When Evanescence parted ways with guitarist Jen Majura in early 2022, longtime bassist Tim McCord put down his 4-string to take over guitar duties, leaving their bass chair vacant for the hard rocking outfit’s upcoming world tour. Their problem didn’t last long, as one quick call to an old friend confirmed that Sick Puppies’ co-founder Emma Anzai was coming on board to handle their low end. Known for her fast-tempo slapping and heavy songwriting with her Australian-formed trio, Anzai had a short span to learn a lot of material before she hit the road for Evanescence’s arena tour with Korn. The band’s five albums’ worth of chart-topping music forced Anzai to work through slower tempos, pocket-focused lines, and a large portion of backup vocals, which made her push herself in ways she hadn’t before. To no surprise, she rose to the challenge and exceeded all expectations, solidifying her place in the band’s lineup. In addition to all of the rapid growth in her playing, Anzai had recently made a big change to her sound, as the longtime Warwick bass player had made the transition to Music Man Stingray basses in the year prior — even adding a 5-string to her arsenal for the first time. Between her new choice in instruments and her new double-duty responsibilities, she found herself more inspired than she had been in a long time, especially in the wake of the pandemic dormancy. That inspiration became evident onstage, as her firepower thrilled sold-out crowds and Evanescence fans all over the globe, adding a new excitement to singer Amy Lee and company’s resurgence following the 2021 release of their album The Bitter Truth. For a self-proclaimed introvert who expresses herself through the heaviest forms of music, Anzai found herself right at home playing through large stacks of amps, heavily effected with her Darkglass distortion. Currently, her time is limited thanks to a 2023 tour with Muse and Evanescence on the horizon, but Anzai is carrying over her inspiration to Sick Puppies, who have been working on their new album for several years now. With the finish line in sight, it will be a great relief to wrap up production on the record, as the pandemic greatly sidelined their efforts and even prompted them to go back and rework what had already been written. Since the release of their latest album, 2016’s Fury, Sick Puppies have welcomed a new lead vocalist and guitarist in Byron Scott, their hard-hitting metal sound on the new material evolving accordingly. 2023 is shaping up to be an exciting and prolific year for Anzai, who is looking forward to the workload along with the opportunity to grow as a musician. With each new opportunity and test that arises, she’s up for the challenge.You’ve known the members of Evanescence for a while. How did your joining the band come about? It was quite the surprise when it happened. When they needed a bass player after Tim [McCord] switched from bass to guitar, I got the call and agreed