2026 will be a big year for Evanescence. They will do their first world tour as headliners for four years now (with a date on September 28th at the Unipol Arena in Bologna) and as supporters they will have singers and bands led by women, namely Poppy and Nova Twins (they will both be present in Italy), Spiritbox and K.Flay. In 2025 Evanescence toured stadiums with Metallica, opened for My Chemical Romance and Halsey, released singles Fight Like a Girl And Afterlife. Their first album since will be released next year The Bitter Truth of 2021. Amy Lee answered our questions.
What was it like opening for Metallica in Australia and New Zealand?
Beyond expectations, and to say they were high. It was our first stadium tour and Metallica is one of the bands that inspired us. When I was 13, 14 I loved the Black Album. Seeing them play, which I did pretty much every night when we were on tour, was amazing, brought back a lot of memories. Surreal. I can't believe it took us this long to play together. Another shot of inspiration.
How did you prepare?
Metal audiences are usually loyal to their band and that band alone. And sometimes he doesn't accept bands with a female singer opening concerts. It's a challenge and it stimulates me. It's not like doing our concerts, which are like a party for our 20-odd years together, a huge family reunion. At concerts with Metallica I was ready to be tough, to break, to avoid My Immortalin short, to be heavy from start to finish. But then on the first night in Perth I saw the fans' reactions to the Metallica concert and I understood what songs like Nothing Else Matters And the Unforgiven are among the peaks of the show, and so are the moments in which James addresses the audience by presenting himself as an accessible and even slightly silly human being. It's the opposite of the intimidating attitude I thought I should take. I felt at home, among people who looked like me. We put the ballad back in the setlist and from then on it was all a lot of fun.
While you were in Australia you also did smaller headline shows. How did it go?
In very small places we hadn't played in like 18 years, like before we had a contract. I don't know the capacity of the show we did in Sydney, I would say a thousand people or so. A small and sweaty place, the whole band in one dressing room, a burst of energy from the audience. It was like going back in time, only a thousand times better because I wasn't as nervous as I was back then. We're used to playing in arenas and that's fine. But the further you are from people, the less feedback you get. In the clubs, however, if I wanted, I could reach out and touch someone in the audience. Stuff that's good for the soul. I didn't realize how good it would be, but that's not what our tour is going to be like.
So, what can fans expect from next year's tour?
It will be fantastic. The other girls will be with us. The band is very strong. When we're on tour, we compete to improve ourselves. It took time to grow, to become solid, to transform into the band we are now. I have more energy today for all things Evanescence than I did ten years ago.
Spiritbox, Poppy, K.Flay and Nova Twins will open the concerts. This year you worked with Courtney LaPlante and Poppy on some songs. How did you choose the supporters?
It excites me to tour with amazing women and bands. It will be fantastic. It was an important year for me and for the group in terms of collaborations. I enjoyed working with Poppy and Courtney on End of You. We haven't done it live yet and I hope it happens on this tour. The same goes for the piece with K.Flay, Fight Like a Girl. I haven't worked with the Nova Twins, but I'm a fan of theirs. We've played the same festivals over the past few years and seeing them was inspiring. The things Georgia South does on bass are phenomenal. Emma (Anzai, bassist of Evanescence, ed) and I stand on the side of the stage and wonder how the hell he does it. “Let's try to figure it out, ask him later.”
What can you say about Evanescence's new album?
We've been working on it for a couple of years. A lot has been recorded, some parts are finished, but many songs are missing lyrics, I still have to find the right words. Words are always important, but they are particularly so in this historical moment. I see it as the possibility of doing something good, even just by offering a way to allow people to empathize, tell the truth, express what they feel. We need to vent. I need to vent.
Do you already know when it will be released?
Early next year. There's no specific date, setting it would get me into trouble because I have to finish the lyrics and record the vocals, but we're almost there and I'm excited about it. Once that's done, I'll focus on touring.
What excites you most about the album?
I feel a level of inspiration and love like back in the day Falleneven if we are different now, we are better. The prospect of bringing together the past and present and imagining the future takes you to another level. I've worked with and been inspired by people who are about ten years younger than me Fallen. And so there are parts of us that I can appreciate again and see through the eyes of others, and this is helping us create something special.
More than 20 years have passed since the gigantic success of Fallen. What's it like to still feel creative?
We are always prepared for the worst, but you also have to be open to the fact that things can get better and that life can surprise you. I discovered this as I grew up. The band's journey in recent years, in particular, has been rewarding in a way that it couldn't be when we were winning Grammys and all that. I was a little girl and I didn't understand what it meant. As you grow up, you understand how precious life is. I'm in a YOLO phase: we could die any minute, so let's get on with it.
How come all these possibilities are opening up?
It almost seems like a cosmic convergence. Culturally something is happening, the bands of the 2000s are coming back twenty years later. We have never disappeared, we have built a solid reality and I know that it is rather rare for that to happen. Being still there, having an incredible fan base after a long time, having the attention of the mainstream again gives me the impression that this is the right time. If it is, we need to work to make it a great 2026. And that's what we're doing.
From Rolling Stone US.
