Amy Lee on the New Evanescence Album

Evanescence singer Amy Lee is over the drama. “There’s a lot of bullshit related to that band name for me,” Lee tells SPIN.com, “but I’m ready to move past it. I’ve realized that Evanescence is who I am.” She’s not kidding about the bullshit. Since their 2003 Grammy-winning, multi-platinum debut Fallen rocketed the Little Rock, AR, natives to world stardom, the group have been plagued by in-fighting and lineup changes, beginning with the departure of co-founder Ben Moody. In a very public 2006 spat, the last remaining original members — guitarist John LeCompt and drummer Rocky Gray — left or were fired, and soon joined Moody to form We Are the Fallen with ex-American Idol finalist Carly Smithson on vocals. Evanescence is also moving on. The goth-rock outfit will release their first album since 2006 this September, with a new lineup — and a new sound. Lee, guitarist Terry Balsamo, bassist Tim McCord, drummer Will Hunt, and the band’s newest member, producer, songwriter, and studio whiz Will “Science” Hunt (that’s right — the band has two guys named “Will Hunt”), are recording the album in a New York studio with producer Steve Lillywhite (U2, Rolling Stones). And they’re taking Evanescence’s characteristically heavy, goth-rock sound in an electro-pop direction inspired by Lee’s favorite bands: Massive Attack, Bjork, and Portishead. “The album has sounds that are distorted, changed, reversed,” says Lee. “There’s a lot of that fun stuff going on.” Continue reading…