The early 2000s were strong for the nu-metal and post-grunge scenes. Staind, Linkin Park, and Chevelle were selling tons of records, and rock radio was almost completely dominated by the 2 aforementioned genres. But in 2003, the cracks were starting to show. Some bands had difficulty following up a breakout album and they saw sales tank, or the opposite happened – sales were still solid, but critical respect dwindled.
Cue a tiny, unknown band from Arkansas whose first single was on the Daredevil soundtrack on Wind-Up Records. If that didn’t set them up for success, nothing would have – but it happened. Fallen has sold 7 million US copies, and 17 million worldwide, achieving a #7 Billboard chart debut in March 2003.
Fallen wasn’t necessarily a revolutionary album by any means (in actuality, it’s fairly standard post-grunge/alt-metal), but compared to everything else on the radio and TV at the time, there was something different about the album – most likely being vocalist Amy Lee’s voice, which drew comparisons to icons like Tori Amos, but in a darker and even more soul-baring fashion. There had to be a counterpoint to the negativity, and though Fallen is a dark, dark album, there are flashes of light beyond the surface, especially on some of the 2nd half of the album.
Considering Fallen sold over 17 million copies worldwide, and springboarded the band to superstardom overnight, they had to be doing something right.
The overnight success obviously wasn’t without its consequences, considering co-founding member Ben Moody left soon after, along with other constant lineup shuffling. But for a few years, Evanescence dominated rock radio, and left a unique mark that few bands can claim to match with a debut – 4 singles (“Going Under”, “My Immortal”, megahit “Bring Me To Life”, and the underrated “Everybody’s Fool”) all charted exceptionally high. Fallen arrived at the perfect time. With nu-metal and post-grunge being as popular as they were at the time, Amy Lee was the vocalist to complete everything.
Maybe Evanescence won’t ever match the success of Fallen, but you know what? That’s okay. It’s still an important album that captures the memories of those who grew up listening to it.
