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| The Open Door | 
 enlarge | Artist: Evanescence
Label: Wind-Up
Category: Music
List Price: $18.97
Buy Used: $3.43
You Save: $15.54 (82%)
New (44) Used (49) Collectible (1) from $3.43
Avg. Customer Rating:  471 reviews
Sales Rank: 634
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.5 x 5 x 0.4
MPN: 31202
UPC: 601501312021
EAN: 0601501312021
ASIN: B000FTWB7G
Release Date: October 3, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Decent effort, but too much about Amy and her dysfunctions October 5, 2006
8 out of 12 found this review helpful
I have to say I really love(d) Evanescence, to the point of being almost obsessed. When Fallen came out in 2003 it seemed to really encapsulate how I felt at the time about life, and really resonated with me. The fact that some of the songs sounded the same didn't really phase or bother me, this was good, catchy power pop/rock with a female vocalist that could put chills up my spine.
Fast forward three and a half years and Evanescence is finally releasing their sophomore album. Musically, this one is a little more diverse and takes a little more getting used to (though the first four tracks are immediately likeable and very catchy), especially songs like "Lose Control". Ultimately though, it's a satifsying journey.
Lyrically, however, this album is definitely less diverse than Fallen was. About half the songs are about Amy's dysfunctional relationships (including a trip back to the relationship that spawned "Going Under"), and gone are the themes of imagination, celebrity-bashing, and spiritual longing (save for "The Only One"). Indeed, one may as well title this album "A Journey into Amy's Soul and Relationships" because ultimately that's what it is, down from the cover art to the lyrical themes.
It's really too bad, because the lyrics bog down this album and tend to get really repetitive. (They're also more straightforward and contain less imagery than on Fallen.) Considering that dysfunctional relationships were the theme of a couple songs off the last album, a more interesting and varied approach would be to tackle completely different subjects on this album. Instead, the band returns to the same topics, rehashing them over and over again.
There are some bright spots, however. "Weight of the World" confronts fans' unrealistic expectations, and also declares that the past will not bog down the future (a welcome positive spin). "Like You" is an amazing emotional journey into what is it like for a child to see one of their siblings die (based on real-life situation of Amy's sister dying when she was young). Indeed, the song works as a better version of "Hello" off Fallen. "Snow White Queen", though odd musically, cleverly portrays Amy being followed by a stalker, and also captures the stalkers' perspective in a chilling way. "Good Enough" is a fairly contented, beautiful song.
But counting all the dysfunction songs, you have: "Sweet Sacrifice", "Call Me When You're Sober", "Cloud Nine", "Lacrymosa" and "Lose Control" (though admittedly that song has some clever imagery and word play going on).
Also, for all the experimenting and talk of less structure, there still is a lot of structure to these songs, especially in the first four tracks. Admittedly, the songs are catchy, and "Lithium" would make a great single, but really this album is not as different musically from Fallen as the band would like us to believe.
It's only in moments like "Lose Control" and "Your Star" that the band really starts to experiment with some new direction and drive, and that their creativity really shines through.
Ultimately though, this band is over-hyped. Their music is fun to listen to, Amy is really a sweet girl with a bit of a depressing attitude (but is a far better role model than many of the pop singers out there), and it's really cool to have a female voice to rock music. You don't see that very often unfortunately. But this album is not a creative masterpiece, it's just a fun counterpart to Fallen that surpasses it musically (because it is more diverse), but that ultimately falls short thematically.
 The Open Door compared to Fallen October 8, 2006
8 out of 11 found this review helpful
Okay, well. I am here to praise this CD. I have read some of the reviews people have left on this album. Some were disappointed about the album. Well I"m here to say that it isn't a failure.
-Here is the thing about The Open Door. It is a new sound. It's been what? 3 years since Fallen? Of course its going to sound different. And i'm going to admitt it takes a while to get used to the songs. But once you do you feel like wanting to learn the lyrics to every song already so that you can dance around your home singing along to the CD and look like a complete idiot as you pretend to be on stage singing these songs. (Not that I have done that. Not-at-all. Lol.) But this CD really lives up to Fallen. I bet there are some people who posted reviews that didn't like the sound of Fallen at first and then suddenly became fanatics. (Don't deny it.) Over all this album is extremely great. It's more of a happier album. If you pat attention to the lyrics you'll recognize that most are giving off the same message. "I want to break away from all this pain, and walk through a new open door". That is pretty much what it is saying.
SONG RATING:
-Sweet Sacrafice: Awesome way to open up the album. I was blown away when I heard "Sweet Sacrafice", and then I was sucked in and pretty much was entranced by Sweet Sacrafice. It is a possible new single.
-Call Me When You're Sober: =/. I have to say that this song, compared to the others on the album is pretty bad. It is a good song when heard the first to third time. But afterwards it gets pretty annoying. It has also been way too over played. But its an okay song.
-Weight of the World: This was a great song, not a single material, but it was a great song. Makes you want to rock out to it. Soaring vocals by Amy and great guitar riffs compliment this song truly.
-Lithium: I feel like crying when I hear this song. It touches me very deeply. (but thats just me). "Lithium" is deffinetly going to be a single for Evanescence. The vocals are great, and Amy did a wodnerful job with the lyrics and vocals, and Terry did great as well! Emotion is truly shown in "Lithium". Makes you want to make a music video yourself. Lol.
-Cloud Nine: The beginning is hanutning and chilling. The guitarists did great. This song makes you want to immitate Amy's ways of performing. Great back-up haunting vocals.
-Snow White Queen: This song is very unique. Nothing like Evanescence. Takes a while to get used to. But it is a sound that soon gets stuck to you. I really have to complement Rocky on the drums. He does really great, and Amy does awesome (as always), and the guitarists (Terry and John) did extraordinary as well.
-Lacrymosa: This song is great and was a perfect to use to advertise The Open Door. The violin sounds great, and Amy shows great emotion and great haunting vocals.
(possible single)
-Like You: For those of you who probably don't know, this song as well as "Hello" from Fallen is dedicated to Amy's sister. I don't know if you people know, but her sister died. And both those songs are dedicated to her. If you pay close attention to the lyrics she mentions the word "sis" in one of the verses. The lyrics are really touching and make you want to tear up. It is possible that Evanescence might not play "Like You" live, if you notice, "Hello" was never played live. Maybe it was too sad for Amy to sing, so it is a possibility that they might not play "Like You".(Another possible single)
-Lose Control: This song gives me chills. I really feel bad to the person Evanescence is referring to in this song. Really..umm..unique. The uniqueness of this song makes it a great one.
-The Only One: Funny start off, starts off slow, but Amy soon kicks in with her great vocals, and Terry and John soon contribute with the guitars making it a great song.
-Your Star: A sad touching song that sounds hautning, and tragic, and yet beautiful. And well you know how Evanescence has nack for making songs sound like that.
-All That I'm Living For: This song really makes you want to get up and and rock on and on and on and on. It has a great meaning and great sound. Amy's vocals, and Terry's and John's guitars start the song off wonderfully.
-Good Enough: The sound to this sound was kind of weird at first. It sounded like nothing Evanescence would compose, but you start growing fond for it. For me, I would listen to this song when I fall in love. Lol. It is a great, cheerful song to end the album. So see thi album isn't all doom and gloom. Lol.
All in all, this album is great. Anf for those who don't like it, then they don't like it. I can't really force them to. But just a tip of advice. The reason you didn't like The Open Door is because you were expecting another Fallen. And that was a horrible thing to do. You got to attatched to Fallen. =/. But The Open Door rocks and lives up to Fallen, and if it doesn't, then we have the next album to look forward to. =D.
 No, no, no! October 12, 2006
8 out of 12 found this review helpful
And I had to wait how long?! Fallen was amazing, touching, and inspirational. I listened to many of the songs on that album 100s of times. I searched and found every other song Evanescence ever released and listened to those too. I went to two of their concerts. More than one of their songs has brought me to tears. In many of those songs it seems as though Amy was compelled to expose her deepest feelings through song under pain of death. She sang her heart out, you could hear it in her voice, you could hear the feeling. No song on "The Open Door" asks to be listened to more than once. There is no energy, there is no emotion, there is only a bland, predictable, and absolutely "perfect studio" Evanescence sound. AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGH!
Monochromatic Goth October 16, 2006
8 out of 11 found this review helpful
First, let me say that this is a very good album. So good, in fact, that it's easily better than 3/4 of the cookie-cutter rock that's out today. Amy Lee's haunting, ethereal voice punctuates the roaring guitars and thundering drums perfectly ("Snow White Queen" and "Cloud Nine" are excellent examples) -- but she's also capable of putting together a much softer, more intimate cut like the exceptional "Good Enough."
Having said that, however, there's a disturbing lack of variety when you listen to the album as a whole. Each cut is very good on its own, but they start to sound very similar to each other on a complete listen. Unlike "Fallen" with its tremendous peaks and valleys of unique sounds, this Evanescence album is the foothills that never quite reach the same heights or valleys of originality.
Still, a very good album and a solid follow-up to something truly exceptional.
What Happened?!? October 23, 2006
8 out of 14 found this review helpful
First of all, I loved Fallen. Loved it. Ben Moody And Amy fit together great, and created a sound worthy of repeat. They played off each other well, and they managed to pull off an amazing album. After hearing it, I found all their old songs from cd's now long out of print. I LOVE their old piano ballads! That was my feeling coming into The Open Door. I expected another grand slam.
What a letdown.
Now, I bought this album at the same time that I discovered The Dresden Dolls, a fabulous duo from Boston. I listened to The Open Door And The Dresden Dolls (Also the name of their album)one after the other. A month later, and I play a Dresden Dolls song AT LEAST once a day, and I hum and sing them constantly.
The Open Door? Not so much. While Amy Lee was an amazing singer (as always,)gone were the gripping lyrics and well-thought-out melodies. Just gone. When Moody left, Lee had no co-songwriter. Now the lyrics are repetitive, straight-foreward, and dull. Moody was a song-writing God to Lee's half-put-together and half-baked lyrics. Lee couldn't pull it off alone. Gone are the My Immortal's and Going Under's, not to mention the Bring me to Life's.
The music also took a dive. The melodies are flat, and blend into one never-ending song. When I first listened to the album, I would hear the first 15 seconds of a song and think: "Yes!" Then, the song lost it. The fast songs are identical, and painful. The ballads share no resemblance to their older counterparts. When I write this, I mean: The old ballads were long, but they were haunting, deep, emotional, and they DID NOT DRAG. The new ballads are BORING, simply put. They drag on forever, and do not hold interest.
All in all, I am dissapointed. If you feel you NEED this album, find it online, but save your money. Buy The Dresden Dolls instead. They are just as gripping and expressive as Fallen, but they didn't lose it in their sophmore album.
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