Evanescence have revealed that they have recorded “killer” material for their upcoming album. The group, who are working on the follow-up to 2006′s The Open Door with producer Steve Lillywhite, said they have experimented with an “electronic” sound on the LP, which he believes takes “really big risks”. “There are new colors in the pattern,” Kerrang! quotes him as saying. “There’s a lot of cool new things going on, both electronically and futuristically. “I think [Amy Lee is] doing something that’s very special and hasn’t been done before. I’m a supporter. I think it’s killer!” On whether fans could be put off by their new sound, he insisted: “It’s always going to sound like Evanescence, ’cause it’s Amy Lee singing, but the vehicle for that voice can be different and still be Evanescence. “She is taking some real big risks and honestly, I think it’s amazing!” Evanescence’s third studio album is slated for release later this year.

Source: Digital Spy

Will Hunt has just checked in with us as he looks ahead to a year which is shaping up to be as unbelievably busy as the one that has just passed. Not content with commitments with Black Label Society and Evanescence in the coming year, he’s also started a new project. Will explained: “I’m working with a new band called Eye Empire and there’s a debut CD coming out for that. It’s a kick ass band. It’s a side thing for me now but we’ll see where it goes.” Of course, he’ll also be back on the road with Zakk and co next month, and there’s also movement in the Evanescence camp. He filled us in: “Come February Black Label will be back in Europe so I’ll be there. There’s a lot of work with Black Label in Europe and that goes through to the beginning of April and then we’ll be back in Europe for the festivals and Japan’s in there and the States in the summer. “The Evanescence thing is still going to happen, it’s just a matter of when. We’re still in this writing process that hasn’t really stopped. In between tours I’ve been doing a lot of writing with them. I’m just taking that as it comes. Ideally it would be great to be in the studio in the break from Black Label in the beginning of April, that would be wonderful. We’ll see.”

Source: EvanescenceVille, MusicRadar.com

It’s been four years since Evanescence have released a record, during which time the band has been plagued by in-fighting and lineup changes, with original members John LeCompy, Rocky Gray, and Ben Moody all leaving. But Amy Lee is getting back on track and the new lineup is set to release an album later this fall, with U2 and Rolling Stones producer Steve Lillywhite at the helm. In an interview with Radio Metal (via Blabbermouth), drummer Will Hunt said Lee is taking “real big risks” with the new material. “Honestly, I think it’s amazing,” he said. Still, Hunt said the new album won’t stray too far from the band’s dark, dramatic goth-rock sound. “It’s always going to sound like Evanescence, ’cause it’s Amy Lee singing, but the vehicle for that voice can be different and still be Evanescence,” he said. Hunt added that the band has experimented with electronic textures. “There are new colors in the pattern,” he said. “There’s a lot of cool new things going on, both electronically and futuristically. I think she’s doing something that’s very special and hasn’t been done before. I’m a supporter. I think it’s killer.” Back in March, SPIN caught up with Lee to talk about the early stages of the record, where the singer revealed that the new songs “are a rainbow of sounds.” “There are moments that are amazingly heavy,” Lee said. “But then there are moments that are completely stripped down.” Check out the interview here.

Source: Spin.com; EvanescenceWebsite.com

Radio Metal: Do you have any new information about the release of the album?
Hunt: All I can say is that Amy’s a very hard worker. She’s very critical of herself. It’s important to her that the album is up to her expectations first and foremost. She’s gonna take as long as she wants to take doing it. As a fan and a bandmember, I wish things were a little quicker, but at the end of the day, I totally respect how she wants to do this. And I understand, because it’s a very important and critical album for Evanescence, so it has to be exactly right. I know why she’s taking her time on it. It will be ready when it’s ready.
Radio Metal: Do you share Amy’s extreme enthusiasm for the new compositions? She describes them as “the best Evanescence compositions since the beginning of the band.” What do you think of the new songs?
Hunt: Honestly, I think it’s amazing. I think she’s taken some real big risks. As artists, I think it’s important that we challenge ourselves to find new ground. If you look at any band in history who’s done really well, they continue to reinvent themselves and be relevant. It’s always going to sound like Evanescence, ’cause it’s Amy Lee singing, but the vehicle for that voice can be different and still be Evanescence. I think people are gonna be pleasantly surprised, because all the really cool elements, the things people love about the Evanescence of the past are still there. But there are new colors in the pattern. There’s a lot of cool new things going on, both electronically and futuristically. I think she’s doing something that’s very special and hasn’t been done before. I’m a supporter, I think it’s killer. It’s really good. Read the entire interview here.

Source: RadioMetal.com; EvanescenceWebsite.com

The Keys of Summer: Baldwin Piano Takes Center Stage with Some of This Season’s Hottest Touring Acts
“In a recording studio, Amy Lee uses her trusted Baldwin Piano to create the sounds she is describing as “synthetic and atmospheric” for Evanescence’s as-yet-untitled, first release since 2006, due out later this year.” (Continue reading…)

Source: EvanescenceVille, EvThreads.com