

Fan-filmed video footage of Evanescence’s entire March 12 performance at Crocus City Hall in Moscow, Russia can be seen below.

Evanescence and acclaimed electronic violinist Lindsey Stirling will embark on a co-headlining 2018 summer amphitheater tour across North America. The trek, produced by Live Nation, will kick off July 6 in Kansas City, Missouri at the Starlight Theatre and will make stops in 31 North American cities. The tour will wrap September 8 in Ridgefield, Washington at the Sunlight Supply Amphitheater.

Both artists’ shows will be accompanied by a full orchestra, highlighting both acts musicality and their incredible performance abilities that continue to blow fans away. The orchestrated performances will also perfectly accent the astounding amphitheater venues across the U.S. and Canada that the two will be performing in, making for a magical summer evening.

The two artists recently collaborated on the song “Hi-Lo” from the latest Evanescence album, “Synthesis”, which features a virtuosic violin solo by Lindsey Stirling.

“Synthesis” was released in November. The disc sees many of Evanescence’s songs reworked in new ways, incorporating orchestral and electronic elements into the original compositions.

The “Synthesis Live” tour launched in October and like the album, it features a full orchestra and electronics.

 

Evanescence & Lindsey Stirling Launching Joint Summer Tour

Evanescence and violin virtuoso Lindsey Stirling are teaming up for what will surely be the summer’s more drama-filled tour.

The goth rockers and former YouTube sensation are hitting the road with a full orchestra for a 31-date co-headlining North American amphitheater outing that is slated to kick off on July 6 at the Starlight Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri, and will run through a Sept. 8 date at the Sunlight Supply Amphitheatre in Ridgefield, Washington.

The acts recently collaborated on the song “Hi-Lo,” from Evanescence’s 2017 comeback album, Synthesis, and Stirling is touring in support of her fourth album, last year’s Warmer in the Winter. The 31-year-old violinist didn’t hold back in her excitement about the tour, tweeting, “In case you missed it, my dreams are coming true this summer and @evanescence and I are going on tour together!” In another tweet, Stirling promised to bring an “epic & unforgettable performance” to your town.

Tickets for most of the announced dates will be available on March 9 at 10 a.m. local time, with both acts hosting their own pre-sales for fans and offering limited-edition VIP packages starting Wednesday (March 7). For more information check out Stirling and Evanescence‘s websites.

Jen Majura Made No Compromises On ‘InZENity’ Solo Album

Evanescence guitarist Jen Majura spoke to Lords Of Metal about her recently released second solo album, “InZENity”. The disc features guest appearances by Mattias IA Eklundh (FREAK KITCHEN), Jeff Waters (ANNIHILATOR) and Alex Skolnick (TESTAMENT).

Said Jen: “The big difference [between] ‘InZENity’ [and] my first solo album is mainly that I decided to not make any compromises this time. On my first solo album, I tried to find a compromise of how I do wanna sound and of how I am expected to sound for the music industry. That, of course, went totally wrong, and for ‘InZENity’, I didn’t let anyone tell me what I can or cannot do, how I do have to write songs, etcetera. I listen to a lot of diverse music, so why should I limit myself with staying in a genre box?!”

Majura also talked about the musical direction of “InZENity”, which covers everthing “from pop to hard rock to metal with death growls,” she said. In addition, it “contains background vocal work in the style of EXTREME, QUEEN or KING’S X. But the intention for me as a musician is always to write a solid song, and if the song doesn’t [require] a guitar solo, then there won’t be one. Many people expect a whole lot of shredding guitars when they listen to a guitarist’s solo album. My goal for ‘InZENity’ was to put out an album that is just entertaining, honest music instead of showing off on my instrument.”

In a separate interview with Make Weird Music, Jen said that the black-and-white “InZENity” artwork was inspired in part by the music’s diversity. “It’s ‘InZENity’ because you find your inner peace, your inner zen, as soon as you accept and acknowledge all those opposites inside of each of us, like black and white,” she explained. “You have mellow and happy, fast and slow, and all those different opposites together give you that inner calmness. That’s my inzenity that I found in this album, because the opposites are not only in the black-and-white artwork, it’s in the songs that I picked to record, it’s in each song. I tried to be very dynamic. A lot of songs nowadays lose dynamics, so I really wanted to keep the verses so smooth and sweet and then go, like, ‘Oh my God. Here’s a big chorus that changed the entire song!’ and then go back to the very sweet verse. So, it’s the whole philosophy in everywhere.”

Regarding the differences between performing with Evanescence and being a solo artist, Jen said: “[Being] in Evanescence, you know, it’s a gig you might get once in your life when you’re really lucky. It’s a great, great world I was allowed to dive into, but, to be honest, as a guitar player, what I’m playing in Evanescence is not as challenging, like some stuff that I played before. But that is mainly because, like I said, I want to play guitar that supports the song. A lot people ask me, ‘Are you going to play the songs different now in your style?’ I’m, like, ‘Hell no. Somebody wrote that song. Show respect to that somebody who wrote that song.’ Because the way that it’s been written is perfect the way it is. So why would I change it? So it’s not a sort of creative process in Evanescence right now for me when it comes to playing guitar. We’ll see about that in the future, but for right now, I’m literally having Troy [McLawhorn] show me what to play. And, of course, I try to keep my sound and my style, but it’s not that I’m changing anything. So it’s a whole different ballgame when you get to play what’s just coming out of you. It’s, like, ‘Okay, here’s me and a guitar. Let’s do something.’ It’s a different approach than, ‘Okay, show me what to play.’ So you can’t really compare it to each other.” [SOURCE]

Will Hunt: “Synthesis has done is broadened our horizons”

“When I’ve gone into all these different projects, I’ve always tried to be the chameleon. I feel like… I’ve actually conformed to the music,” Evanescence‘s longest standing drummer Will Hunt admits, struggling for the right phrase. “Whereas in Evanescence, I’m encouraged to be myself, and be okay with that.”

He’s talking from the perspective of having played with bands from Black Label Society, to Device and Crossfade. But by the time he joined the group – fronted by iconic vocalist Amy Lee and formed back in 1995 – for third album Evanescence, he was ready to dive into the inherent challenges: complex rhythms, classically-based composition, and Lee’s penchant for originality.

The band’s latest release Synthesis from November, a masterpiece re-configuration of past classics with orchestral and electronic composition, is no different.

Ahead of the quintet’s nearly sold-out Australian tour in four days, Hunt sat down to chat about being thrown into the deep end with these orchestral shows, relating to rhythm guitarist Jen Majura‘s initial struggles after joining in 2015, and embracing his imperfections.

Amy’s described getting to play the Opera House as a dream come true for her. Do you feel the same way?

“It doesn’t matter if you’re from Australia, if you’ve ever been there or it’s something you’ve seen in person. I think as a musician and performer… Even in America, I grew up seeing pictures of that place and knew what it was from a very young age. I remember being in Australia back in 2012, and we were staying across the street from there [the Opera House]… I saw it and was just like, ‘Wow, man! What an incredible-looking building’.

“I was never thinking in the back of my head that in four or five years I’d be playing there… I was thinking about everything that’s happened and the people who’ve performed there. Now we’re doing it. I remember when our manager said that we have sold-out nights at the Sydney Opera House, and I was like, ‘Hold on a second, you said what?’. It’s very surreal (laughs).”

There’s this raw live energy created from you guys only having 30 minutes with the band and orchestra before a show, which is awesome! Was it more invigorating or challenging?

“Yeah the orchestra thing is very different for us, and no-one’s really doing this the way that we are. Therefore there’s not really a road map where we can take cues from other bands and make it ours. So for us, going into this initially, it was – I don’t want to say scary – exciting, but also like, ‘Whoa, what do we do here?’.

“We’ve had a lot of shows with orchestras now. We’re in a really good place where we’re happy and comfortable with the show, and having a lot of fun with it. It is very cinematic, but we’re having a good time. It’s a cool thing. [Source]

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Evanescence Got Sued for $1.5 Million by their Former Manager

A frivolous lawsuit by Evanescence’s former manager took an unexpected turn.

Amy Lee and Evanescence have come out on top in a court battle instigated by former manager Andrew Lurie over allegedly unpaid commissions.

Lurie, of the now-bankrupt 110 Management, was signed by Evanescence in 2006 and managed them until 2015.  During that time, Evanescence dropped three albums — The Open Door, Evanescence, and Aftermath — and did numerous tours worldwide.

These ventures were lucrative enough to see Lurie and 110 Management pocket well over $5 million in commissions.

However, after Lee terminated the firm in 2015, Lurie went to court claiming he was owed in excess of $1.5 million in commissions arising from the band’s various revenue sources.  Lurie additionally claimed that he was entitled to commissions from Fallen, Evanescence’s wildly successful debut album, as well as their Anywhere But Home DVD, both of which had already been released when Lee hired 110 Management.

The ex-manager had also signed an agreement to earn “reduced” commissions from some of the band’s tours but later reneged, alleging that the agreement had been to merely “defer” them.

Lawyers Tracy B. Rane and Edwin F. McPherson proved on behalf of Evanescence that an extra $4,833.66 was all 110 Management was owed from the band’s tours and albums.

Lurie and 110 Management were then shocked as the judge ordered them to pay up $1,036,773 to Evanescence.

That arbitration award ended an eventful, three-year legal dispute for the band.  Evanescence is currently touring North America in preparation for the release of Synthesis, their latest album.

McPherson called the case ‘frivolous,’ while questioning why Lurie deserved payments from previous albums.  “We are very pleased with the outcome of this case, so decidedly in favor of Amy Lee and Evanescence,” McPherson told Digital Music News.   “The case has confirmed my faith in the system — for weeding out and stopping bullies.”

So is Amy Lee singing all the way to the bank?

Well, not quite.

The approximate $1 million reward recompenses Evanescence for legal expenses incurred during the long, drawn-out court battle.  But reports say the band spent $885,000 in attorney fees and paid an extra $72,000 for an expert witness.  Plus, there is all the time and energy spent in courtrooms to consider.

On the plus side, Lee and band won a psychological and moral victory.  They proved they ain’t no swindlers and got the person who would tell their fans otherwise.

Evanescence on the cover of Stencil Mag!

Check out Evanescence on the cover of Stencil Mag which Features interviews from the following: Evanescence, Stone Sour, Sleeping With Sirens, Trivium, We Came As Romans, Miss May I, Marmozets, The Darkness, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Embrace, Theory, 36 Crazyfists And So I Watch You From Afar, Beatsteaks, Lights, Bayside, Movements, Broadside, CHON, Jamie Lenman, Lonely The Brave, The Xcerts, Then Comes Silence, Alaska Alaska, David Caffrey, Taylor Gray, Jonathan Gilmour, Jon Davis-Hunt.

Evanescence featured on Metal Hammer 2018 Calendar

Evanescence is featured on Metal Hammer  bumper end of year issue, which includes three great gifts: a best of 2017 album, 2018 calendar and wrapping paper! ORDER THE METAL HAMMER END OF YEAR SPECIAL HERE Also features a Big Review of 2017, featuring all the stories that mattered and brand new interviews with the bands that defined your year.