Evanescence: member shorter but still as brill

Things have not only changed around Evanescence since their breakthrough hit from a few months ago but there was an internal change: the band’s co-founder/co-songwriter/guitarist Ben Moody departed from the line up after the show in Berlin on 25 October. Singer Amy Lee decided to continue touring performing with the second guitarist, John LeCompt, taking over the six/stringer role.

But, before we got to Lee’s kind of ‘Goth-pop’, we had a pleasure to enjoy a strange tonal world of Finger Eleven. The Canadian band play such a dynamic and diverse show that the kids are left motionless by the power and, one suppose, surprise. Still, they enthusiastically clap at the end of every song but they are here to sample noir-flavouring of the Lee-world.

Finger Eleven’s soundscape is metal music that is not afraid to dip into prog-rock or experimental noises, some off-beat arrangements and rather complex instrument-interplay. During the dishing out selection from their current, self-titled, album, singer Scott Anderson delivers his vocals from a statuesque position mid-stage while guitarists are all the jumps, headbangs and swagger. At the beginning guitar strings were snapping at the rate that would have been appreciated in The Who’s vintage days of destruction.

With F-11 we can talk about Monster Magnet, Tool, even Primus’ lineage but it all goes back to Led Zeppelin and King Crimson. With added influence being their home-legends, Guess Who. Tonight, they are all about ‘Good Times’ but only for half-an-hour.

For the difference from Anderson, Amy Lee is all energy: she stalks the stage, confronts and ‘attacks‘ with her vocals, never letting our focus slip, we know who is the star here. So, in that respect there is no change in Evanescence’s stage make-up and the departed member is not missed, if that was of any concern. Months ago, upon first targeting our eyes on the Goth-babe, we knew the score.

Of course ‘Bring Me To Life’, the most unlikely and exciting chart topper of the otherwise dull-as-fcukless year in Britain, threatens the future of the venue and everything papers to be fine in the Little Rock, Arkansas, outfit’s fortunes. Where Moody’s departure might be felt the most is in the songwriting dept. and studio work. But then, don’t overlook, impressions and opinions are not necessarily the truth.

Right now, Evanescence [as well as Finger Eleven], are rock-o’-grandioso!