Maps of Music

Evanescence (2011)

Where the lyrics of Evanescence take you, and where it was really made.

The album's cover has no picture of Amy Lee, the first Evanescence cover without her, and the self-titled record was named after the band itself, not after Lee.

Key places

Recording restarted at Blackbird (2011)

Recording site Blackbird Studio — The band returned to the studio with producer Nick Raskulinecz in early April 2011 at Blackbird Studio in Nashville. This session restarted the album after the Lillywhite sessions were dropped. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Mixed at The Warehouse (2011)

Recording site Warehouse Studios — Randy Staub mixed the album at The Warehouse in Vancouver, on the Studio 1 SSL G Series console. The mix was the final stage before mastering. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Evanescence: third studio album by the American rock band Evanescence
• Released 7 October 2011 by Wind-up Records
• Self-titled; Lee said the record is about the band and falling back in love with Evanescence
• First Evanescence album written by the whole band together, with Lee sharing writing credits on 11 of the 12 standard-edition songs
• Last album the band recorded under Wind-up
• Lee described the band's influences as Björk, Depeche Mode, Massive Attack, MGMT, and Portishead
• Songs carry sounds of nu metal, hard rock, and symphonic metal

Background

• Followed The Open Door; after that tour Lee took a break of about 18 months away from the industry
• Lee spent the break painting and listening to folk and indie music, and learned to play the harp
• Early 2009: Lee wrote an electronic-leaning song with her friend programmer Will 'Science' Hunt, which pushed the next album toward more electronic sound
• The band began writing the album in June 2009
• November 2009: two one-off shows in New York and Brazil
• Lee said she fell back in love with Evanescence and the album became 'a group project'
• The release was delayed several times; it was first scheduled for August or September 2010

Recording

• Sessions with producer Steve Lillywhite began 22 February 2010
• Lillywhite sessions ended April 2010; the band later said he was 'not the right fit'
• Lee said some songs recorded with Lillywhite were more fitting to a solo project
• Recording restarted with producer Nick Raskulinecz in early April 2011 at Blackbird Studio in Nashville
• Raskulinecz and engineer Paul Fig built the album on performance, with multiple live takes
• Strings by David Campbell were recorded last, at Avatar Studios in Manhattan over two days
• Final mix: most songs had over 100 tracks; mixed by Randy Staub at The Warehouse in Vancouver
• Ted Jensen mastered the album at Sterling Sound in New York City

Cover

• Cover artwork introduced on the band's website on 30 August 2011
• First Evanescence album cover that does not feature Lee
• Black cover with vapor behind the band name, a play on the meaning of 'evanescence'

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Artist

Formation

• Formed in 1994 in Little Rock, Arkansas by singer and keyboardist Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody.
• Started as a duo that released independent EPs and a demo CD, Origin (2000).
• Signed to Wind-up Records in 2001.

Members

• Current lineup: Amy Lee (lead vocals, piano, keyboards, harp), Troy McLawhorn (guitar), Tim McCord (guitar; bass before 2022), Emma Anzai (bass), Will Hunt (drums).
• Lee has been the main songwriter since the band's start.

Career

• Debut album Fallen (2003) sold more than four million copies in the US by January 2004 and won two Grammy Awards.
• The Open Door (2006) followed, and the self-titled album Evanescence (2011) debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
• Went on hiatus after 2011, then returned in 2015 and released the orchestral Synthesis (2017).
• The Bitter Truth (2021) reached the top five of several Billboard charts.
• Sixth album Sanctuary was announced for June 2026.
• Total album sales are about 31.9 million.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Metacritic: 63 out of 100, from 9 critic scores, 'generally favorable reviews'
• Kerrang!, Steve Beebee: complimented the songwriting and the band's performance, calling it 'easily their most cohesive and confident work'
• Artistdirect, Rick Florino: wrote of 'a pronounced vitality surging through these twelve songs'
• Montreal Gazette, Mark Lepage: praised the musicality, calling it 'one rolling, chugging, plangent epic'
• Entertainment Weekly, Kyle Anderson: wrote that Lee 'is more than just the token girl in the pit' when she uses baroque orchestral accoutrements
• IGN, Chad Grischow: said the album 'delivers on the orchestral-laced hard rock thrust' and Lee's vocals
• Rolling Stone, Nick Catucci: said Lee 'remains one of hard rock's leading ladies' but did not find the mix as cathartic as the previous album
• AV Club, Steven Hyden: dismissed the album as 'narcissistic' and 'grim and humorless'
• Spin, Theon Weber: thought Lee's performance was not restrained enough
• AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine: praised Raskulinecz's production and the variety of tempos

Reappraisal

• Metal Hammer: listed it among the 50 best metal albums of the 2010s, praising the stylistic fusion and the pairing with Raskulinecz
• Guitar World, Scott Iwasaki: wrote that the album infuses classical music and 1990s influences and 'brings Evanescence to a new level'
• Kerrang!: ranked it number 11 on its list of the best albums of the year

Records

• Billboard 200: debuted at number one with 127,000 first-week copies, the band's second album to debut on top
• First-week sales were lower than The Open Door, which sold 447,000 in its first week
• Fell to number four the following week, selling over 40,000 copies
• Also topped the Digital Albums, Top Rock Albums, Alternative Albums, and Hard Rock Albums charts in the US
• US: 141st best-selling album of 2011; 421,000 copies sold by August 2012
• RIAA: certified gold on 9 December 2020 for shipments over 500,000 units
• UK Albums Chart: debuted at number four with 26,221 copies in its first week
• UK: sold over 2,000 copies on its first day; BPI gold on 22 August 2014 for over 100,000
• Canada: entered the Albums Chart at number two with 9,000 copies; Music Canada gold on 12 January 2012 for over 40,000
• Australia: debuted and peaked at number five; ARIA gold for over 35,000
• Charted in more than 20 countries

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Lee recorded a cover of 'Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing' by Chris Isaak in 2009 for the initial album; she posted it in December 2015.
• After the label rejected the Lillywhite project, Lee said three songs from the original project were still used on the album.
• Lee wrote a few songs on the harp, including 'Secret Door' and 'My Heart is Broken'.
• The Roots drummer Questlove contributed drums on a song titled 'You Got a Lot to Learn'.
• Over 30 pairs of stereo electronic tracks were used on every song, and most songs had over 100 tracks in the final mix.
• The album was first planned as a deluxe edition with all 16 songs and a standard edition with 12.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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