Evanescence (album)

***Evanescence*** is the third studio album by Evanescence, released on October 11, 2011 through Wind-up Records. It was originally scheduled for a Fall 2010 release, but was delayed after their record label scrapped their first attemp at the album. Productions started again in April 2011 with a new producer and were finished in July 2011.

## Background

Amy Lee started working on the album in July 2009 with her programmer friend and usual collaborator Will "Science" Hunt. It originally had a electronic direction, drawing influence from Björk, Massive Attack, Portishead and MGMT.

> "I can't expain how excited I am to make this record. Over the past year and a half these songs have become the center of my life, and I can't wait to hear what they grow into in the studio. I think our sound is evolving into something that will surprise people, in a very good way. I feel, as always, that growth can be an incredible, limitless thing if you let it. I never want to make the same album twice."
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## Recording

Recordings started on February 22, 2010 with English producer Steve Lillywhite and ended in April that year. Amy described the album as a "rainbow of sounds" with some songs "amazingly heavy" and others "completely stripped down." The band's aim was "to take synthetic and atmospheric sounds and find a way to blur the line between organic and synthetic".

> "The sound that we're going for as a group is to fuse synthetic instruments with organic instruments and create something that sounds like a whole new place. It just sounds larger than life."
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The band spent the first two months in the studio recording percussion and drums, citing Taiko drums, and Amy's piano and harp. On March 19, 2010, Amy previewed a song titled "Perfect Dream" on Twitter. However, it doesn't appear on the final release. On the 24th, she posted another clip from the studio, in which she plays a piano piece. She gave away the title "You Got a Lot to Learn" during a radio interview, revealing it features guest drums by Questlove, but the track doesn't appear on the final album.

> "I know that seems weird to say, but I wouldn't be here in the studio making another record if I didn't think it was going to be better than anything I've ever done. I feel like so much has already happened. I don't even know where to begin to try to describe it...'cause it's just so many things at once. I'm really excited.
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> It wouldn't be an Evanescence album if it didn't sound somewhat like Evanescence. I feel like our band has always had programming and inspirations from Bjork and Depeche Mode and Massive Attack and that kind of thing. It's not like we're making one of those records; it's just, like, that is playing a bigger role in the sound of Evanescence this time. Those little nuances and hints come in in ways that are cool."
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Although progress on the album appeared to be going well, Amy announced on EvClub on April 19 that band took time out of the studio to work more on the music, saying, "there is more that I want to do and I want to make this album the best it can possibly be, so I’m not going to rush it." It was later revealed their record label scrapped the Lillywhite sessions:

> "That album was the first time I watched something I was working on totally blow up in my face. The suits had a change of heart during a frustrating recording process and I was told that none of the songs I’d been pouring my heart into for a year, in any form, were good enough- time to start over. I was devastated. I was furious. I was determined to take control of the situation and use it to push myself forward. It ended up making me angry enough to write Evanescence’s heaviest album- which I love- and we did end up using 3 songs from the original project, but I was still left feeling unsatisfied about what I lovingly refer to as my “broken record.” I’ve believed, mostly alone, in this damaged little handful of unfinished recordings for 5 years- and for the first time, I own them. I plan to finish some, re-do some, and probably keep a couple to myself."
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On April 4, 2011 Amy announced the band re-entered the studio and said it would be released on Fall 2011, adding "the album is going to be even better than it would have been had it come out last year, like we originally planned" and that it wasn't going to be a "*techno*" album, as originally planned. It was emerged that they were no longer working with Lillywhite and changed producers to Nick Raskulinecz. Productions ended in July 2011, and the band reworked three songs from the initial sessions: "Made of Stone", "Swimming Home", and "Secret Door".

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Evanescence Go Electro As Lee Has "Fun With Music" on Next LP". March 2, 2010. *Rolling Stone*.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Exclusive: Amy Lee on the New Evanescence Album". March 5, 2010. *Spin*.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Evanescence Recording New Album, Plots Summer Tour". March 26, 2010. *Billboard*.
4. ↑ "Evanescence in studio: Steve Lillywhite dancing Twitvid"
5. ↑ "another piece of the puzzle" (March 24, 2010)
6. ↑ Amy Lee's interview on Steve Lillywhite radio (March 23, 2010)
7. ↑ Amy's new blog post on EvClub (April 2010)
8. ↑ "*Evanescence* not what Amy Lee wanted?" (November 4, 2011)
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 https://loudwire.com/watch-amy-lee-cover-chris-isaak-baby-did-a-bad-bad-thing/
10. ↑ Lee, Amy (April 4, 2011). "2011". *EvThreads*.