Evanescence Members, 'American Idol' Smithson Debut New Band
It Happened Last Night
We Are the Fallen / Photo by Devin DeHaven
America, meet your new goth rock queen: pale and plangent-voiced ex-American Idol star Carly Smithson, who has joined with three former members of Evanescence -- including co-founder/principal songwriter Ben Moody -- to form a new band, We Are the Fallen. Hey, say what you want about Moody, at least he has a type -- when it comes to frontwomen.
After a 2003 falling out with Evanescence's raven-haired, iron-fisted singer Amy Lee, Moody, the chief songwriter behind the band's 15 million-selling Fallen, spent half the decade working with high-profile collaborators including Celine Dion, Avril Lavigne, and American Idol stars Kelly Clarkson and Chris Daughtry. So it's no surprise that Moody has recruited the hard-rocking Idol fan fave Smithson to front the band.
On Monday, before an invite-only audience of 100 friends and family, press, and record executives, the newly formed outfit played two songs: a cover of Evanescence's " Going Under" and new original tune "Bury Me Alive," which is currently available as a free download at wearethefallen.com.
Evanescence fans will find much to like in the new song, with Moody and company relying on bone-chipping power chords, Cro-Magnon drums, and huge hooks. And Smithson -- dressed like a guest at a funeral for a character from Twilight in black boots, lace tights, skirt, jacket, and midnight blue eye shadow -- neatly fit the aesthetic, belting gloomy lyrics about self-destruction on "Bury Me Alive," a heavy, atmospheric rocker spiked with Moody's deafening guitar pyrotechnics.
Ex-Evanescence axeman John Lecompt and drummer Rocky Gray joined with new bassist Marty O'Brien in a rumbling rhythm section that surged to a chaotic chorus as Smithson lamented a lover and the "nightmare you've become." "I've watched you die / It's too late to save you this time / You've buried me alive," she howled.
Hot Topic stores should place their t-shirt orders now.
Before the performance, Moody explained how Smithson joined the band: "We didn't want a singer to just hit the high notes, we wanted someone to be part of our family. From watching her sing, I knew she had charisma…. even if I've never seen American Idol. She's friends with my roommate, and one night we spent four and a half hours in the middle of the night talking about music and shows. Afterwards, I called up the guys and we made some changes."
Visibly flattered, the 2008 sixth place Idol finisher added: "I thought it was rad!"
The group is currently label-less and has no idea when the debut will drop. But they plan to release one song per month for digital purchase, while touring.
39 Comments
Click here to comment- Posted By Anonymous
08.11.10 1:24 AM
If everyone left the band, and formed a new one... I don't think it's the band's problem. Amy Lee just kept the name. Everyone left. It's not going to sound the same by her own admission. I am glad We are the Fallen is here to pick up where Amy Lee ditched.
http://www.spin.com/articles /exclusive-amy-lee-new-evanescence-album
- Posted By Nature Hall
07.21.10 4:22 PM
When I wrote my first comment I was mad at We Are the Fallen. But now I started thinking from another perspective. Carly just started a band and everyone already hates her (at least the Evanescence fans). She must be pressured by everyone telling her she's a wannabe or a fake. Carly is a person too and I think she deserves a chance to be part of a band.
Maybe this is her calling or what she meant to do. Who are we to decide if she's a fake or not? I am sorry that I was mad. I think she should be given the benefit of the doubt. Give change a chance to make things better even if they don't seem that way. Thanks for reading this!
Your Friend,
Nature Hall
- Posted By Nature Hall
07.21.10 3:54 PM
I believe Evanescence is like the GREATEST band EVER!!! But I think all Evanescence fans shouldn't be mad because.......Evanescence is sooo COOOOL even if Carly changes her name to Amy Lee She will never be as good as Evanescence. I mean it is okay to like this new bad, but always in my heart I have a deep connection toward Evanescence.
I am really HAPPY all her fans are loyal because she needs still needs you guys/girls. THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH FOR SUPPORTING EVANESCENCE!!! It is my honor to support Amy Lee and her band and I wish EVERYONE a GREAT YEAR!!!
Your acquaintance,
Nature Hall
One more thing: Its funny how Carly was born blond and dyed her hair black.
- Posted By Anonymous
07.12.10 12:17 PM
Can I just point out...that Fallen isn't an album Amy did alone. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they covered Tourniquet too...that song was originally a song Rocky wrote for another band and he had Amy sing it. She collaborated Fallen with Ben so it's his album, his songs as well. Also, neither band has said they are like the other. So what if 3 of the members went and did a similar band to EV, it's possible that the creative similarities between Carly and the band flourished well. Amy is not selfish, she really IS Evanescence. She is the only original member left of the band, everyone else tagged on to help her because their creativity flourished well with her. She never ever forgets about her band..she always finds a place for them but you all have to understand, this has been something she has been doing since the start (1998); that at times she does alone..a lot of her heart goes into this band and she's very fortunate to have Terry, Will and Tim with her, helping her out..they love the band just as much as she, I'm sure..but the band has been through SO much over the years, she's the only one who'd stuck with it since it began.....so I think she has a right to say SHE is Evanescence.
- Posted By Anonymous
05.30.10 7:55 PM
What are you all complaining about? Everyone is entiltled to a style. I agree with some points such as carly not have an identity as a performer yet and maybe going in an Amy Lee direction but she is under pressure because of this rivalry created by fans who are just onlookers. Point is, the former EV band members had a style and they are continuing that style. How can they be a "wanna be" of a band they were the original members of? As for Amy Lee, I love her as a musician but I dont know her as a person. Cant speak for the disagreements in the band. That behinds the scences crap is for people who love drama in Soap Operas! Dont hold a grudge against people you don't even know personally.
Sure we support who we love. If we are going to put others down in an attempt to keep the other popular, then we would be as bad as politicans. I'm not going that low. Sure, can't change your mind but I would encouage all who made those judgemental comments to keep an open mind.
I wish both bands the best.
- Posted By HAze a maze
05.21.10 5:01 PM
she is so ****n talented. I dont think anything can trump her voice, song writing, and piano playn. she can get wit it with ****n Offspring if she wanted to. Yes, the band members from the past were ****ing awesome, to say the least.
A lot of band members are a dime a dozen. Ive gone through 4 myself and I am not famous. But, u can get really good people anywhere. I was sick after Audioslave broke up. Everyone is still good. especially Cornell.
Dont call it a comeback. But, it is.
- Posted By dark heart
04.28.10 11:52 AM
They are at their end, I think this album will bomb big time and I for one will not support her, she has gotten rid of all the original members and keep getting new ones, although her new drummer Will Hunt is one of the best drummers out there. I hope he bails on her soon, she's a hack.
- Posted By pissed!
04.24.10 1:40 PM
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!!
---> Thats all I have to say :O This CAN'T be true!!! This is soo much breath-taking! We are the fallen = ****ing wannabe's/copying the real band Evanescence - which is the co-leader/singer-songwriter/queen of all female singer AMY LEE! -> we are the fallen; I'm sorry for you, and all people who likes this ****ty copying band are too-way INSANE!!! :O
Shocked about hearing this; and the song/single bury me alive, IS and WILL be the worstes **** I've ever heard!
-> Back to Evanescence/Amy lee,,, I'm so glad amy lee is over this episode with the old members, and are moving on in a new direction: inspired by electronic music! This will be cool for EV. going in this direction; a real band is bad who envolves/changes - so we don't have to hear the same album twice! CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEW ALBUM: which will be released end of the fall :D Amy I ****ing love every single thing about you! and hey' guys, the new album will be great: because the sound will still be EVANESCENCE, but with new instruments, new producer, 2 new members and more!
-> Read THIS::::::::::::::
http://www.spin.com/articles/exclusive-amy-lee-new-evanescence-albumI'm a real EVANESCENCE fan: & will stay with the band - untill the end!
- Posted By Anonymous
04.24.10 10:19 AM
I LOVE EVANESCENCE as well and I'm curious about the new direction of the new album. I can't wait to hear it. Hopefully it would still match up with her poignant vocals and lyrics!
...Within Temptation also ROCKS! I've heard a lot say that they're copycats of evanescence but they've been in the music business before evanescence. I'll listen to WATF just because of the ex members of Ev.
- Posted By StayingwithEvanescenceforever!
04.18.10 1:21 PM
Ha Ha, This is funny, so your telling me that the guys from the band Evanescence are leaving for this Stealing-Band-Member-Bitch Carly? Wait. You're not joking? OK Now I'm Pis**D! Are you Kidding!? Evanescence is the Only band that will have the Goth Rock Queen! Hey, Listen to there song Solitude and you guys might feel how I feel. Amy says in the song that Everyone leaves her stranded, forgotton, abandoned, Left behind. I love Evanescence and To me Anyone who Liked evanescence but now Loves We are the Fallen are Insane! To Amy, I will stay true to you and I will stay with your songs. And to everybody else If you guys don't like what I just said To Freaking Bad! You guys can LISTEN to Carly's CRAP and I will ENGRAVE Amy's WORK Into my heart.
- Posted By SuicidalFreakthatCuts
04.18.10 1:08 PM
I seriously want to kill someone right now, Not that I have the song Bury me alive, I thought it was Ok but I am in love with the band Evanescence, I can't believe it. I seriously am going to go to the next concert that We are the Fallen are having when I get money and I'm going to commit suicide because I am true to Evanescence!
- Posted By Anonymous
04.17.10 10:23 PM
LOL have any of you read that Amy Lee is going electric pop on her next album?????? Are you Freaking kidding me??? So much for that band, she needs to stick to her roots, the dark communityloved her and embraced her and she is crapping all over them now. I'm glad that Ben and the boys are keeping it true, carly you go girl bellow those pipes you have. Amy you hack I used to love you but you have spit on your followers burn in hell lmao oh and Within Temptaion is still the best band out there.
- Posted By DyingAngel
04.08.10 7:17 PM
LOL? Goth Rock Queen? WTF? The best joke I´ve ever heard! Nobody would have said anything about "We are the Fallen" If they wouldn´t have chosen this name and then cover Evanescence songs. We are the Fallen really sounds like a cover of Evanescence because Fallen was their first well sold album.
But why should Evanescence fans like that crap? I hate it because Ben just wants to get money and now he found his money-doll, it looks like amy but it can´t sing nearly as good as amy. Have you ever listened to My Immortal from Evanescence and after that to My Immortal by We are the fallen? If not, try it and then tell at which one you had to do your hands on your ears because the microphone (or has it been her voice?!) made terrible noises?!
Amy your fans will be your fans forever and won´t be the fans of this ****.
- Posted By ThisCorrosion
04.08.10 7:20 AM
About killing him, and yes, pretty-boy.
- Posted By Anonymous
04.07.10 9:49 PM
Seriously? o.O Everyone bashes Carly Smithson.. It's so silly. I absolutely loved her on American Idol, and I will continue to love her. My love for Amy Lee is still insanely, insanely burning. But I don't feel as though Carly betrayed Amy by "stealing away" former Evanescence members, who quit before We Are The Fallen was even formed.. Don't be stupid, everyone. Don't even compare them. Amy Lee said in a recent interview that We Are The Fallen had nothing to do with Evanescence. Why don't you freaking respect her apathy toward them and just deal with the inevitable popularity of this new band?
- Posted By Anonymous
03.31.10 8:02 AM
Ben is an A$$ and did want to continue what he wanted, but also with intention of proving a point. He wants to prove that he was better for Evanescence than Amy is. But he made like ONE song that sounds like fallen ish. Did you hear the new one? "Without you", I mean that's like an Epic fail song from an EPIC FAIL BAND. Amy isn't a bitch, but I do think she is consistent and kinda selfish. She said now on the newest interview on Spin.com that Evanescence is who SHE is. What about the rest of the band? She made the name her SOLO name or something. There is no talking of a WE in Evanescence. So we will never completely know the story between the ex-bandmembers and Amy. It does take two sides to tangle. But the ex-bandmembers definety failed making good songs and ORIGINAL ones.
Carly doesn't have her own identity in singing. She really needs to find herself. One moment she's copying Amy and other times Kelly. It's like whaa?
- Posted By Anonymous
03.21.10 1:52 AM
WTF?? Ben leaves Evanescence, then forms a new band trying to imitate Evanescence - FAILING by the way - then covers one of Ev's songs?? Seriously! He leaves the band, and it's not like Amy fired him, he left, departed, abandoned, and then covers 'Going Under'!??
Also, people say that Ben left because Amy was 'taking too long to make new songs' well, look, it's not like he's writing and finishing songs every month like the article said! So far, the only song I've heard of by them is 'Bury Me Alive' and it's been like what, 8, 9, 10 months???
Oh, and 'new goth rock queen?' Carly??? Haha don't make me choke.
- Posted By ThisCorrosion
03.10.10 1:08 AM
Neither Evanescence nor this band is anything "gothic rock." That's an insult to the culture and the music. You tools whining about Fallen verses Open Door should've been around when we were talking about ORIGIN verses Fallen. Their demo songs were once dark compositions of filtered, ringing guitars and young, inspired goth-esque romanticism (and even then, both Amy and Ben said they were nothing of the sort). But soon, Amy was MTV fodder and the $ole purpo$e of their career wa$ revealed.
Ben and the rest of these jerkoffs are trying to sell an image -- an oversaturated, overblown carcass of something that was ALREADY a parody. Goth is dead, and I don't mean the good kind of dead. Amy Lee is at least expressing herself, but at the end of the day, she's a "modern rock" artist -- like Nickelback. Good for her. She's doing what she wants: making $$$$ongs. Nonetheless, I'm sure her sycophantic fans will call it as brilliant as Mozart (didn't she recently sample him or something?).
The music industry is garbage. Goth culture was supposed to subvert this kind of atrocity, but Capitalism made sure that you teeny-goffers never know that. Play on, you kids... but don't kid yourselves for too long. It's a formula -- it has been long before you were born, and will be long after you die.
Plus, the music just sucks. Smithson is BLATANTLY OBVIOUSLY trying to fit a mold. Much sadder than Evanescence's leech-like fan army that probably never knew what "Lies" was are these kids trying to justify this lame little puppy with borderline lies, themselves.
"Hey now, hey now, now... sing this corrosion to me."
Edward Cullen confided in me before he ran out of breath that he finds none of you actually attractive. You should really stop trying so hard.
- Posted By Anonymous
03.08.10 6:39 AM
Ben Moody is a musician. He helped make the success of Evanescence, so how can you disregard his attempts at a new band? He writes music. That's what he does. You don't just give up on your passion because you had some failures.
I think Bury Me Alive is the sound that Evanescence should have continued to create. I mean, that's what I would have rather heard, music like their first album, because that's what attracted me to the band in the first place. But Amy felt she wanted to experiment in other ways, which is very cool, I respect that, but the second album just wasn't for ME. I did like it, but not as much as the first, and it was a completely different sound and feel to me.
That said, how can you say Ben is copying Evanescence? Ben WAS Evanescence (just as much as Amy). He didn't just help write lyrics, he wrote the instrumentals too. He's just keeping true to his original sound and what he had intended to continue.
What I don't like is the way Carly sings. She sings very well, but I think it could sound better if she wasn't trying too hard. I can't really explain it, I just don't like it. Sometimes she has it perfectly, and sometimes she sounds like she's trying to copy Amy, or sounds like a dude. No offense. If she made her vocals her own, I'm sure this band wouldn't be known as an Evanescence "copycat" but We Are The Fallen.
Instrumentals are TITS, singing could use less Amy-influence. LESS.
lol Scott Stapp.
- Posted By Vincenzo
03.06.10 9:00 PM
Ben Moody is an idiot. He made this band 'cause his money is running out and he knows that Evanescence formula sells and he never accepted his departure from the band at the height of success.
It would be more decent if he forgot Evanescence and move on with something original and innovative.
Amy is not worried 'cause Evanescence is already above it all, making musical progress and won't make a "new Fallen" just to sell records. This is past! It's outdated! It's saturated!
Let them play the "Fallen" songs. They will be forever a copy!
- Posted By Anonymous
03.06.10 2:25 PM
moody just wanted to find someone that look and kinda sounded like Amy lee just to be a asshole. He could have went a new way and got a male singer but know he had to get a female singer that looks like Amy wtf is up with that! Also if they are something new and not a copy of evanescence then why the hell are they covering ev songs
08.20.10 4:39 PM
We Are Fallen....Yes but it's not too late to get back up and go back to Evanescence and Amy.
Doesn't anyone have commitment anymore? Marriages, Football Stars, Drummers, Guitarist, etc.
Come on, we all love the original Evanescence line up, so like a little kid who wants their parents back together….Please!!!
You may bring out the worst in each other, but you also bring out the BEST!!!