AMY Lee has been cavorting with wolves. Very big wolves. The Evanescence frontwoman is playing Little Red Riding Hood, the perfect role for the gothrock goddess.
The singer with that rare voice which soars operatically one moment and growls with rock menace the next, has just completed filming the video of her new single, Call Me When You're Sober.
And despite an allergy to the creatures' fur, it sounds like Lee was exhilarated by the proximity of danger.
I pet them and sing to them .
.. yeah, and they kinda ripped up my costume, she says with a giggle.
The (record) label was so frightened. There were four trainers there to make sure they didn't freak out.
The wolves or the record company executives?
Both, she laughs. I have to figure out how to get Siberian tigers in one of our videos. Honestly, if I am not in danger in my video, it wouldn't be Evanescence.
I'm either falling off something or drowning.
Her upbeat and excited demeanour comes after a rough couple of years since the band released their multi-platinum debut, Fallen, in 2003.
On the creative side of things, Lee's chief collaborator in Evanescence, guitarist Ben Moody left the band.
The sour side of the music business reared its head in an ongoing legal dispute with the band's former manager. And personally, she split with boyfriend, Seether frontman Shaun Morgan, who has since checked himself into rehab.
To compound a pretty rotten run of luck, Moody's replacement, Terry Balsamo, suffered a stroke just after finishing recording his guitar parts for the band's long-awaited second album, The Open Door.
The biggest realisation after everything that happened was I could be more honest about things. That's probably a part of growing up but I also worked myself to death during the writing of this album, she says. I could never be satisfied with myself but I feel a lot more confident now and my biggest realisation was I am good enough to do this.
During the early weeks of promoting The Open Door, Lee didn't name names when asked about the subject of Call Me When You're Sober. Morgan announced he was seeking treatment for substance abuse the day the single hit the airwaves in the US, and the songwriter spoke more directly. While reiterating support for Morgan and his battle against addiction, she said she had made the right choice for the sake of her health and happiness.
I don't think there's any way to avoid what that song is talking about, which I like. It makes me feel sort of, I don't know, brave and it helps me heal from a painful ending to a relationship, she said recently.
The single's reception on radio in Australia and the US has validated her contributions to the band since the departure of Moody, who co-wrote Fallen's hits, including Bring Me To Life and My Immortal.
Balsamo became her writing partner for the new album, and the pair wrote together for 18 months while all these life-changing events were assailing them but revelled in the floodgates opened by the collaboration.
Then Balsamo's stroke was another almighty blow. It was scary .
.. I couldn't believe it, Lee says.
I was up all night praying, 'Please be OK, please be OK'. I wish he hadn't had the stroke but we all learnt to respect our lives a lot more.
Balsamo has made a strong recovery from paralysis in his arm and the band remain hopeful he will be 100 per cent fit to join them on the road next month.
Like most of her female peers in rock bands, Lee finds the touring life can be tough. But she does have some support.
My best girlfriend is my hair stylist so she's out on tour with me and we party and have a great time.
I don't know how I'd do it without her.
It's great to get on stage and feel supported and energised by the women out there in the crowd.
I crave that kind of female support you get from your friends when I'm on tour.
I miss them, so it's nice to feel that when I'm on stage.
Lee insists The Open Door has already achieved the success she desires. Surviving life's hurdles and turning them into music is triumph enough.
This is not about trying to sell as many records as we did the first time. I wouldn't try to guess what the public wants, she says.
* The Open Door is out this Saturday.
I'm curious to hear what this song sounds like now. I have to admit, I did like "My Immortal" but hated it when the band put out their radio edit ruining a perfectly good ballad in my opinion. I did like "Bring Me To Life" but then everyone else started jumping on the bandwagon thinking they were hardcore because they listened to "Evanescence".
Then all their songs began to be overplayed on the radio, very, very similar to their other songs. It got old really, really fast. When it comes down to the crunch, kudos to the band for being successful.
But I'm not buying your stuff. Sorry, I prefer Within Temptation over you any day, Evenesence.
Posted by: Lilithia of East Doncaster, Melbourne 9:43am October 02, 2006 Posted by: Rellz 4:12pm September 28, 2006 We welcome your comments on this story.
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