SINGAPORE - A revitalised Evanescence is back - with band leader Amy Lee the only survivor from the original line-up.

With the revamp and the release of its self-titled third studio album last October, frontwoman Lee says her rock band is new and improved.

The band took a recording break shortly after the release of their 2006 album, The Open Door, for which they toured in 2007.

So what happened to the US outfit over those few years?

Goth queen Lee, 30, told The New Paper over the phone from Osaka, Japan, where Evanescence was performing: "After the tour for The Open Door in 2007, we just wanted some space away from each other to discover what we wanted out of our lives.

"I'd been focused on my musical career since my late teens. When you're young, you just want to do what feels right.

"I had to take a mental break from my identity as Amy of Evanescence and find myself as Amy the regular person."

Rebellious

She added: "I'm quite the rebellious girl. The last thing on my mind at that point in time was to continue singing without knowing why I wanted to.

"I'm now in a place where I don't have to fight for respect, and where I have a much better understanding of who I am."

This newfound stability also extends to Evanescence's identity, given the band's numerous line-up changes over the years.

Guitarist Ben Moody co-founded Evanescence with Lee, and they hit the big time with the release of their 2003 debut album Fallen.

Its lead single Bring Me To Life was featured on the soundtrack of the 2003 superhero movie Daredevil.

But Moody later left the band that same year under less-than-cordial circumstances.

Other ex-members also include drummer Rocky Gray, guitarist John LeCompt and bassist Will Boyd.

Lee said she hasn't spoken to Moody since his departure and isn't planning to do so, declining to comment further on the issue.

As the sole survivor of the original Evanescence, she said that the turnover of personnel was necessary.

"Personal and professional unity within a band is very important," she said.

"It's not about the money or the fame. If you care only about the money, playing together as a band is meaningless.

"Your heart has got to be in the right place. You've got to be truly and passionately dedicated to the (band's) cause.

"The same goes for any relationship..."

Lee married therapist Josh Hartzler in 2007 and it was one of the reasons for the band's break.

She said marriage has moulded her into a more mellow and compromising person.

"I've become more forgiving and patient, especially having seen so much conflict earlier in my life," she said.

But she revealed that she isn't planning to start a family just yet.

"I can't imagine holding a screaming infant right now, especially when I'm about to perform.

"I do want kids someday, but it'll definitely have to be when I'm not on tour," she joked.

Debut concert here

Evanescence - which currently comprises guitarists Terry Belsamo and Troy McLawhorn, bassist Tim McCord and drummer Will Hunt, who are in their 30s and early 40s - will make its long-awaited debut concert here later this month.

A proposed stopover in Singapore was mooted back in 2004, but it did not materialise. Said Lee: "We're really excited to be able to finally perform in Singapore.

"When the touring schedule came out, I insisted to the band that one of the places we had to tour in was Singapore."

She added: "We're going to have a blast of a live show, with music from all our three albums.

"That's one of the things about Evanescence. People who don't watch us live are going to be missing a lot.

"The concert will feature plenty of big, loud, heavy wailing songs and really soulful numbers. "These signature aspects of Evanescence haven't changed at all. In fact, they've improved!"

asiaone.com

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