"Collaborate with Amy Lee? That would be incredible!" Guitar hero Sophie Lloyd on why Evanescence mean so much to her - and to rock music in general

Sophie Lloyd and Amy Lee — (Image credit: Amy: Travis Shinn)

This year sees Evanescence's legendary debut album Fallen turn 20. The record made instant household names of the Arkansas gothic rockers, selling millions of copies around the world and producing generational hits in the form of Bring Me To Life, Going Under and My Immortal. As part of Metal Hammer's celebrations of the album's anniversary, we spoke to guitar hero Sophie Lloyd about the impact Evanescence have had on her, why Fallen was such an important record for 2000s rock music and why she'd love to collaborate with Amy Lee one day.

When did you first hear Evanescence?

“I think I was about nine and I saw them on MTV, or one of the music television channels. Their visuals really grabbed me. I’d been listening to metal for a while, but I’d never heard that voice and that power from a woman before. I bought Fallen and I had the poster of that artwork up on my wall.”

What makes Fallen such a landmark album?

“There’s a couple of things. It’s a mix of these really heavy metal songs with this melodic voice over it, but there are also these really beautiful ballads. She brought this emotional side to metal – it’s an album that really hits the heart as well as the ears. It was a whole new wave of culture; rock was becoming more mainstream and getting on the radio. They were the perfect band for that, she had such a powerful voice, and she had a personality that no woman in rock had ever really had, so it stuck out in people’s minds.”

So what is it about Amy Lee that makes her such an iconic figute?

“She’s been integral in shifting the culture, how people dress, how they look – it’s how she carries herself. She seems like a really nice person as well. I’ve seen her in interviews and she really doesn’t seem to have an ego and is just unapologetically herself. That’s really inspiring to see, as a woman, that she never backed down from anything, even though she came through in this time that was really, really dominated by dudes. She just shines through everything.”

What was the reaction to your shred version of Bring Me To Life?

“I haven’t gone back to it since, I don’t really read the comments… maybe I should go back. It was such an iconic song for me growing up, so I wanted to do it and bring something to it that I thought Amy would like. Everyone seemed to like it at the time, it was an important one for me to do. I love delving into the different elements of the song.”

What's your favourite Evanescence song?

"It’s an obvious choice but it would be Going Under – it holds a lot of memories for me. It helped me through a lot of dark times lyrically, and I love how she melds that classical style under these really heavy riffs.”

Have you hit them up to collaborate yet?

“That would be incredible. She’s one of the most iconic vocalists, it would be a dream come true. I’ve taken a lot of inspiration from that band, so, Amy, if you’re reading this… please?!”

Originally printed in Metal Hammer #381. A deluxe reissue version of Fallen is out now via Craft Recordings. Sophie Lloyd's new album Imposter Syndrom is out now via Autumn Records.

Artists

Stephen joined the Louder team as a co-host of the Metal Hammer Podcast in late 2011, eventually becoming a regular contributor to the magazine. He has since written hundreds of articles for Metal Hammer, Classic Rock and Louder, specialising in punk, hardcore and 90s metal. He also presents the Trve. Cvlt. Pop! podcast with Gaz Jones and makes regular appearances on the Bangers And Most podcast.

With contributions from

Merlin AldersladeExecutive Editor, Louder