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| The Open Door | 
 enlarge | Artist: Evanescence
Label: Wind-Up
Category: Music
List Price: $18.97
Buy Used: $3.44
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New (45) Used (48) Collectible (1) from $3.44
Avg. Customer Rating:  471 reviews
Sales Rank: 853
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:
 Honestly not what I was hoping for. October 18, 2006
18 out of 26 found this review helpful
I realize that I will probably be shouted down for saying anything disparaging about this album, but I have to be honest. This album was a disappointment for me. Let's talk turkey here. I'll start with the good. Amy has a great voice and it can really get under your skin and stay with you. I loved her voice on Fallen, however here she has stretched herself to a new place and is doing things I think she simply wasn't ready for in the past. The songs are well written and most of them stick in your head and are worthy of repeat listening. If you are an Amy fan then I have no doubt you will not be disappointed.
So, what's my problem with it? First off, what made Fallen so great was the rawness of it. It was unpolished and unapologetic about it. It made the album very in your face and deeply personal to the listener. The songs were held up by Amy's voice and some really cool guitar riffs. The lyrics were dark, haunting and deliciously beautiful. Everything the second album is not (for me). The new album is way too polished and way, way over produced (I have no doubt the record company had everything to do with that). In spite of her much better vocal work (technically) I found a lot of her new techniques kind of cliche and put a lot of distance between her and the listener; much less personal and much more mainstream. The guitar work is, well, kind of boring; not nearly as crunchy and erratic, once again too main-streamish. A powerful tool in music is the ability to use dissonance in your work. It can add a lot of impact to a piece. It is WAY overused here. Too much dissonance and then it becomes overpowering and takes away from the flow of your song. I was simply unhappy with a lot of the songs and the ones I do like just don't have the same "feel" as Fallen and I found my mind wandering when playing the album.
Overall I am unhappy with the new album, especially considering how long I waited for it. It seemed like it took f-o-r-e-v-e-r to finally see the light of day. Now, that it's here I'm sad that the sound of Evanescence has changed so much. Amy kicks serious behind, but I think that 50% of the creative genius of the first album walked out the door. I'm still a fan and I'm not sad that I bought the album, but it will get very limited listening time after spinning it four or five times. Part of my problem is that in getting bored waiting for this album to hit the shelves I stumbled upon a huge untapped market of great metal/gothic/whatever type bands with powerful female vocalists. I got spoiled by some of the HUGE, HUGE talent out there; bands like Within Temptation, Stream of Passion, The Gathering, Beseech, Xandria, Mortal Love, Ambeon to name a few and even some more technical bands like Nightwish, Nemesea and whole slew of others. If you get bored and want some other bands in your repetoire, then I recommend checking some of them out.
Most importantly though, I am in no way saying that The Open Door is a bad album. I am also in no way dissing Amy. I am simply sharing my limited viewpoint and nothing more. So, try to keep the flames down to a minimum. ;)
 Evanescence: The best grows better. October 3, 2006
17 out of 24 found this review helpful
1. SWEET SACRIFICE 4/5
A very strong opening track to set off the whole album. Amy takes a deep breath at the begining of the song to somehow say 'here is my soul, my dark and tormented f**king soul.' I love how she toys with the higher notes of her range and the effects on the vocals only add to the severity of the message being conveyed. Not my number one, but as with all the tracks, it grows on me the more I listen to it.
2. CALL ME WHEN YOU'RE SOBER 3.5/5
This song sticks out on the abum as a whole. On it's own, it functions as a very strong and emotioal entity that spawned one of the coolest music videos to come from Evanescence. The styling of the song is totally different from anything else on the album, and I personally think that it puts forth a strange and inaccurate expectation for people about ToD.
That aside, the music itself it quite wonderful. Amy's strong vocals are very well executed while the rock sound offsets an otherwise blusey arrangement. I found the acoustic version on the single better.
3. WEIGHT OF THE WORLD 5/5
This song totally works every major aspect of Evanescence's music that I have loved since 2003. it sarts with a stunning guitar intro that captivates the metal side of my persona and leads us into the creepy sound of the first line. Amy's octive split vocals offset by the metallic xylophne notes meld to make a very effective and VERY creepy sound. This song simply ROCKS. Deffinitely my 2nd favorite track on the album.
4. LITHIUM 5/5
This type of ballad is what I come to expect from Evanescence. The lyrics take on a mind of their own and completely separate themselves from the instrumental track, until BAM the guitar comes in with power never heard before from this troupe. It sets off an amazing series of events that truly makes for a catchy and hard hitting song. Amy's vocals begin to toy around with long and drawn out notes at the end of the 2nd verse that power through on to the next. A song that had to grow on me. At first, the repitition of the word 'Lithium' bothered me, but now I see it as an important part of the vocals that really hit the message deep within.
5. CLOUD NINE 5/5
The vocals at the beginning/end of this track did not appeal to me at first listen because they felt very cliche. I feel less like that now.
This sounds like it would be a good single to me. It has enough pop in it to carry it through to the masses, and enough individuality to make it hard to become annoying.
Amy sounds kinda Christina Agulera to me at the chorus, which is NOT a bad thing (I kinda like her style), and it's interesting to hear that style mixed with good music and hard hitting lyrics. It gives me the chills.
6. SNOW WHITE QUEEN 4/5
I mut say that I really didn't like SWQ at first listen. It was very strange and bizarre. It grew on me a lot after it got stuck in my head.
The cool chord progression crrates a very aurally satisfying song. The funky instrumental effects throughout it remind me of Fallen's 'Haunted,' retaining an eery vibe that sorta lingers with you on through to the next song.
7. LACRYMOSA 4.5/5
I had this song WAY before I heard the rest of the tracks (like almost a whole week) and it gave me time to listen to it individually a lot. As with CMWYS, it stands alone very well because of it's epic sound. The strings from mozart's piece of the same name are fun and playful and lend themselves beautifully to Amy's sassy vocals. Terry's guitar solo towards the end will forever be one of my favorite moments in Evanescence's music.
When put in with the album as a whole, it stands out to me, almost disrupting the flow, though not nearly as bad as CMWYS. Maybe this will disipate as time goes by, but I somehow doubt it.
8. LIKE YOU 5/5
Disturbing. Plain and simple, this song is miraculously disturbing. The simple guitar part mixed with the piano subtly accentuate Amy's amazing voice. A simple rythm bit mixed in every once in a while satisfy the needed structure to the complex melody.
Truly impressive Vocals from amy. She performs with such emotion that it's impossible not to be moved.
9. LOSE CONTROL 29,000/5
My absolute favorite evanescence song ever, though probably the strangest decision to fade in from the previous track to. The two songs have such different meanings, but the musical simmilarities make for a very pleasing transition.
This sexy track makes for a good soundtrack for some hot love makin'.
Intense music rght here. I can understand why some don't like it for it's unique approach to the lyrics. Though the subject matter stands out like a sore thumb, musically, it fits perfectly on this album.
10. THE ONLY ONE 4/5
I rate this 4/5 because...I have to rate it something...an it isn't my number one favorite song, but I still really enjoy it.
Amazing vocal work from Amy. Hard hitting chord progressions and musical ideas. A true pearl on the album.
11. YOUR STAR 5/5
A very strong track. Makes a very amazing point and lyrically flows the best out of any song on ToD. Starts off light and desolate, but when it explodes, IT EXPLODES with power and eery encouragement. The lines of the chorus are perfectly executed and give me such a chill down my spine.
Another favorite of mine.
12. ALL THAT I'M LIVING FOR 4.5/5
Crazy good song. Maybe one of the poppier songs, I can see it also being a single. It has a certian hard powerful body that just makes me want to hear it on the radio. It fits well with the rest of the album, but would stand on it's own perfectly.
Kudos to John Lecompt for writing such a great song! I always love his work.
13. GOOD ENOUGH 4/5
The intro is AMAZING with the complex and classical string/piano arrangement that flows as easy as a light Brahms lullaby. It leads us into a very positive, and somewhat jazzy song. Though the lyrics are supposed to be happy, it still sounds rips at your heart like a spear.
The subject of the lyrics is makes it a logical end to the album, but it needs...a long outro or something to serve as a satisfying musical conclusion for an album, but the more I listen, the more I get used to it. I guess I was expecting 'Whisper' and got something better and didn't even know it.
The album deffinitely hits hard at my soul, personally, and I just love the music and the people involved.
Deffinitely not my OH MY GOD NUMBER ONE FAVORITE ALBUM OF ALL TIMEEEE ('Fallen' fills that space very nicely), but pretty high up there. Deffinitely top 10, and gaining strength every time I listen to it...
 Hopefuly the door will soon close for Evanescence October 9, 2006
15 out of 35 found this review helpful
2003 was a breakout year for Evanescence, who saw their major label debut album Fallen sell ridiculous amounts of copies. Everyone from soccer moms and their children to homies in lowriders cruising on 22 inch rims thought that "Bring Me To Life" was the jam, and "My Immortal" became the soundtrack to the "emotional and touching" scenes of many films and TV shows. Certainly the band was ubiquitous, with their videos receiving incessant rotation on MTV and VH1 (probably even BET for "Bring Me To Life") and all the licensing. But does that make the band any good?
Let's shed some light on Evanescence, shall we? Evanescence is a "band" in the loosest sense of the word. On Fallen, singer/pianist/co-songwriter Amy Lee was always front and center, in the videos, photography, and on record - the other members were seldom ever allowed to solo or provide anything other than a background for Lee - musical wallpaper, if you will. Essentially, Evanescence could more accurately be described as Princess Amy Lee and her faceless white male friends.
Now let's look at the multi-platinum sound of Evanescence. So often the music has been tagged with the "goth" label, which is perhaps the most grossly misused genre label in music other than punk. For starters, goth is supposed to be bleak, dark and nihilistic - these adjectives lie in stark contrast to Evanescence's status as a Christian Rock band. You can't have it both ways. If they went out there and sang "I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever" or "Shout To The Lord" or other CCM staples, they would be more convincing. The components of the Evanescence sound is instead one part Linkin Park (sterile guitar riffs Pro-Tooled to death), one part Kelly Clarkson (extremely simple poppy hooks, similar vocal range), and one part Sarah McLachlan (piano melodies and attempts in vain to sound ethereal) - combine that with trite lyrics that had to be pulled from a depressed 8 year old's notebook, puree for 10 seconds and you're good to go. Evanescence only gets the goth tag because of Lee's fashion sense (a lot of Hot Topic shopping, also erroneously labeled as a goth shop) and the settings in their videos, including the very cheesy clip where she "falls" out of a building which people ate up for whatever reason. For real goth music, check out Joy Division, Fields Of The Nephilim, Sisters Of Mercy and Bauhaus, which all make Evanescence look like the hacks that they are.
The release of Evanescence's latest album, The Open Door, came about three and a half years after the release of Fallen. You're probably asking yourself what happened in that lengthy time period. Well, former guitarist/co-songwriter Ben Moody left the band to go work with pop stars like Kelly Clarkson and Lindsay Lohan (what else would you expect from a member of a slick corporate pop group like Evanescence?), and was replaced by Terry Balsamo, formerly of the band Cold. Tim McCord became the band's new bassist. Amy Lee sued her former manager, alleging sexual harassment. Finally, it's clearly evident that Amy Lee has wolfed down thousands of bacon cheeseburgers in that time span. She really let herself go, kind of like Ann Wilson of Heart, a band who was much more of an influence on Evanescence than any goth band out there - and I'm talking about the Heart that did "These Dreams" and "Alone", not the Heart that did "Barracuda" and "Crazy On You" ... the Heart that did lots of overblown cheesy, melodramatic power ballads. While we're making comparisons based on cheese, grandiosity and girth, one to Meat Loaf isn't far off either - only the songs aren't nearly as strong, structured and performed as well from both a vocal and music standpoint.
Despite the personnel changes, The Open Door sounds quite similar to Fallen, with several attempts to duplicate the success of previous singles. "Call Me When You're Sober" (which begins and closes with passages that sound eerily like manufactured divas like Christina Aguilera) is almost a note-for-note re-write of "Bring Me To Life" , only without the rapper who I guess went back to whatever Bible Belt 'hood he came from. Witness these brilliant lyrics: "Don't cry to me / If you loved me / You would be here with me / You want me / Come find me / Make up your mind ... You never call me when you're sober / You only want it 'cause it's over". Sorry, but I much prefer cryptic lyrics with depth to literal plainspeak like this. That's the single, folks, and it doesn't get any better from there. I also can't help but point out the attempt at cheap publicity, as Amy Lee has openly stated that the song was written about her relationship with Shaun Morgan of the band Seether. Maybe it will start a war of words and they can take shots back and forth - hey Amy, who cooked this up, you or your record label?
In summary: Instead of living up to the hype, Evanescence once again proved that they are not worthy. Glossy, overproduced, and just plain dumb, The Open Door is nothing worth listening to at all - but I guess it could sell millions in the country that made Paris Hilton famous, right? If a Linkin Park / Kelly Clarkson / Sarah McLachlan hybrid with an extra thick layer of cheese on top sounds good to you, then meet your new favorite album. However, those looking for goth rock or music that wasn't written under the supervision of a record label executive would be well advised to look elsewhere.
you used to be all right; what happened? did the cat get your tongue? did your string come undone? October 11, 2006
15 out of 25 found this review helpful
I think this album is the biggest disappointment I've yet heard. To begin with, it's overproduced; this means several things. For starters, it's COMPRESSED. Whoever mixed this album took all the life out of Amy Lee's voice. It's not clear, crisp, or open at all. It doesn't soar like it used to; it sounds like she's singing from behind a veil. The guitars are the same; they're just this slicked down, standard distorted garbage. Their tone is completely boring. They just drone on. The sad thing is, I'm pretty sure they're playing on Mesa units, which can sound so much more soulful than this. Then, for the overal consideration, there's little to no instrument separation, it's recorded fairly hot like all new recordings, and you can tell all the peaks have just been squashed to compensate (basically, high frequencies sound like they were chopped off so as not to bother people's ears). It's even a little sibilant here and there.
Onto the more important stuff, that most of you will get and be interested in: the album is just so unbearably boring. By the end of it, I just found myself a little bit glad it was over. That's the first album by a band I already liked that was like that for me, ever. (I've had this experience once or twice before; the last I remember was Pearl Jam's new album, but I'm not a fan of theirs to begin with, so it was okay). There isn't a single song that jumps out at me as one I'd like to listen to over and over, or heck, even again once or twice. Lachrymosa is all right, but it's not great, and I doubt I'll even listen to it much; if I do, it'll probably be more to justify this purchase rather than because I'm dying to hear it again. The lyrics aren't anything special either. For a basic summary, here's what it sounds like, to me: it sounds like the band forgot their own identity. It sounds like at some point betweeen 2003 and now, they forgot who they were, and had someone ELSE remind them. It sounds like they made an album based on what other people thought Evanescence was supposed to be, instead of whatever they actually wanted to be. Maybe that's the problem: maybe they didn't want anything to begin with. Maybe they didn't even want to make this album. It has no identity. It has no general characteristic. It doesn't smell of ANYTHING. It's an amorphous mass of boring, uninspiring dark rock. It sounds like Evanesence ripped off themselves and failed. My best guess is it's just that Amy Lee can't do it without Ben. I mean, hell, the two of them WERE the band. When I listenened to Origin and even some parts of Fallen, and saw the popularity that Fallen garnered, I thought to myself that Evanescence was capable of changing the face of popular rock. If The Open Door is where rock is going, let me off this train; I want no part of it. I think I'll go listen to "Anywhere" and pretend this isn't the same band; because really, it isn't.
What happened? October 13, 2006
13 out of 25 found this review helpful
Who could forget about their debut album?
Smash hits like "My Immortal" and "Bring Me To Life" were brought to the light by the Daredevil movie. From then on, the hits kepts on coming with the likes of Going Under and Holding My Last Breath... in short, "Fallen" was excellent.
"The Open Door" doesn't even compare. Long gone are the power melodies and soul touching lyrics. The songs are just plain and bland. The only songs that I thought were fairly decent were "Lithium" and "Like You". If I had to rate the other songs out of 10, none would score over a 5.
It strikes me deep to say that "The Open Door" was a disappointment.
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