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(soft ambient music)

- [Amy] Nobody could
have ever foreseen

where we would be in 2020.

- [Troy] God, there
was just so much

that was supposed to
happen this year, you know?

We had a lot going on.

We had a really cool
tour planned for Europe.

- [Will] I think, in a
way, the pandemic happening

really makes us appreciate
what we have more.

Being able to get together
and make music together

is a release.

- [Amy] It's bizarre how
weird this time has become.

- [Tim] Any solid plans we
had at the end of last year,

you know, everything was
just kinda up in the air.

Like, what are we
supposed to do?

- [Jen] You know, I think
what we all learned this year

is how to adapt, how
to adjust ourselves

to what's going on in the world.

- [Amy] There was a
lot of good groundwork

that set us up to
be in this place

to make this album, finally.

(dynamic music)

♪ Three two one zero

(hard rock music)

♪ There is no way
back this time ♪

♪ What is real and what is not

♪ Oh

♪ Survival hurts

- [Amy] So much has changed

since we made a full
new album as a band.

I remember, at one point, we
had a little tour in Canada,

and, at the end, nobody
really had anything going on,

so I was like, "Hey,
let's stay a week,

find an Airbnb in the woods,"

and, oh man, did we.

So good.

And we were just really way up.

I had to drive way out
into the middle of nowhere

and just camped out in
the woods, set up a rig,

and like, wrote music together.

I am so grateful.

It wasn't foresight, 'cause
nobody could have ever foreseen

where we would be in 2020,

but I'm really grateful
that we made time

when we didn't have to, (laughs)

that we could be together
and just jam in a room

and be creative and
get into that zone

intermittently throughout 2019

so that we had this
big pile, already,

of material to work off
of when we got here,

and we have had to spend
so much of this year apart.

The last concert that we
went to go play (laughs)

was in Mexico City for Knotfest,

and it was one of those
things, it was a one-off.

It was like, the day
after Thanksgiving

was the day we all had to fly.

- It was a bad ending
to a great year.

It was a heavy festival.

There was a lot of
heavy bands playing,

and the barricades
started failing.

- It was just this really,

like, almost out of a bad
movie kinda situation,

and somewhat comical
and somewhat comical,

and the seriousness of
it and the gravity of it.

- The band that played
before us, Behemoth,

I went up on their side
stage and was just watching

because I thought that
their get up was fun.

Like, their Halloween looking
costumes and their masks,

just standing there watching it.

I bolted back to
the dressing room

and our security guard, Richie,

he's just like, "Oh, they
got problems up there."

Like, what are
you talking about?

And it turns out that
the crowd got all rowdy

during Behemoth's set.

- The barricades weren't secure,

and it was this crazy thing

where we were
sitting back there,

hoping that they would fix it,

hoping it will be
able to be fixed.

It just wasn't something
that could happen.

And a safety call had to be
made about, okay, you know,

the last two bands can't go on.

Hey guys, Mexico City, we
are so, so disappointed

that we didn't get our chance
to play for you tonight

at Knotfest.

The last couple bands
didn't get to play

because of a safety issue.

I've never really been
in that situation before

where we really
were feeling like,

Oh no, this is all going wrong,

and it's kind of
out of our control.

It was the saddest
thing, driving away,

seeing our beautiful
set, all ready to go.

The piano's in the middle
of the stage, (laughs) like,

I've never even seen that before

with just, thousands
of people lined up,

waiting to see us play,
and having to leave it.

The only thing that could
have been worse is if,

later in the night, they
burned our set to the ground,

which they did.

- A lot of people got on stage,

and the first thing they
went for was the drum kit,

and they just annihilated
Will's drum kit.

- [Will] Like, we're
getting out of there,

and I get back to the hotel,

and, you know, my drum
tech's still down there,

and he says, "You gotta
turn on the news."

I turn on the news, and
there's my drum kit on fire.

You know, being completely
burned to the ground,

you know, like a bonfire.

And I was like,
"Wow, man," you know?

It was really weird, man,

and it wasn't that
many of them, you know?

It was less people
than you would think

that had really kinda
caused that destruction.

I mean, people had
broken the barricade

and there were thousands
of people running around,

but the people that
really did that,

it was a small group
and it's unfortunate

'cause it, you know,
made 'em all look bad.

Looking back on it was kinda,

"Man, that really just sort of,

kinda summed up
2020 right there,

watching my drum kit
burn up, you know?"

And basically just
watched everything

that was supposed to happen
in 2020 go up in smoke.

- I think, when something
like that happens,

you're in such a
hectic struggle,

just trying to go
through that now,

whatever life throws
at you in that moment,

that it takes a
little bit of time,

and I think, for me, personally,

it was at the airport

when we've been waiting
for our gate to open

when everybody was
kinda like, in that mood

halfway through being in
shock, but also giggling.

I mean, that was not our fans.

Our fans would
never do that to us,

so it was just a situation
that created this energy,

and it was just,
unfortunately, us. (chuckles)

- So, we came back, and it
was time to do the video

for the chain.

♪ And if you don't love me now

♪ You will never love me again

♪ I can still hear you

I just went, "Hey,
that's it," you know?

We're just gonna
pour this into that,

make this, put it into
the video somehow.

We had totally lit the
drum kit on fire for fun,

and, you know, took
that back. (laughs)

I think there's always a way

to take the situation
you're given

and make something out of
it, go with it, use it.

We've had to do that more,
and more, and more this year.

That mentality had to
carry over into this year

where then, we went
into the studio.

We hadn't locked down yet. It
wasn't COVID in the US yet.

And we were able to record
these first four songs,

and that went really great.

We had such a wonderful
creative connection with Nick

that we decided we really
did want to continue with him

for the rest of the record.

The fact that I've been able
to be here, with Nick here,

and we've had the
ability to work

amidst the craziness
of having to wait weeks

before being
together, sometimes,

because somebody's, you know,

come in contact with somebody
and needs to quarantine.

Even to be together in a way

where we can be across
the room and mask up,

but I never have had
to be in a situation

where I either had
to get on a plane

to continue this process.

It didn't even need
to be that way for me.

It was more to get the guys
in here after lockdown.

- [Nick] We recorded a few
songs, January and February,

and then I was
mixing them in March,

and then things started to get
really weird all of a sudden,

so we stopped.

I think it was right
around the time we stopped

it was kinda like, "Whoa,
this is getting serious."

And then, you know, over the
course of the next few months,

we just kinda kept in touch
and watch things develop

and got to a point
where we felt like

it would be safe if we kept
the studio really tight

and cleaned it all the
time and stuff like that,

that we would be able
to continue working.

- We had our first four songs.

We had "Wasted on You",
"The Game is Over",

"Use My Voice", and "Yeah Right"

recorded from our first batch,

and even finishing it,
we weren't quite done

when we really
needed to separate,

and then I got a sore throat.

It wasn't COVID.

We needed to still record some
background vocals and stuff,

but Nick and I couldn't
get together, just in case.

And I remember coming up here,

and he brought the mic and
the preamp and the compressor

into the parking lot,

and laid it out, like,
on the ground for me,

and was explaining (laughs)
like, across the parking lot.

He's like, "I set
this knob already.

You do this and this and this.

Plug this in here,"
and like, whatever.

And then, you know, recorded
the end of that remotely,

and mixing remotely
is no big deal,

so it was just like this

we're not gonna let
anything stop us feeling,

even from then.

- The cool thing about this band

is that there's a
certain resiliency

to what we were doing,

and I think that came
from a few places.

It came from that
we really believed

in the music that
we were creating,

and it came from
really good management

that just was determined to
not let this thing put us down.

- We were just about to release,

It was gonna be "Use My
Voice" for the first song,

and we were about
to release that,

and we were working on
the video idea for that,

and we were about
to go on our tour,

and then it was like,
none of that's happening.

And suddenly, the
feeling of "Use My Voice"

doesn't fit right now.

What do we do?

And it was really that
there was this choice

whether we were gonna
either just wait it out

and just hold on
and do it our way

and not go with
the flow of things,

or use it and go, "Hey, let's
look at what we have here."

We picked another song

that fit really, really
well for the moment

with lines in it that
picked up a new meaning

all of a sudden, where
we were all locked down,

frozen in time and waiting
for a miracle. (laughs)

♪ Wasted on you

♪ Waiting for a miracle

♪ I can't move on

♪ Feels like we're
frozen in time ♪

♪ I'm wasted on you

♪ Just pass me
the bitter truth ♪

I have been really
fueled, in a way,

by needing to think
about ideas in a new way

and having to find a new
way out of the problem.

My fans know that

I'm a big fan of Legend
of Zelda. (chuckles)

Well, a big part of why

is because it's about
the problem solving.

It's like, find your
way out of the room.

A lot of this year
has been like that.

Like, you have to
solve the puzzle,

and when you do, the
satisfaction is so great

because you really
had to work for it.

On a different level
where emotions are high,

you know, and anxiety is
real, and just all of it,

it's been such a ray of light

to have our music for
ourselves and for our fans.

It's felt good to be
able to put it out there

and just not be a piece
of bad news (laughs)

amongst so much bad news,

but I think that, on
a real serious note,

there's a lot of hope,

and music, hopefully, you
know, shines that hope

and that idea that when we
can be honest, truly honest,

be broken, and not be afraid
to be that, connect in that,

then we can start to
climb out together,

and there is a way through this,

and there is a light at
the end of the tunnel

because we really aren't alone,

even though, physically, we
have been so much in this year.

- [Tim] I talked
to Amy about it,

Well, we all we all
did, on a Zoom call,

and she was like, "Hey guys,

we have to get this record done,

and we have to get
together to do it."

Okay, well, how are
we gonna do that

and make sure it's safe?

- And it was kinda like,
how do we, you know,

Okay, how do we get everybody
from their own states,

and Jen, who lives in Germany,

how do we get everybody
back to Nashville?

And, you know, there
were lots of ideas.

One of those ideas
was to, you know,

let's rent a tour bus and
park it in the parking lot,

and we can just have the
band stay on the bus,

and, that way, they can
just walk from the bus

into the studio, and
nobody has to be here.

- Amy's top priority
was making sure

that everybody was
safe and taken care of.

And so, she sent tour buses
to everybody, individually,

to take us from our
homes to Nashville.

- We all got tested.

We tried to be as
careful as possible.

It was a real bummer that
we couldn't get Jen here.

She's stuck in Europe,

and, you know, at the
time, there were no flights

coming from over there,

so she couldn't have got
here if she wanted to.

- I love Amy and
I love the guys,

and just being apart
from them for so long,

especially because we left
Nashville in February,

and everybody went like,

"Okay, padi padi pa,
see you next time,"

so nobody knew that
this was coming,

and that this was
happening in 2020.

And what was really the
toughest part of this year

while working on this album

was for me to know that they
are able to hang out together

and I couldn't even make
it into the country.

That was hard.

♪ Stand in the
front but shut up ♪

♪ 'Til I tell you to go

♪ And don't get
caught up in pretend ♪

♪ 'Cause you're not in control

(Amy laughs)
- [Nick] Hey!

- (laughing) Hi. We're back!

- [Nick] So, where
are we right now?

- [Amy] We are at Rock Falcon.

The epic, legendary Rock Falcon,

coming out of our holes
for the first time

in a very long time

to get together and
finish this thing.

(hard rock plays)

- [Will] This is such a positive

and blessed thing
to happen for us,

to be able to come and do this.

To be able to come in now and
do this and finish this record

has given it an urgency

that I don't think that we
would have had any other way.

- We had to be apart
for a few months

after the first four
songs were recorded,

and then, it was like,
super, super locked down.

Got the buses for the guys,
we got to get back together,

and we were hungry for it.

I'd just gotten to a point

where I couldn't do it
alone anymore, you know?

I'd gotten as far as I
could get to on my own.

We just needed to be together.

We got here, and
there was a new spark.

There was a new
passion and energy

and appreciation for the ability

to be here in the first place.

The guys were here, just
camped out for like,

I think it was six weeks.

And, you know, knowing that
we would have to go back apart

and potentially not get back
together again for the album,

we had to cram it all in,

so it was like, we didn't
have all the songs written,

so it started with a
writing session happening

during the pre-production phase,

which, especially with Nick,
always yields something,

always yields something cool.

I think the coolest one

that came out of
that pre-pro moment

was "Better Without You".

We all love that song,

and it's cool when you
can really see something

take shape together, 'cause
that's often not the case.

Like, I'll come
up with something

or if something
comes from somewhere,

and then, there you go.

But having that time to
be in the creative zone,

and jam in here, and
just play in the room,

kinda like a show, but
focused in a creative way,

and then to take it in
there and start going for it

and laying tracks
down, oh, felt so good.

Just a little piece
of something normal

in a time where
nothing feels like

it will ever be normal
again felt great.

And, you know, it's weird,

but it felt good to be reminded

that we're good at something,

'cause it's hard
not to just feel

like everything's too
hard (laughing) this year,

and coming in here
and making music

is somewhere where I am running,

I am feet on the
ground, running,

and it's like, "Oh yeah!
We're good at this!"

Like, this is something
I know how to do,

and I'm not failing at. (laughs)

♪ As empires fall to pieces

♪ Our ashes twisting
in the air ♪

♪ It makes me smile
to know that ♪

♪ I'm better without you

- [Will] The whole atmosphere

of what's going on in
the world right now

has really lent itself to
what this record sounds like.

And this, in my mind,

you know, and I don't
wanna speak out of turn,

but in my mind, this
is a very aggressive

and heavy record
for Evanescence,

and when I say heavy,

I mean musically, it's
probably the heaviest thing

that we've ever done
through and through,

but also, lyrically,

it's the most pointed
and timely lyrics

that I think Amy's ever
written, in my opinion.

- I had a moment,

when we were mixing "Use
My Voice", actually,

I just felt this
weight in my heart.

Like, this conviction.

We had to do more than
just write a protest song.

We needed to do something
that could actually, you know,

potentially inspire
people and move people

and help to shine
light on truth,

because lies have
just flooded our world

and our country lately.

♪ Go and take everything
and throw it away ♪

♪ But I will use my voice

♪ Oh

We got to get together
for the video.

That in itself was something
to be so excited for,

and it was different.

We had a medic onsite
taking temperatures

and making sure
everybody was apart.

Everybody was wearing
masks all the time.

Also, just feeling like
this really awesome support

came out of people that
I did and didn't know.

Eric and his crew? Incredible.

I mean, anytime you're gonna
get together like that,

especially in that moment
when we were doing it,

you know, there's a little
bit of risk involved.

I mean, you could just
choose to not do it,

but there was a lot of passion
from the creative team,

and even all the
extras that we found

who were willing to
be a part of the video

wanted to be a part of it.

Really wanted to. Wanted
to help make it happen.

We were all in it like
this big group of people

wanting to make this together,

wanting to make this statement,

that we stand for each
other and for truth,

and against the lies,

and against the
suppression and oppression.

♪ But don't you speak for me

♪ Oh

♪ No don't you speak for me

We shot here in Nashville
for the majority of it

with Tim, and Troy,
and Will, and I,

and a lot of the extras,

and then Jen's shots
were done in Germany

with another director
who was with her,

matching the shots,

you know, sending each
other pictures of things.

- It kind of looks as
if we're all together,

but we were not.

I mean, I was in
Cologne, in Germany,

but it's fascinating

(laughing) what technology
can do these days.

So, I'm like, "Whoa!"

When I watched the
video I'm like,

"I'm with Amy and the
guys! This is amazing!

I'm so happy!"

And it was interesting.

We shot it on a day,

I remember the weather
was really weird.

Maybe the weather gods
were just on my side

and they were like, "Yeah,
let's make it look exactly like

Amy and the guys who recorded
it, and natural". (laughs)

I don't know.

- [Amy] It was just kind
of like this project

where Eric really poured
himself into it big time.

Eric knew the song
before it was finished,

and has been along
for this journey.

It's been really valuable to
me, more, and more, and more,

to have other creatives,
friends, and artists in my life

to just support.

We support each other.

We listen to each other's work,

we read each other's stories,

we talked to each other
and have conversations,

and it only can inspire you

and open your mind to different
perspectives, which is good.

♪ We're gonna break
right through ♪

♪ Like it or not

(hard rock)

♪ Whoa

♪ If we can't talk about it

♪ We'll just keep
drowning in it ♪

♪ Give me credit or not

♪ I give a lot give a lot

♪ But don't you speak for me

It's hard to know sometimes,
the best way to use your voice.

It's not true that the online
world is the whole world.

It's just not.

We had to make, we have
to continue, you know,

to say what's up, to
say where we stand

on these hugely
important social issues,

and we're already in such
a weak place as a world.

Everybody's hurting,
people are sick,

people have lost family members.

That is all real,

and to have a force that we're
supposed to be able to trust

telling everybody that
it's fake, it just hurts.

It really hurts.

More people voted
than ever in history.

I'm proud of that fact alone,

and I do feel like we were
a teeny tiny part of it.

So many people
were a part of it.

I am proud of that.

I'm proud that we
had that moment

and chose to stand up,
and I know it's not over.

- Music's that
bridge for people.

We can create, we can write,
we can record this stuff,

we can put it out.

I mean, the goal is to
get the message out there

and bring folks together.

Definitely not to divide.

- Are you guys sure it does
that climb in this song

and it's not the other song?

- It's this song.

- It does that exact
climb into the bridge of,

- [Tim] No, I think
it's, (plays bass)

- I thought that's what it was.

- Yeah, that's that other song.

- What song is that?

- [Troy] That was * Whoa

That's "The Little
Mermaid" part.

- [Tim] Oh, yeah!

- Oh, yeah.

Well, son of a bitch.

("Feeding the Dark"
by Evanescence plays)

♪ Do you remember

♪ What made the scar

♪ How deep will you cut

♪ Seeking my heart

♪ Seeking my heart

♪ Well you know that
you can't hide ♪

♪ And you know that
you can't lie ♪

♪ 'Cause I know
all your secrets ♪

♪ And I won't let you forget

- [Nick] I think it's
fresh as fuck sounding.

I think it's definitely
the heaviest record

that they've ever made.

I mean, Amy really, I
was surprised at times

at how heavy she wanted to go

on some of these songs
and some of the parts,

some of the elements
within the songs,

but actually not that surprised

because she's a total rocker
and she loves heavy shit,

and it's awesome.

She loves that energy
and that power,

and that's one of the fun
things about working with her.

She's not afraid
to try anything.

Now, us together,
we'll direct a song

through, you know
all over the course.

It's like a map, you know?

It starts out over here,

and then it's like driving
across the country.

Hey, let's go down to here,
and let's go up to here,

and let's go over to here,

and we finally end up on
the east coast, you know?

- [Amy] Nick is incredible.

He is a partner.

It's like he's absolutely
one of the band

when we're working together,

and we had that experience
last time in 2011,

where we made our
self-titled album.

It's self titled because
he put us in a place

where it was like, oh, okay.

We're a real band for
the first time. (laughs)

With all the experience
and perspective

and everything that we've
gained, and he has, too,

You know, he's the
mixer now, as well.

Just letting it be a place
where we can go in there

and do it together.

Like, I feel like we really,

oftentimes, but not always,

have a vision for
the same end goal,

not all the little
pieces along the way,

and that's what makes
a good collaboration.

But for like, that
basic end goal,

I feel like we
really get each other

in a way that's super, super
productive and beautiful.

("Take Cover" by
Evanescence plays)

♪ After it all

♪ Your ego your greed

♪ You dug your grave

♪ So come on inside

♪ Rest in peace

♪ Take cover

- [Jen] He carries that
incredible positive drive

and that energy that I have
hardly seen in producers so far.

Like, he is the
utmost coolest guy.

I step back a little bit,
observed how he's working,

and he's got this amazing talent

of understanding
and feeling music,

and he's such a great energy

and you feel so
comfortable around him,

recording and contributing

because he makes you
feel so welcomed,

like all your ideas
are so welcomed,

and he's such an amazing person.

- [Tim] Nick is absolutely
my favorite rock producer.

Like, hands down, the
dude is a mind reader.

He gets it. He
understands the vibe.

You show him something,
you show him an idea,

he's already five steps ahead,

he's already heard
the rest of the song

that you're trying to write
before you've heard it.

And he sits there and he
listens to what you're doing,

and he computes it,
and he feels it,

and he says, "Try this,
try that, try this."

Most of the time, you try
that, and you try that,

and you try this,
and you're like,

"Holy shit, that's way better

than what I thought
I was already doing."

- Some producers,

you bring something up
and they just blow you off

because they have a specific way

that they wanna do everything.

Sometimes they want you to play
it through all their stuff.

It's a bummer, you know?

It's like, I've been working
on this tone my whole life,

and you want me to
play through some amp

I've never played through.

Nick's always open to
ideas, ways of recording.

It's more like having another
band member in the band.

- [Will] Obviously, other
friends that work with him,

and I'm real familiar
with what he had done

with Alice In Chains in
"Black Gives Way to Blue",

"Diamond eyes", and, you know,
obviously, The Foo Fighters,

and then, you know, Rush,

but I'd never met him, so
we came in and met the guy,

and it was just like
this thing of like,

you know, we're similar in age,

and we really like a lot
of the same stuff, man.

And just felt like
I was hanging out

with one of my best buddies

from high school and
beyond, you know?

In my music scene,
you know, whatever.

You know, mixed kind of guy.
You know, he likes to hang out.

But he's also got a job to do,

and he's really
good at doing that

without it seeming like that's
what he's doing. (chuckles)

- The band that she's
got backing her right now

is truly a force to
be reckoned with.

Those guys, and Jen
included. They're awesome.

Will Hunt who is from
a different galaxy,

made of a different
composition of DNA,

was formed in the
millennia, many eons ago,

and sits behind the drums

and plays with that
nuclear energy.

And Tim on the bass
is, I mean, he's great.

They're all great!
They're all great.

Troy's great, Jen's great.

Her band is just completely
on point all the time,

and they're great people,
they're great players,

and they come together

and they create this giant
sound of Evanescence.

There's a lot of
power behind it.

- [Amy] A really important
element to a functional band

is everyone
respecting each other.

Like, personally
and professionally,

really believing in each other.

One of the reasons for that

is you need to let somebody
go down a road for a minute

before shooting it down.

Also, be comfortable
with each other

as brothers and
sisters, you know,

to where we can go
down a road and go,

"Okay, cool. Let's not do that.

Let's do something
else," you know?

And not feel threatened by that.

We have been a unit, this
core, the five of us,

for about five years
since we've had Jen,

but with the exception of Jen,

the rest of the guys
that I have been together

for over a decade,

and really developed
some major bond

from the experiences
that we've had,

and from just, like,
having a deep understanding

with each other, and I
really create the best

the only way that I
really, truly can.

Like, open myself up all the
way as to trust somebody,

and I trust them,

and I know what it's like
for it to not be that way,

and I just wouldn't
wanna be doing this

if it wasn't that way.

Each of them brings something
different to the table,

and each of us has a
slightly different style.

We don't all have the
same exact vision.

We don't all want all the
same things for music,

but that's why it can
be so multilayered.

I think that brings something
good, the push and pull.

Same thing with
working with Nick.

Like, a little bit
of that push and pull

is what makes it great.

So, I don't know.

It's sort of like, just
this particular recipe

that makes up this
time for us as a band,

and I'm really grateful for it.

- A few of the elements
that I really love

about recording with
Evanescence, and Amy
in particular is,

you know, all of the recording
involved in the process,

which is, she's down to
get a string section,

and get a choir,

and we'll have two or three
different programmers,

and everybody's just throwing
information, and tracks,

and ideas and creativity,

and it's just this thing,
it's hard to describe,

and when we're in
the thick of that,

it's really, really fun,
and really exciting.

When you work with a band
or an artist, whoever,

you partner up with all of 'em

at, kinda, different
times during the process,

and, you know, it's a lot of fun

when me and her really get
to dig into all this stuff,

'cause she's super creative,
and a great piano player.

And she's just really flowing
with creativity and ideas,

and she understands
the process, you know?

She knows things take a while.

You can do things a lot
easier these days, obviously,

with programming and
synthesized keyboards

and all that stuff,
and, you know,

there's instances where
I'm like, "Hey," you know?

"Let's do a little
string thing in here!

Let's just grab the
keyboard real quick!"

And she looks at me
like, are you crazy?

She's like, "No.

We're gonna record
strings in a studio,"

and I'm just like,
"Okay. Let's go!"

(orchestra playing "Blind
Belief" by Evanescence)

- [Amy] * We can't be trusted

♪ Oh

♪ The future starts with us

♪ Blind belief

♪ Are you afraid to see

♪ That our fathers were wrong

♪ We hold the key
to redemption ♪

♪ Let icons fall

At first, I really had held
out on strings this time,

because part of the
vision for this album

was to make it really
raw, and it's not.

It's Evanescence, come on!

There's a million layers,

but coming off of
"Synthesis" in particular,

combined with the
themes of the music,

which are very exposed,
just opening up,

just felt like the right thing,

to have it not have
that beautiful element.

But, you know, as the album
has been such a journey,

it took us to that place

where if it needs
something, we could do it,

and we could do it,
and it was possible.

David Campbell,

I mean, he's just
a part of this.

He's been a part of this
since our very first album,

and that's why "Synthesis"
was so gratifying,

because we were able
to re-experience it

and re-dig into it together,

and have our thing together
that we always collaborate on

be the forefront.

♪ Open your eyes to the light

♪ I denied it for so long

♪ Oh so long

♪ Say goodbye

♪ Goodbye

(audience cheering)

In this, to come back again
and have it be with him,

it made it all feel real.

It's like, okay, now we've
done an Evanescence album.

We've got some strings going on,

and they sound beautiful.

David doesn't just put
strings on something.

He takes in the song and
interprets it in his mind,

and like, puts it
back out in a new way,

and having that layer of
just, like, vision and light

is so precious.

I love it so much.

I really am inspired by
David Campbell, always,

and I just look up to
him in such a major way.

He was able to do
it through Zoom,

and actually, Nick was
quarantining at the time,

so he was doing it
through Zoom, too,

and it was just me and the
engineers in the studio,

which was cool, too.

It was beautiful
to watch it happen

and to feel like, "Hey, you
know, we are still all here.

We're doing this together,

even though we can't
really be together."

That makes me feel
really good to know.

("The Game Is Over"
by Evanescence plays)

♪ Had enough

♪ I've really had enough

♪ Had enough of denial

♪ I'm not alright

♪ But I'm not gonna lie

♪ I don't know that I ever was

♪ All alone I've waited

♪ All alone

- Fingers crossed.

We can't control
anything as far as like,

when we can really go back out

and it's safe, for the audience
in particular, you know,

to have concerts again.

I feel like we're gonna be able

to still find ways
to give and receive.

Like, we're still
going to find a way

to keep going in a new way.

Doing the live stream
was really cool,

because it was sort of a hybrid

of a show, like, a performance,

and the studio experience,

'cause we're here in the place
where we've made the music,

and were isolated in ways

that we can make it sound
really good, you know?

Like, where everybody's in
separate places and everything.

♪ Change me

♪ Into something I believe in

♪ Change me

♪ So I don't have to pretend

♪ Take a breath and try

- [Jen] You know, when
I went to that studio

where I recorded my solo album

to record the live
stream audio and video,

it was just like,

You know, I had my
eyes closed a lot.

When I closed my eyes and I
played and sang these songs,

I was just like,

putting myself emotionally
back to that moment of like,

being together with
the band and playing,

and it was just,
(sighs) it felt so good.

- * From your mouth
flow a thousand truths ♪

♪ But you know

♪ There's only one

The feeling, in real time,

you know, to play
those songs together,

felt so good.

The new songs in particular,

because that is the thing

that we would have
been doing right now

that we haven't been able to do.

So, to get to just jam
them and enjoy them

without thinking about
writing or correcting,

just playing them,
just mastering the
performance of a song

feels really good.

I was really grateful
for that moment

and the fact that we were
able to make that happen.

(hard rock plays)

- [Troy] It feels a little
like, all encompassing.

We all come from different
places, you know?

This band has come together
from all parts of the world,

all parts of the country.

We all had different
upbringings,

our ages are pretty, you
know, there's a wide gap

between the oldest arson,
the youngest person,

so I feel like
this is like a soup

like we've never done before.

- This experience, when
I first joined this band,

how I saw how the fan base was,

how I was embraced
by the fan base, too.

Like, I remember saying to Amy

shortly after we first started
playing shows together,

I remember saying to her, like,

"Holy shit, these
people are passionate!"

And she's just like,
"Oh yeah, dude.

Oh yeah. You have no idea."

As the years go by, I can't
imagine it any other way.

- They are loyal.

Admittedly, we take
a little longer

to put out our
records, you know?

We take a lot of
time to write songs,

and I don't think that we
could ever release enough music

fast enough for 'em,
which is great, you know?

We're lucky to have
people that are hungry

to hear more from
us all the time.

They're all over the place.

We're lucky that we get to tour

almost everywhere in the world.

- A band like Evanescence,

you can think about
it as such an anomaly

because this is a band
that released a record

and then put out
their second record,

maybe two and a half,
three years later,

so that's kind of
a long stretch,

and then did not put out
another record for six years

almost five, almost six years,

and that record
debuted at number one

on the Billboard charts.

Billboard Top 200 Album Chart.

Not the rock chart, but
the Top 200 Album Chart.

I don't know if there's
another band out there,

I mean, and I'm sure there
is, but I can't think of it,

that's done that.

That's gone away and
taking these breaks,

and it's a testament
to who these fans are.

And again, we took a long break

before we came back
and played any shows

with no new material, and
the fans were still there.

We threw a massive curve ball

and did a completely
orchestral record,

and when I say orchestral
electronic record,

I mean we didn't just
play the way that we play

and add an orchestra to it,

we flipped the whole
thing upside down.

They were there and
they're there now.

And it's just incredible.

They're incredibly dedicated.

I've been able to
meet a lot of them,

and they come from so many
different walks of life

and so many different stories,

and, you know, we're
all weird our own way,

(laughs) and I think that's
maybe what we share, you know?

We're pretty open about it.

- Ever since I started
playing in bands,

I thought there's always gotta
be this one person, you know?

That one person you try
to not hang out with,

and I thought that was normal

because I didn't know better,

and I learned, when
I joined Evanescence,

I learned that it is possible
to have a band, a team,

a crew where
everybody gets along,

and it's not the
norm, and I know that.

I wish things were different
for this first album

in such a long time,

but it is what it is,

and it turned out
to be so strong,

and I believe the
whole situation,

what happened with this year,

not only in the US, but
also with the world,

with the pandemic, with a
lot of things that happened,

I believe you can
totally feel that vibe

in every single
song on this album

because it's honest.

It's so powerful and strong.

It's encouraging, but
it's also the beauty of,

okay, this is a tough situation.

This is a vulnerable situation.

It's not the utmost
positive situation

that we're in right now,
but let's make it better.

Let's fight for the good,

and the whole vibe of that album

is encouragement,
for me, personally.

When I read through the lyrics,

when I listen to the sounds
and to the songs in general,

it's encouraging.

It's like, it's
okay to be not okay.

- We really put these
records together as a band.

You know, we write together
and we really dig in together.

You know, each one of
us brings our own thing,

and, I mean, it's cool that
Amy has come to a point

where she trusts us to be
a part of that with her.

I think that's a really ballsy,

but also, you know, I'm honored,

we're all honored that
she feels that way.

At the same time, she has
a mutual respect to us

that this is really
important to me.

Nobody's just phoning it in.

- [Amy] We have this band

and we've had this album,
this year, to focus on,

to pour ourselves into all
the fear and frustration

and rage and love and longing,

and, more than anything,

I feel a want for a human
connection across distances

with people we do and don't know

just to feel unity as humankind,

and music is a place where
that is somehow possible.

So, I have, you know,

through the difficulty and
challenge of this year,

We had just decided, early on,

that we were going
to dive head first

into the creative
part of things,

and, however we
could, push forward

and make the best album ever,

and put our whole
selves into it.

It's taken all year.

It really has been
a long process.

What it's kinda done
is given me something

to always be able to focus on

beyond, like, we
can't deny reality.

We all need to be
aware right now,

but you need an
escape from that, too.

I need an outlet to
pour my feelings into.

I need a way to feel
like, I don't know,

that something good can
still come out of this time,

because just pushing
the snooze button

and waiting for things
to get better isn't real.

That isn't gonna happen, and
it's a huge waste of life.

We don't know if
we have tomorrow.

- I don't like to slow down.

When we catch a train,
I guess, of thought,

when we're in the zone,

in the pocket, and
creating great stuff,

I wanna keep going.

Usually, at the end of the tour,

there's quite a bit of burnout

at the end of the album cycle,
and you wanna take some time,

and then so much time passes,

and it becomes almost maddening

that you're not doing it again.

I do what I can to keep
creativity flowing,

and if we weren't
under pandemic,

I would be pushing to
keep on rocking, I think.

When the pandemic is over

and we can finally get
back to doing work,

the world is gonna be so
hungry for all this stuff

that I don't know that it's
gonna be possible to slow down,

even if you want it to.

- If anything, I honestly
just feel like this album,

having this, has been so, so
good and healing for all of us,

has just been a coping mechanism
that's been so good for me

and really made me
remember, yet again,

how much I love this
band and making music.

♪ Only scars on my heart

♪ Even in dreams I
hear you calling ♪

♪ Breaking the surface
I won't let go ♪

♪ You're part of me now

♪ And always