When I first began hearing Evanescence's epic debut single "Bring Me To Life" on the radio and all over MTV while Ben Affleck was flying across the screen in a red Daredevil suit, I was first inclined to dismiss them as just another cheesy nu-metal band, who just so happens to be fronted by some gothic high priestess who can belt out the opera-meets-metal vocals with the best of them. But, damn if that adrenalin pumping song hasn't become permanently ingrained in my head - ask my wife how annoying it is to hear me scream that rap-metal chorus "wake me up... I can't wake up... SAAAAVE ME!" every time I play the damn song. The rest of the song's parent album, Fallen, has also proven to be just as infectious, going on to sell nearly 15 million albums worldwide, and helping the band win the Best New Artist Grammy.

The priestess in question is non other than singer, pianist, and songwriter Amy Lee, who founded Evanescence in 1998 with guitarist Ben Moody, and she has been a breath of fresh air in this male-dominated world of rock/metal vocalists. Sure there are plenty of superb female singers out there, especially in the prog-rock arena, but not since Ann Wilson of Heart, or Pat Benatar, have we seen such a great frontwoman arise from the more commercial side of the tracks. With "Bring Me To Life", Lee brilliantly showcases her powerful vocal range, along with some of the subtle nuances of a Tori Amos. That is an unique combination.

Anywhere But Home was recorded on May 25th, 2004 at The Zenith in Paris, France and featured new guitarist Terry Balsamo, who replaced founding band member Ben Moody after he abruptly quit the band during their 2003 European tour in support of Fallen. The setlist is essentially Fallen live, with "Hello" being the only song absent. A couple of the band's older songs, "Farther Away" and "Breathe No More" are also dusted off, and they even turn in a pretty rocking cover of Korn's "Thoughtless", which I actually like better than the original.

They open the show and really bang you over the head with two of their heaviest songs, "Haunted" and "Going Under". I had high hopes for the direction of this video seeing that it was done by famed music video director Hamish Hamilton, who did such a superb job on some of Peter Gabriel, U2, and Whitesnake's videos, but unfortunately he decided to turn this one into an MTV-style video with frantic-paced camera editing that takes away much of the live atmosphere. There are some moments that are filmed exceptionally well though, like when he pulls back and takes in the entire stage letting you breath in the entire light show during some of the most intense segments, or when he closes in on a band member from down in the crowd.