When the Evanescence song Bring Me To Life featuring Paul McCoy, from the rock band 12 Stones, hit the airwaves for the first time, it didn’t have to beg for attention. Songwriter/lead singer Amy Lee’s clear and powerful voice, with the harmony of McCoy’s rap verses in the backdrop, seized the listening audience and set a new avenue for aspiring vocalists. Just a young teen at the time, Lee, a classically-trained pianist, founded the band with a former buddy Ben Moody, whom she met while away at a Christian youth camp in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1995. They synergised on song compositions and constructed their first album in 2000 called Origin; however, not many copies were distributed, making it a rare acquisition for fans even today. Lee refers to it as an unfinished demo album that wound up in the hands of a record company.

In 2002, when they signed with Wind Up Records, the label behind Creed, 12 Stones and Finger Eleven, Bring Me To Life was released and was found on the tracklist of a more-polished album, Fallen, released in 2003. The rock band, who often gets lumped into the dark Goth category and even less accurately, into the Christian rock genre, saw their debut single attack the charts, including first place on Modern Rock Tracks , Number 3 on the Canadian Singles chart, and Number 5 on Billboard’s Hot 100, to name just a few. After his collaboration on the album, keyboardist David Hodges went back to resume his solo projects.

Evanescence’s exposure was maximised when their two tracks, Bring Me Back To Life and My Immortal (Number 1, Adult Top 40, Number 1, Canadian singles chart), were featured in the soundtrack to the Marvel superhero flick starring Ben Affleck, Daredevil. It wasn’t the end but just the beginning for the next step in the Evanescence story, as folks in the industry were starting to realise that the band really filled a profound niche with their eccentric sound.

It was a no-brainer when it came time for the Grammy’s in 2004, and Evanescence won two awards for their material off the album Fallen, for Best Hard Rock Performance and the ever-prestigious, Best New Artist.  Although Moody was there to accept the award, he had since strayed from the band after things went south for him and Lee, and the two could not resolve their differences.  Before a show in Europe, the guitarist flaked on the band and left in the middle of their tour. However, when Evanescence was honoured at the Grammy’s, the estranged colleagues merely congratulated each other, and Moody somewhat disappeared from the limelight.

Moody was replaced by a member from the band Cold, songwriter/guitarist Terry Balsamo, joining Will Boyd on bass and drummer Rocky Gray from the Christian rock band Soul Embraced. Another album was in the works after the band was quite established from Fallen’s success with over 15 million copies sold around the globe. The Open Door materialised in 2006, but came with loads of toil and tribulation, as reflected on the 13-track album inspired by real-life events.

Some of the songs were fuelled by Lee’s anger stemming from a publicised breakup with Seether’s lead singer, Shaun Morgan. To make matters worse, in November 2005, Balsamo experienced a stroke inflicted by his repetitive head banging on stage, which led to a blood clot in an artery on his neck. He was admitted to the hospital and was paralysed on the left side of his body, but managed to survive. Subsequently, the guitarist underwent physical therapy to return to work and even touring, following advice to avoid repeating history.

During the winter of 2005, the band’s manager, Dennis Rider of Rider Management, was fired for a slew of misconduct, such as sexual harassment and extortion of Lee’s fortune, including the purchase of an $18,000 car, which he bought for his mistress. He and his team of attorneys then sued Lee for breach of contract, which resulted in the singer filing a countersuit against Rider for negligence and sexual harassment, pertaining to his advances towards Lee, among other allegations.

Even more drama arose when the band experienced a little shuffling of personnel. Tim McCord, the Revolution Smile guitarist, was recruited on bass in August 2006. When push came to shove, some were seemingly not along for the ride.  So in spring 2007, Rocky Gray and John LeCompt were fired and replaced by drummer Will Hunt and guitarist Troy MacLawhorn, respectively, both of whom were members of the group Dark New Day.

Despite the tumultuous times, The Open Door triumphed with its smash single, Call Me When You’re Sober  (Number 10, Billboard Hot 100, Number 4 Hot Modern Rock Tracks), rumoured to be written about Shaun Morgan.  The album debuted at Number 1 on the Billboard and went platinum almost immediately. Critics gave Lee and Balsamo their props for the more-sophisticated sophomore effort, and the songwriting pair were gelling beautifully as a team.

Where there is darkness, there is light, and Amy Lee is no exception. The star married her therapist, Josh Hartzler, in May 2007. The band went on temporary hiatus, perhaps so that princess of Goth could conjure up some joyous inspiration for the band’s next material.