Evanescence

Evanescence was founded in 1995 by singer, pianist and songwriter Amy Lee and guitarist and songwriter Ben Moody. The two met in 1994, when Lee was 13 and Moody 14, at a Christian youth camp in Little Rock, where Lee saw Moody playing acoustic guitar at the camp and thought they could play music together.[6] Lee thinks what drew them together at the time was that they "didn't fit in that well" and were "out of [their] element in this silly camp environment."[7] Lee brought Moody a cassette tape of her playing guitar and singing a song she wrote. They became musical collaborators, playing and working on music at Lee's home,[8][4] and were soon performing acoustic sets at book stores and coffee houses in the Little Rock area.[7][2][9] Lee said their music at the time "sounded different because we didn't have the means to make it sound like we wanted." Strings, choirs, and "dramatic, cinematic" sounds were musical desires they couldn't materialize as they were "just two kids in a basement".[10] Lee had a 16-track recorder and she and Moody would use it and Pro Tools, "fake strings and choirs" on her keyboard, and layer sounds and beats for their early material, which was mixed and produced by them. "We were basically just putting it down to remember what we wanted", Lee said.[10][11][12]

What made Lee want to start a band was "the idea of combinations that were unlikely".[5] With Evanescence, Lee aimed to combine her different musical tastes, "bringing something from the cinematic and classical symphonic world and marrying it to metal, hard rock and alternative music."[13][11] "There was all this music that was inspiring me. And Evanescence was the product of these two extremes combining".[14][15] After experimenting with band names, such as Childish Intentions and Stricken, Lee and Moody decided on Evanescence, which means "disappearance" or "fading away".[9][16] They wanted a name that was "out of nowhere", and when they came across the word they found it "beautiful" and "elusive".[10][17]

They recorded three EPs: Evanescence EP (1998), of which about 100 copies were made and distributed at the band's early live performances; Sound Asleep EP (1999), also known as the Whisper EP; and Mystary EP (2003).[18][19][8] Their early demos got them airplay on the local modern rock station in Little Rock, which helped them develop a local fanbase, allowing them to play a couple of bigger production shows a year and hire other musicians to perform other instruments live.[10] Although they played with guest musicians, Evanescence remained a duo. "It was more because that's what we did and how we worked rather than not wanting any other input", Lee recalled;[7] "The idea of a full band playing these songs was something that only came along later."[11] Moody said that at the time Lee and him were focused on writing music over playing live shows, and they did not want to have a band join their writing process; "we just wanted it to be the two of us and so we'd play once or twice a year."[17]

In 2000, they recorded a full-length demo CD called Origin (2000), which they self-released and sold at local shows.[20][19][2][7] Origin and the earlier EPs contain demo versions of some of the songs that would later appear on their debut album.[3] In a February 2003 radio interview, Lee and Moody encouraged fans to download their older songs from the Internet, rather than purchase them from online sources such as eBay where the material had been selling for over US$250.[21][3]

Having first encountered the band at Ardent Studios in Memphis and been suitably impressed, producer Pete Matthews played their demos to his friend at Wind-up Records, head of A&R Diana Meltzer.[19][10] It was when Meltzer heard "My Immortal" that she became interested in signing the band, saying she "knew it was a hit".[19] Evanescence was signed by Wind Up in 2001.[8] The label flew the band members to New York, and told them they loved their different sound and thought they had potential, but "we don't really totally know what to do with you", Lee recalled. They were then told, "if you were this good while distracted by school and all this other stuff, how good will you be if we put you in an environment where you have nothing to do but write and be influenced by your surroundings, like in Los Angeles."[10] The band was then relocated to Los Angeles, given an apartment and rehearsal space and enrolled in a gym, according to Meltzer,[19] and Lee, who was very introverted, received help from an acting teacher to overcome her stage fright.[9][10] Meltzer told HitQuarters in 2003 that, while she loved Lee's voice, their gothic sound, and Lee and Moody had already exhibited "huge talent" with their prior demo material, they were still young and she felt they could benefit from more time to work on their debut album so they "could deliver a breakthrough sound."[19]

Lee said that at the time of signing, they didn't realize the label would move them out to Los Angeles for two years, thinking it would be about six months. The length of time in Los Angeles "really frustrated" them.[10] It ended up being a fruitful writing experience, she said, as they wrote half of the album there and were able to make use of other equipment to get sounds they wanted.[10] After almost two years of the band working on their album, producer Dave Fortman was brought in to produce it.[19] Then, label executives refused to release the album unless the band agreed to hire a full-time male co-vocalist. When they did not agree, the label said they were withdrawing their funding and releasing them from their contract. The band left Los Angeles and drove back to Little Rock.[24] Several weeks later, the label relented, informing them that they would release their album if they agreed to have a male rapper on its lead single, "Bring Me to Life", in order to give something familiar to listeners. Lee was not happy about this, but reluctantly agreed to the compromise and wrote the part for the male vocal.[26] Lee originally wanted the lead single to be "Going Under" as she was concerned that the public would hear "Bring Me to Life" with its male vocal and decide that was the sound of the band. She was relieved that people were still receptive to Evanescence when "Going Under" was released as their second single.[27] Lee prefers "Bring Me To Life" without the label-forced rap, and expressed dissatisfaction that it "stamps a time period" on the song; she however made peace with it because they were able to "survive past it" and "people were able to, for the most part, understand who we are without us getting stuck in that place."[23][22]

Evanescence's debut album Fallen was released on March 3, 2003. Most of Lee's writing on the album was inspired by an abusive relationship she was in.[2][3] Lee later stated that the creation of the album largely consisted of her and Moody writing music separately and then adding to each other's work, due to tension and significant creative differences between them.[34] Lee and Moody had composed some of the songs on Fallen when they were 15 and 16.[10] After the album's completion, friends of Moody and Lee joined as the touring lineup: guitarist John LeCompt, drummer Rocky Gray, and bassist Will Boyd.[15][18]

Evanescence's music was initially promoted in Christian stores. The band later made it clear they did not want to be considered part of the Christian rock genre.[35] Terry Hemmings, CEO of Christian music distributor Provident, expressed puzzlement at the band's about-face, saying: "They clearly understood the album would be sold in these [Christian music] channels".[36] After many Christian stores began to remove the band's music from their shelves, Wind-up Records chairman Alan Meltzer then issued a press release in April 2003 requesting formally that they do this.[37] In May 2003, Lee said she had opposed the "Christian band" identification and the label's promotion in the Christian market from the beginning, calling it a "Ben [Moody] thing".[38][39] Lee stated that Evanescence "has never been a Christian band" and lyrically never had a religious affiliation.[41]

In an August 2003 interview, Moody said that Evanescence is "just Amy and I, and I want to keep it that way", adding that their process together is what works.[17] For the early promotion of Fallen, Evanescence accepted an offer from the video game company Nintendo to perform on the Nintendo Fusion Tour, which they headlined in August 2003.[42][43][13]

Fallen spent 43 weeks in the top 10 of the Billboard 200, peaking at number three.[44] It was certified 7× Platinum in the United States;[45] and eventually sold more than 17 million copies worldwide.[46] The album was listed for 104 weeks on the Billboard 200,[47] and it was one of eight albums in the history of the chart to spend at least a year in the top 50.[48] In addition, Fallen was number 6 on CBS's list of "Top Bestselling Albums of the Last 10 Years".[46] Evanescence's debut single "Bring Me to Life", featuring guest vocals from Paul McCoy of 12 Stones, was a global hit for the band and reached number five on the American Billboard Hot 100.[49] It provided Evanescence with a UK number-one single, where it stayed for four weeks from June–July 2003.[50] "My Immortal" received similar success, peaking at number seven on the US and UK charts.[49] Both songs were featured on the soundtrack of the 2003 action film Daredevil. The two other singles from Fallen are "Going Under" (No. 5 U.S. Modern Rock Tracks,[49] No. 8 UK Charts) and "Everybody's Fool" (No. 36 U.S. Modern Rock Tracks,[49] No. 23 UK Charts). In 2004 at the 46th Grammy Awards, "Bring Me to Life" won the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance and the band won Best New Artist from five nominations.[51]

On October 22, 2003, Moody left the band during the European tour for Fallen, reportedly because of creative differences.[18][3] Moody had previously called the band's management and informed them he was quitting.[2] Lee got a call from their manager asking her to "beg [Moody] to stay", to which she said "that's exactly what he wants me to do" and expressed that if Moody was going to leave, the band "would appreciate it if he'd wait until the end of the tour. But if he can't, then go ahead and go."[3] In an interview several months later, Lee said, "we'd gotten to a point that if something didn't change, we wouldn't have been able to make a second record."[7] She said it was a relief that he left because of tensions created within the band, which was at a "breaking point". "It was a really uncomfortable situation for everybody ... completely unstable and unhappy", she explained. "It was a scary time before he left because I knew something was going to happen and I didn't know what and I was afraid everything we worked for had the potential of going down the toilet."[7][52][39] In Lee's termination letter to their manager, she stated that Moody was physically and verbally abusive to her.[3] With Moody gone, "we felt like a weight had been lifted", she said.[3] Guitarist John LeCompt said in a 2006 interview that Lee "gained authority as soon as Ben Moody walked out the door. They had an equal partnership, but he was the man, he had to strangle the band, all the life out of it".[53]

Lee's creative disagreements with Moody included his strict approach to songwriting and focus on commerciality; he would "always be corralling" her ideas, and wanting to push the band in a more commercial, pop direction and she did not.[4][33][54] "It was always a push and pull between us, for me", she said. "It's cool because Fallen really is a lot of compromise. It definitely leaned toward what he wanted a lot of the time."[54] "A lot of the reason it's been so much fun writing [post-Moody] is that we're not thinking about that. It's like, 'What do we like? What's fun?'", and there is "no pressure of wanting to rule the world", Lee explained.[33][39] In a 2005 interview, Moody conceded that they had different approaches for the music. He stated,

"[Amy] is much more creative than I am, I'll be the first to admit it. I am a bit more commercial minded, I guess. I like structure in songs, and I like making songs people can adhere to. I still like to be creative, but she is more educated musically, and she wanted to explore that. I wanted to do that, but keep in the confines of what I knew people expected from Evanescence. I think in my immaturity at the time, I did that in just a way-too-controlling manner — it was like my way or the highway. We just couldn't meet in the middle, so I was like, "The hell with it."[55]

In August 2010, Moody released a statement on his history with Lee and Evanescence, where he said that he was a different person at the time, his friendship with Lee had deteriorated, and they had conflicting opinions, personalities, and desires with the band. Moody apologized to Lee for comments he made to her in anger. He said he realized the band would end if he stayed and believes he made the right choice. He added, "Evanescence has progressed a great distance from the original sound, and made it clear that they intended to expand much further. Amy is very artistic and never has had a problem thinking outside of the box and defying expectations."[56]

Evanescence performing at the concert in Le Zénith, Paris, featured on Anywhere but Home

Ex-Cold guitarist Terry Balsamo had replaced Moody on the Fallen tour as lead guitarist, and later joined the band as a full-time member.[57][18] In 2004, Evanescence released a DVD/CD compilation titled Anywhere but Home. The DVD includes a concert in Paris, as well as behind-the-scenes footage, including shots of the band backstage signing autographs and warming up. Also on the CD are the live songs "Breathe No More" (from the Elektra movie soundtrack), "Farther Away", and the band's cover of Korn's "Thoughtless". The album has sold more than a million copies worldwide.[58]

Lee said she had originally written the Mozart-inspired song "Lacrymosa" for the 2005 film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, as well as an untitled song. According to Lee, "Lacrymosa" was rejected because of its interpolation and the untitled song was rejected because of its dark sound.[61] The producers of Narnia then said this was news to them and that no Evanescence music had been planned for the soundtrack of the film.[62]

Lee musically collaborated with Balsamo for the composition of Evanescence's second album, The Open Door (2006). The album progressed slowly for several reasons, including Lee's desire to maximize the creative process and not rush production, Balsamo's stroke, and turbulence with their former manager.[64] The writing experience for The Open Door was "the best process" Lee ever had because she had "free reign" and could "do whatever I wanted without being judged".[31] In 2006, Lee said that when she listened back to Fallen, she "hear[d] all the vulnerability and the fear and all the childish things in me that are just human."[32] While Lee was drowning in the misery of her experiences in Fallen, she said The Open Door is largely about her acknowledging her issues and deliberating "what do I have to do to work this out."[4] In the record, she is "purging the trials", but overall it comes from a less hopeless place and with a more reflective outlook.[32]

On July 13, 2006, Lee announced that bassist Will Boyd had left the band after the album was completed for "not wanting to do another big tour" and wanting "to be close to his family."[65] In an interview with MTV, posted on their website on August 10, 2006, Lee announced that Tim McCord, former Revolution Smile guitarist, would switch instruments and play bass for the band.[66]

The Open Door's lead single "Call Me When You're Sober" hit modern rock and alternative rock radio on August 7, 2006. The 13-track album was released in the United States and Canada on October 3, 2006;[44] the United Kingdom on October 2, 2006; and Australia on September 30, 2006.[67] The album sold 447,000 copies in the United States in its first week of sales and earned their first No. 1 ranking on the Billboard 200 album chart.[47][68] The music video for "Call Me When You're Sober" was shot in Los Angeles and is based on the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood. The Open Door became available for pre-order on the iTunes Store on August 15, 2006; the music video for "Call Me When You're Sober" was also made available.[69]

Amy Lee in 2007

The tour for The Open Door began on October 5, 2006, in Toronto and included locations in Canada, the U.S., and Europe during that year. This first tour continued on January 5, 2007, and included stops in Canada (alongside band Stone Sour), Japan, and Australia (alongside band Shihad), and then returned to the U.S. for a second tour in the spring (alongside bands Chevelle and Finger Eleven).[70][71] As part of their tour, Evanescence performed on April 15, 2007, on the Argentinian festival Quilmes Rock 07 along with Aerosmith, Velvet Revolver, and other local bands.[72] They also co-headlined on the Family Values Tour 2007 along with Korn and other bands.[73][74] The group closed their European tour with a sell-out concert at the Amphi in Ra'anana, Israel, on June 26, 2007,[75] and finished the album tour on December 9, 2007.[76]

On May 4, 2007, guitarist John LeCompt announced that he had been fired from Evanescence, and also stated that drummer Rocky Gray had decided to quit.[77][18] They both would join Moody to eventually form the band We Are the Fallen.[78] Former Evanescence player David Hodges commented on LeCompt and Gray's attitude, stating:

"The only thing I would have done differently than Amy in the last two years is distance myself sooner from [them]. Amy and Ben started Evanescence. The three of us got signed and ... made Fallen ... No one else. What the hired band did do was accept the chance of a lifetime — be part of one of the biggest-selling records in the last 10 years and make more money playing in front of bigger crowds than any other musician we'd known. Are there sacrifices? Sure, life is full of sacrifice; if someone wanted to leave to be with their family, then that's understandable. But for anyone to be even the least bit ungrateful is mind-boggling. What exactly did they think they deserved out of this? Amy doesn't owe them anything, and anyone who thinks differently is sorely mistaken."[79]

In a 2008 interview, Lee commented on LeCompt and Gray's departure, stating that they had outgrown each other. "When they joined the band, Fallen was just completed and they were excited to be a part of something really big. From the beginning, their musical styles were very different from Evanescence. I think to a degree they got bored or frustrated. They weren't part of the creative process and were like, 'Why are we doing this?' ... I have to do what's best for the band", she explained. "I've had a little bit of contact with John since and it was positive."[80] In 2010, LeCompt said of his time in the band, "[Evanescence] was so big and important to my career and my life so I look back on it with fondness. We left the band but that doesn't say anything about my time in that band."[81]

On May 17, 2007, former Dark New Day members, drummer Will Hunt and guitarist Troy McLawhorn were announced to have joined Evanescence on tour, replacing Gray and LeCompt.[82] It was initially stated that Hunt and McLawhorn would tour with Evanescence until the end of the Family Values Tour in September 2007,[83] but both continued to play with the band through The Open Door tour.[76] After the end of the album's tour, Lee took a break to recollect herself and live life away from the industry.[84]

Tim McCord playing with the band at a concert at Maquinaria Festival, São Paulo, Brazil in November 2009.

About 18 months after Lee stepped away from the industry, she began writing music again, and went into the studio with producer Steve Lillywhite.[85] In a news posting to the Evanescence website during June 2009, Lee wrote that the band was in the process of writing new material for a new album proposed for release in 2010.[86] The band played a "secret show" at the Manhattan Center Grand Ballroom in New York City on November 4, 2009, with label mates Civil Twilight. Tickets for the show sold out in five minutes. This show acted as a warm-up for their headline appearance at the Maquinária Festival in São Paulo, Brazil, which took place on November 8.[87][88][89]

In January 2010, Evanescence released "Together Again" as a digital download, a song created for The Open Door but later cut. The song was released to aid the United Nations Foundation in Haiti earthquake recovery efforts.[90] It later received an official release as a digital download on February 23, 2010.[91]

Evanescence entered the studio on February 22, 2010 to begin recording for the new album,[92] with Will "Science" Hunt assisting in programming .[93] David Campbell, who previously worked on The Open Door, was brought back to handle string arrangements,[94] and the album was initially being produced by Lillywhite.[95] Lee later said that "Steve wasn't the right fit" and was replaced by producer Nick Raskulinecz.[96] It was later revealed that the record label had scrapped the material recorded with Lillywhite.[97][98]

At the time the band began recording, the album was intended for an August or September 2010 release.[99] However, on June 21, 2010, Lee announced on EvThreads.com that Evanescence had temporarily left the studio to work further on the album and "get our heads into the right creative space." Lee also indicated that record label Wind-up Records was going through "uncertain times", which would further delay the release of the album.[100][101] The band reentered the studio in early April 2011 with Raskulinecz, who had produced music for Alice in Chains, Deftones, and Foo Fighters, to continue work on the third album.[102][103] It was reported that the album would be released in late 2011.[102]

On June 12, 2011, Lee announced through her Twitter account that guitarist Troy McLawhorn, who worked with Seether and left thereafter, was officially back with Evanescence, and the release date for their new album would be October 4, 2011.[104][103] Later, on July 11, 2011, it was reported by MTV News that the release date for the album had been pushed back to October 11, and that the first single from the album will be "What You Want".[105] The band recorded the album at Blackbird Studio, Nashville.[106] During an interview with Kerrang!, Lee revealed that the new album's title will be Evanescence.[107][84] Lee said that the decision for the title of the album was her love towards Evanescence, as well as the record being composed more collaboratively than past albums, with all members contributing. The record is "about the band", Lee explained.[84] Its lyrical themes include Lee "falling back in love" with Evanescence, her being inspired by nature and the ocean, brokenness, the quest for freedom, and falling in love.[84][96][108] Different from The Open Door, which was "all about me and my personal experiences", Evanescence also includes Lee's musings on events that occurred to others in her life. "But really, whatever makes me feel the most, that's what's on the record, because that's what I need to get off my chest."[108]

The Evanescence Tour began on August 17, 2011, with a show at War Memorial Auditorium in Nashville.[109] The band then performed at Rock on the Range in Winnipeg on August 20, 2011,[110] and at Rock in Rio on October 2 alongside Guns N' Roses and System of a Down as well as Brazilian artists Pitty and Detonautas Roque Clube.[111] After a series of events in North America, Evanescence traveled to Europe in November to play a sold-out tour in the UK, Germany and France, with support from The Pretty Reckless and Australian band ME. Evanescence performed at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert on December 11, 2011, where they played "Lost in Paradise" and "Bring Me to Life",[112] before again touring in North America. In February 2012 they toured Japan with Dazzle Vision,[113][114] and in the same month performed in other southeast Asian countries. March 2012 saw the band tour Australia and New Zealand with Blaqk Audio.[115][116] Between April and July 2012, Evanescence toured in Europe and North America, with additional stops in Africa and the Middle East.

Evanescence paused their tour to take part in the Carnival of Madness Tour alongside Halestorm, Cavo, New Medicine, and Chevelle. The tour began on July 31, 2012, in Springfield, Illinois, and ran through September 2, 2012, ending in Buffalo. The Evanescence Tour resumed in October 2012 with stops in South America, Costa Rica, and Panama. The tour wrapped with a series of shows in England, ending on November 9, 2012, in London's Wembley Arena.[117][118] Lee stated the band planned to take an extended break after the tour, saying, "At the end of any really long tour you need to get your head in order. I think at the end of the run we'll go on a break for a while and figure things out."[119]

In October 2013, Wind-up Records sold part of their catalog of artists, including Evanescence and their master recordings, to Bicycle Music Company. The combined company Concord Bicycle Music will market the catalog.[120] On January 3, 2014, it was announced that Amy Lee had filed a lawsuit against former record label Wind-up Records, seeking $1.5 million in unpaid royalties owed to the band.[121] In March 2014, via her Twitter account, Lee announced that she and Evanescence had been released from their record label and were independent artists.[122]

Evanescence in 2015 at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles

On April 27, 2015, it was announced that the band would perform at Japan's Ozzfest on November 21, 2015, as the second headline act, making it the band's first live performance since their hiatus.[123][118] Prior to Ozzfest, Evanescence would play three shows in the United States.[124] On August 7, 2015, Lee announced that long-time guitarist Terry Balsamo had departed the band. His position was filled by German singer and guitarist Jen Majura, bassist for folk metal band Equilibrium.[125] In an October 2015 interview, Lee stated that the band would continue to tour in 2016, but as she was focusing on solo projects new Evanescence music had not yet been created.[126] In late 2016, the band toured select cities in the United States,[127] choosing alternative rock band Veridia as their opener.[128] During this tour, the band played a brand new song titled "Take Cover",[129] an outtake from the scrapped 2010 sessions for their self-titled album.[130]

On September 13, 2016, the band announced a vinyl box set titled The Ultimate Collection that includes all of their albums (including Origin) and a new version of "Even in Death", a song which first appeared on Origin.[131][132] The set was released on December 9, 2016.[133] During an interview with Loudwire, Lee stated "there is Evanescence in the future" and that there had been work on another pre-Fallen song which would be released later.[134] On February 18, 2017, a compilation album titled Lost Whispers was made available for streaming and downloading on Spotify, iTunes, and Anghami. It contained the rerecorded "Even in Death", previously released B-sides, the four deluxe edition bonus tracks to Evanescence, and the new song "Lost Whispers".[135][136][137]

Evanescence performing live at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on October 15, 2017, as part of their Synthesis tour.

On March 20, 2017, Lee spoke to AOL Build about her solo single, "Speak to Me"; during the interview, she spoke of "a new album" in the works by Evanescence, saying "We're working on something. [...] It's not just a straightforward 'next Evanescence album'," implying a stylistic change.[138] In a March 23 interview with Metal Hammer, Lee stated that "It's something unique, something complex, something a little bit beyond that – and it's definitely new territory for all of us." The album was intended for release later in 2017.[139]

In a Facebook post, Lee revealed that the new album is titled Synthesis. The album is an orchestral and electronica piece, with selected songs from the band's previous albums rebuilt into classical arrangements reminiscent of a soundtrack, Lee said. Synthesis contains two new original songs, one titled "Hi-Lo" starring Lindsey Stirling. The first recording session for Synthesis took place on May 23, 2017, and a remake of "Bring Me To Life" was released as a single on August 18.[140][141] On August 15, the band announced that recording Synthesis was in its final stages. Evanescence toured with a full orchestra in late 2017 in support of the album, and tickets were sold starting on August 18.[142][143][144] The band later toured across the US, Australia and Europe. Each ticket purchased came with a digital copy of Synthesis after its release.[145][146] On September 14, 2017, the single "Imperfection" was officially released.[147]

In March 2018, Evanescence announced that Lindsey Stirling would be joining the second North American leg as part of Evanescence's Synthesis Tour.[148] While their focus would remain on touring, Lee stated during a July 2018 interview on WRIF that the band would begin working on their next studio album.[149]

Evanescence performing live in Verona, Italy, on September 2, 2019.

On February 4, 2019, the band released dates and locations for a spring/summer 2019 United States concert tour.[150] On September 17, 2019, Evanescence and symphonic metal band Within Temptation announced a seven-city joint European tour titled Worlds Collide originally scheduled for April 2020.[151][152] However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the tour was postponed until fall 2020.[153] The tour was pushed back a second time, and will take place in September 2021.[154]

On May 11, 2019, Lee was quoted by Blabbermouth on plans for Evanescence to release a new studio album in 2020.[155] In a November 21, 2019, Reddit AMA, Lee said of the album, "It's dark and heavy. Its also got moments of weird and sparse. Little bit of everything. Definitely some Open Door vibes but not the same."[156]

On September 5, 2019, Xbox released a launch trailer for the video game Gears 5 that included a cover of Fleetwood Mac's "The Chain", with vocals credited to Lee.[157] A full version of the song was released by Evanescence on November 22, 2019,[158] and features backing vocals by the other members of the band.[159][160] A music video for the song was released on January 9, 2020. The cover song will not be included on the band's upcoming fifth album.[161] At the end of January, the band entered the studio with Nick Raskulinecz, who produced their 2011 self-titled album, to work on three "heavy" songs.[162] They would originally record only two songs with him, but ended up recording four.[163] They planned to work with different producers each time they hit the studio to ensure a diverse sound,[161] but this plan was set aside because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On April 17, 2020, the band announced the title of their new album, The Bitter Truth, along with the artwork. The album's first single, "Wasted on You", was released on April 24 along with a music video. The music video was directed by P. R. Brown and included shots of the band members, at home due to the pandemic.[164] The second single, "The Game Is Over", was released on July 1.[165] "Use My Voice", the album's third single, was released on August 14. It features vocal contributions from Lzzy Hale, Taylor Momsen, and Sharon den Adel, and was used in a HeadCount campaign to encourage Americans to vote in the United States presidential election.[166]

Evanescence performing live at the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts, on January 20, 2022.

On December 4, 2020, it was announced the album would be released on March 26, 2021, and contain 12 tracks, including Evanescence outtake "Take Cover".[167][168] Along with the album's pre-order, the fourth single, "Yeah Right", was released as an instant grab.[169] On March 5, 2021, the band released the fifth single, "Better Without You".[170] The song touches upon Amy Lee's struggle in the music industry.[171]

Amy Lee told in a Kerrang! cover story that she considers The Bitter Truth their fourth album, and not 2017's Synthesis,[171] though it is the fifth album overall.

On May 21, 2022, the band announced that it parted ways with guitarist Jen Majura.[172] On May 23, it was announced that longtime bassist Tim McCord would switch to guitar, and that Emma Anzai of Sick Puppies would join as their new bass guitarist.[173]