EVANESCENCE's Founding Guitarist BEN MOODY Reimagines 'Taking Over Me' In Celebration Of 'Fallen' Album's 20th Anniversary

In celebration of EVANESCENCE's debut album, "Fallen", turning 20 years old, the band's founding guitarist Ben Moody has reimagined songs from the LP and is in the process of uploading the results to his YouTube channel. Check out the sixth reimagined track, "Taking Over Me", below.

Released in the spring of 2003, "Fallen" resonated deeply with fans, selling more than 141,000 copies in its first week and peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, where it spent an astonishing 43 weeks in the Top 10. Within a month, "Fallen" was certified platinum by the RIAA, while it was a Top 10 hit in more than ten countries, reaching No. 1 in the U.K., Canada, Australia and across Europe. Much of the album's initial success can be attributed to its stratospheric singles, including "Bring Me To Life", which broke the Top 10 in more than 15 countries and topped Billboard's Mainstream Top 40 and Alternative Airplay charts. "My Immortal" was a Top 10 hit in over ten countries, including the U.S., U.K., and Australia.

At the 2004 Grammy Awards, EVANESCENCE received five nominations, including "Album Of The Year", "Best Rock Album", "Best Hard Rock Performance" for "Bring Me To Life", and "Best New Artist", taking home the latter two. The following year, "My Immortal" received a nod for "Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals".

Today, "Fallen" holds steady as the sixth best-selling album of the 21st century (ranking just behind Lady Gaga's "The Fame" and ahead of COLDPLAY's "A Rush Of Blood To The Head") and remains one of the best-selling albums of all time, with more than 17 million copies sold worldwide. In 2022, "Fallen" received a rare diamond certification from the RIAA, which recognizes 10 million units in U.S. album sales. As a testament to the album's enduring appeal, the video for "Bring Me To Life" surpassed 1.2 billion views on YouTube, making it one of the most-watched rock videos of all time while "My Immortal" follows close behind.

The success of "Fallen" led to turmoil within the group, as Moody left in late 2003, leaving singer Amy Lee as the only original member of the band.

In 2010, Moody gave a lengthy explanation for why he left EVANESCENCE while promoting his soundalike band called WE ARE THE FALLEN with other former EVANESCENCE members (John LeCompt on guitar and Rocky Gray on drums) along with "American Idol" powerhouse vocalist Carly Smithson and bassist Marty O'Brien.

Lee continued with new members, and EVANESCENCE issued "The Open Door" in 2006. While a hit, it did not equal the sales of "Fallen". Lee told The Pulse Of Radio at the time that she wasn't concerned about matching the previous album's success. "I just haven't ever looked at it that way," she said. "'Fallen' is a great record, but I don't think you can try to match the success of another body of work. I think that's only gonna frustrate you. And if, honestly if what you really care about is record sales and money, there's no way you're gonna make a great piece of art, because then you're just gonna get all confused and make something ingenuine."

To date, EVANESCENCE has released a total of five studio albums, including the multi-platinum "The Open Door" (2004) and "Evanescence" (2011),both of which topped the Billboard 200. In 2021, the band thrilled fans with their first album of new material in a decade, "The Bitter Truth". Featuring a lineup of Amy Lee (vocals, keyboards),Tim McCord (guitar/bass),Will Hunt (drums),Troy McLawhorn (guitars/backing vocals),and Emma Anzai (bass, backing vocals),EVANESCENCE continues to maintain an active tour schedule which has seen the band traveling the globe and staging some of the most successful shows of its career.