Lost Whispers

Since the release of their self-titled third studio album in 2011 and the accompanying world tour (2011–2012), Evanescence took a three-year music hiatus, during which each member pursued their own projects.[2] During that period, the band also parted ways with their long-term record label Wind-up Records.[3] In November 2015, Evanescence made its return to stage, performing at the Ozzfest in Tokyo.

At that time, Lee announced that there were no future plans for recording new material with the band and that the group would only tour and rejoin its fans through concerts in the following year. She further added that she focused on making music as a solo artist and exploring a side to her different from the one when she worked with Evanescence.[2] In 2016, more dates were added to their tour with concerts taking place in the US.[4][5]

On September 13, 2016, the band announced a vinyl box set titled The Ultimate Collection.[6] The set was released on February 17, 2017, by The Bicycle Music Company,[7] including all three of the band's studio albums—Fallen (2003), The Open Door (2006), and Evanescence (2011)—the demo Origin recorded early on in their career, a 52-page case-bound book featuring art, handwritten lyrics and photos as well as the compilation set Lost Whispers.[8] On December 9, 2016, Lost Whispers was independently made available for streaming and download on several music platforms, including the iTunes Store, Spotify and Anghami.[9][10][11]

The album opens with the song "Lost Whispers" which was used during the band's 2009 tour concerts. The second song is a rework of the band's earlier song "Even in Death", originally from their demo album, Origin (2000). Speaking about the re-recorded version, Amy Lee said: "It really felt like redemption, like that song was truly redeemed because the early recording we have is not an enjoyable recording, but I really love that song. It was a beautiful experience to be able to take that and live in it now and give it the treatment I would give to any one of our songs with the ability I have now. Now I'm in love with that song again."[12] The song "Missing", taken from the band's first live album Anywhere but Home (2004), is also included. The remaining tracks are all B-sides, bonus tracks or outtakes from all three of their studio albums, namely two songs are Fallen outtakes, three songs are The Open Door outtakes and four songs are bonus tracks from the deluxe edition of Evanescence; they are chronologically ordered following the first three tracks.

The rework of "Even in Death" was uploaded on the band's official YouTube account on February 16, 2017.[8]

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Lost Whispers.

• Amy Lee – production (1, 2), performer (1, 2), engineering (1), mixing (1, 2)
• Dave Fortman – production (3–8)
• Nick Raskulinecz – production (9–12)
• Dave Eggar – performer (2)
• Derik Lee – engineering (2)
• Ryan Dorn – mastering (1, 2)