Amanda Somerville, one of the most widely used voices in European symphonic metal, has been diagnosed with a malignant and aggressive brain tumour.
The news was made public on Saturday, September 19, by her husband — AFTER FOREVER co-founder, main songwriter and guitarist Sander Gommans — in a post on social media.
"Hi friends, I have some very sad news to share," he wrote. "The love of my life, mother of my three daughters and my beautiful wife Amanda Somerville, has a malignant and aggressive brain tumor. We're shocked, devastated and I can't describe the challenges we're facing as a family right now."
Gommans said the family is "very grateful with the help we're getting from family and friends," and asked the scene to close ranks around her: "Positive thoughts help, prayers help, keeping us in your minds help. Please be there for Amanda and our kids and have us in your minds. Amanda gives so much to all of us — love, music, friendship, strength. It's time to send out hope and power to her."
Somerville grew up in Michigan and moved to Germany in 1999 to build a career that ended up threaded through most of the continent's symphonic metal. She has recorded and toured with AVANTASIA. She sang on KAMELOT's Ghost Opera in 2007. She stepped in for Simone Simons on EPICA's 2008 North American tour with SYMPHONY X when Simons fell ill — the kind of call that only goes out to a singer everybody already trusts.
She has worked repeatedly with producers Sascha Paeth and Miro, co-wrote the rock opera Aina, and fronts her own projects TRILLIUM and KISKE SOMERVILLE, the latter alongside HELLOWEEN's Michael Kiske. She has shared stages with Alice Cooper and Ian Gillan. Less than a decade ago she was part of EXIT EDEN with Clémentine Delauney (VISIONS OF ATLANTIS, SERENITY), Marina La Torraca (BATTLE BEAST) and Anna Brunner (LEAGUE OF DISTORTION). Her solo album Windows came out in 2008.
Her own songwriting has always sat closer to pop-rock than to metal, but the metal scene is where she made her home — and, as a vocal coach working out of Germany and the Netherlands since 1999, she has quietly shaped a great many voices that never carried her name on the sleeve.
No further details about her treatment have been released. Our thoughts are with Amanda, Sander and their three daughters.