Evanescence members form We Are The Fallen

Three ex-members of the goth-rock band Evanescence, all given the heave-ho by frontwoman Amy Lee, have formed a new group called We Are The Fallen, and they've picked American Idol finalist Carly Smithson as their singer.

The Dublin-born Smithson joins guitarist/songwriter Ben Moody, guitarist John Lecompt and drummer Rocky Gray in We Are The Fallen. (Bassist Marty O'Brien completes the lineup.)

The name game

Their name, while perhaps a sly reference to Evanescence's 2003 breakthrough album Fallen, has already gotten them in a bit of hot water. Originally the band called themelves The Fallen, but a ceast-and-desist order from another group with that name lead them to lengthen their moniker.

So now they're We Are The Fallen, and they've just debuted their first single Bury Me Alive ( see video below).

Can't we all just get along?

With We Are The Fallen going one way and Evanescence going another (Amy Lee is cutting a new album with Terry Balsamo on guitar and Tim McCord on bass; no word yet on a drummer), the question remains: can the two groups co-exist peacefully?

"We wish them the best," says Moody of Lee's new lineup. Still, he adds: "There's not really an Evanescence now. It's Amy Lee playing as Evanescence with a bunch of other guys hired to play our parts."

Lee describes it as "a difficult situation, as is every dramatic situation our band has gone through. We outgrew each other. Very few bands have been able to maintain their original members forever."

Doesn't sound like a double-bill we'll be seeing anytime soon.