Sanctuary is the sixth studio album by the American rock band Evanescence, released on June 5, 2026 through BMG. The album is produced by Jordan Fish, Nick Raskulinecz, and Zakk Cervini, and it is the band's first to feature bassist Emma Anzai.
Sanctuary has been supported by three singles: "Afterlife", released on March 28, 2025 as part of the Devil May Cry soundtrack; "Who Will You Follow", released on April 10, 2026; and "Tell Me When You've Had Enough", released on September 4, 2026. The band embarked on a world tour in promotion of the album starting June 11, 2026.
Background and conception In September 2024, the band stated that they would be entering the studio to record new music for their sixth studio album that November. The song "Afterlife," from the Netflix animated series Devil May Cry, was released as a single on March 28, 2025. Amy Lee called it "the first of many" new songs that were to be released. In December 2025, Lee stated that there would be a new Evanescence album released in 2026. The album's title and artwork was announced in April 2026.
Speaking about the album's title during an interview with Kerrang! in April 2026, Lee said she had referenced it in a November 2025 concert where she said "This is our sanctuary, we find comfort and connection through the power of music." With the record, she aimed to make music that was more open and honest. Made in the midst of American president Donald Trump's re-election, Lee said that the band was concerned by the political turmoil in the country and wanted to channel their emotions into their songs, saying:
Release and promotion Sanctuary was released on June 5, 2026, through BMG Rights Management.
"Afterlife", the first song released from the album, was released on March 28, 2025 as part of the soundtrack of the adult animated series Devil May Cry. The album's second single, "Who Will You Follow", was released on April 10, 2026. "Tell Me When You've Had Enough" was released as the third single on September 4, 2026.
The album will be promoted by a headlining world tour set to begin on June 11, 2026, in West Palm Beach, Florida. Openers across select dates of the tour include K.Flay, with whom the band released the non-album single "Fight Like a Girl" from the soundtrack of Ballerina (2025); Spiritbox; Poppy; and Nova Twins.
Critical reception
Writing for Blabbermouth.net, Anne Erickson called Sanctuary a "fairly heavy" record that sees the band experimenting while carrying over their brand of gothic hard rock. Steve Beebee from Kerrang said the album "investigates new paths" and has influences of producer Jordan Fish's electronic stylings, commending the band's forward-facing approach and finding the music prime for a live setting.
Commercial performance In the United States, Sanctuary debuted at number 38 on the Billboard 200 with just over 21,000 album-equivalent units.
In the United Kingdom, the album debuted on the UK Albums Chart at number 10, selling 7,334 total units.
In Japan, Sanctuary peaked at number 35 on the Oricon Albums Chart, selling 1,229 copies in its first week.
Track listing
The album was released with two deluxe versions: one featuring a bonus Blu-ray disc of a 2023 concert in São Paulo, and a Japanese version that includes a bonus Blu-ray disc of a live show from the Worlds Collide tour in Amsterdam in 2023.
Personnel Credits are adapted from Tidal. Evanescence
Amy Lee – vocals (all tracks), keys (all tracks), programming (tracks 1, 8, 9), string arrangement Troy McLawhorn – guitar Emma Anzai – bass Tim McCord – guitar Will Hunt – drums
Additional musicians
Jordan Fish – programming (1, 8, 9) Tiago Nunez – programming (1, 8, 9) Will B. Hunt – programming (9) Carrie Lee South – additional vocals (1) Lori Bulloch – additional vocals (1) Susie Benchasil Seiter – conductor, orchestration (6, 7, 10–12) Chad Seiter – additional orchestration (6, 7, 10–12) Dinos Alvanos — music preparation, orchestration assistant (6, 7, 10–12) Connor Bamsey – score crew (6, 7, 10–12) Hannah Kacmarsky – score crew (6, 7, 10–12) Michael Wandmacher – string arrangement (6, 7, 10–12) Adam Millstein – violin (6, 7, 10–12) Aiko Richter – violin (6, 7, 10–12) Ana Landauer – violin (6, 7, 10–12) Anna Kostyuchek – violin (6, 7, 10–12) Ben Jacobson – violin (6, 7, 10–12) Chad Cannon – violin (6, 7, 10–12) Christian Hebel – violin (6, 7, 10–12) Ellen Jung – violin (6, 7, 10–12) Eun-Mee Ahn – violin (6, 7, 10–12) Fernando Lascura – violin (6, 7, 10–12) Gallia Kastner – violin (6, 7, 10–12) Haesol Lee – violin (6, 7, 10–12) Leah Zeger – violin (6, 7, 10–12) Marisa Kuney – violin (6, 7, 10–12) Mark Robertson – violin (6, 7, 10–12), concertmaster, contractor Mona Tian – violin (6, 7, 10–12) Nina Evtuhov – violin (6, 7, 10–12) Stephanie Matthews – violin (6, 7, 10–12) Yvette Holzwarth – violin (6, 7, 10–12) Andrew Duckles – viola (6, 7, 10–12) Carolyn Riley – viola (6, 7, 10–12) Corrine Sobolewski – viola (6, 7, 10–12) I-Ting Huang – viola (6, 7, 10–12) Luke Maurer – viola (6, 7, 10–12) Stefan Smith – viola (6, 7, 10–12) Ben Lash – cello (6, 7, 10–12) Dave Eggar – cello (6, 7, 10–12) Evgeny Tonkha – cello (6, 7, 10–12) Hillary Ahn – cello (6, 7, 10–12) Sarah Kim – cello (6, 7, 10–12) Vanessa Freebairn-Smith – cello (6, 7, 10–12) Eric Shetzen – bass (6, 7, 10–12) Steve Pfeiffer – bass (6, 7, 10–12)
Technical Nathan Yarborough – engineering (1, 8, 9) Julian Gargiulo – engineering (2–4, 6, 7, 10, 12), mixing assistance (all tracks) Nick Raskulinecz – engineering (5, 11) Justin Moshkevich – engineering (6, 7, 10–12) Zakk Cervini – mixing Luc Alexiades – mixing assistance Ted Jensen – mastering
Charts + Chart performance for Sanctuary Chart (2026) Peakposition Australian Albums (ARIA) 2 French Rock & Metal Albums (SNEP) 1 German Pop Albums (Offizielle Top 100) 2 Italian Physical Albums (FIMI) 15 Japanese Digital Albums (Oricon) 18 Japanese Rock Albums (Oricon) 7 Japanese Top Albums Sales (Billboard) 28 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) 5 Portuguese Albums (AFP) 38 US Top Rock & Alternative Albums (Billboard) 8
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