Evanescence announce new touring lineup following departure of Jen Majura

Following the recent departure of guitarist Jen Majura, Evanescence have announced a new touring lineup for their upcoming European dates.

Current bass guitar player Tim McCord will shift to electric guitar duties – filling the void left by Majura – while Emma Anzai of Aussie rock outfit Sick Puppies will come in to handle the low end.

“After 16 years in the band as our rock solid bass player, Tim is taking a turn on his original instrument,” the band write in a new social media post. “Spoiler alert – he's great at it.

“And on bass, it is our extreme pleasure to welcome the incredibly talented Emma Anzai of Sick Puppies! We've been friends and fans for years, and the time has finally come to join forces.”

“Emma will be pulling double duty as we have some shows with Sick Puppies coming up soon, so get ready for that. We are all very excited to bring this new formation to the stage for the first time in Athens on June 5.”

In the comments section below the band's Instagram post, band leader Amy Lee reflects on the personnel changes.

“Making positive change in your life (and band) can be really hard,” she writes. “Some choices we make, some are made for us. But who we are in the end is how we handle whatever comes our way. 

“Today is a big day in my band. Taking another step forward with my brothers who have been beside me for 15-plus years, and welcoming in a beautiful friend we are so excited to share the stage with... I'm happy. You never know what's around the corner, but when something is right you know it's right. And this feels so right.”

After the news broke of Jen Majura's departure from Evanescence, the guitarist took to social media to clarify that it was the band's decision to remove her.

“I feel the need to address that none of this was my decision,” she wrote. “I have no hard feelings against anybody and I wish Evanescence all the best. I am allowed to carry beautiful memories of these past years. I am grateful.”

Jen Majura was a member of Evanescence for seven years. In a 2021 interview with Guitar World, prior to the release of the band's fifth full-length The Bitter Truth, Majura detailed how she landed the gig back in 2015.

“I was playing bass in another band, not really being happy as I’m a guitar player,” she said. “We happened to play two festivals, one in Germany and one in the Czech Republic. And it [turned] out Testament were playing the same days as us.

“I’m a huge Alex Skolnick fan, so we ended up talking and keeping in touch. A couple of days later, I got this very mysterious email from him saying, ‘Jen! Some friends of mine are going to contact you and I can’t reveal too much but I think it’s something you should say yes to!’ I was wondering what the hell he was talking about…

“And then a day later, I got this email from Evanescence’s management asking if I would be interested in… and I didn’t even finish reading the email. I just immediately replied ‘Yes!’ and sent it. That was a total no-brainer.

“This was around July 2015 and the next evening I was on the phone with Amy talking. She invited me to come visit her in New York and hang out. I thought, ‘Okay… cool!’ And three days later I was on a plane flying to fuckin’ New York wondering if this was really happening. It was insane.”

Evanescence are set to embark on their European tour from June 5 in Athens, Greece. They'll make stops in Romania, Germany, Norway and more, before heading to the US from July 15. Head to the band's website for a full list upcoming dates.