The Open Door [Digipak] by Evanescence (CD, Oct-2006, Wind-Up)

This album can be summed up in one word. BRILLIANT! This is by far one of the best albums released in years. Evanescence really delivers a high caliber performance. There are very few singers that sound as good as Amy Lee. There is very little I didn’t like about this album. . I give it an overall rating of 4 out of 5.

Song Ratings:

Sweet Sacrifice - 4 out of 5. A great way to start an album. Simply a great performance. The music isn’t the most complex, but it matches the mood of the lyrics.

Call me When Your Sober - 5 out of 5. A brilliant mix of complex guitar lines with the sweet melodies that only Amy Lee can deliver.

Weight of the World - 4 out of 5 A great musical effort as well as a very technically sound recording. Listening to this song, one can almost feel the lyrics.

Lithium - 4 out of 5 - Once again a perfect match between lyrics and music.

Cloud Nine - 3 out of 5. A little overboard on the vocal effects. I think it took away from the lyrical content and clouded the beauty of Amy Lees voice. The music is very well crafted.

Snow White Queen 3 out of 5. I really didn’t get this song. It does provide a very haunting melody. Other then that, it seems to erratic musically.

Lacrymosa - 4 out of 5 Very reminiscent of something you might here in a rock version of Phantom of the Opera. A brilliant mix haunting melody, heavy guitars and tight harmonies.

Like You - 2 out of 5. This song could have been a great song except that the heavy distorted guitar in the background of the verses didn’t really work. They may have worked better if there wasn’t so much distortion on them. Maybe even if they would have been accoustic

Loose Control - 1 out of 5 This song is a real mess. Very little worked. Way over produced. The music isn’t all that good. The vocal line once again has way too many effects.

The Only One - 4 out of 5. This is a very dark with dark music and very dark melodies. The music definitely matches the lyrics.

Your Star - 5 out of 5. This song definitely allows the beauty of Amy Lees Piano playing and vocals to shine.

All that I’m Living For - 4 out of 5. A very haunting Slow Power jam.

Good Enough - 5 out of 5. Again the Beauty of Amy Lee’s Piano playing and singing is allowed to shine.

I fell in love with Evanescence when I bought "Fallen" in 2003. I listened to all of the songs and could relate to most of the lyrics. The words were poetic, the music was good, and I just liked it.

So, of course, I was excited for The Open Door. I heard "Call Me When You're Sober" on iTunes and I thought it sounded OK, and couldn't wait to hear some of the other stuff on the new album.

When it arrived in the mail, I immediately opened it and put it into the CD drive of my computer. iTunes recognized it and started playing the first song, "Sweet Sacrifice".

I "skimmed" through the album, listening to around the first minute of each song. I noticed a bunch of songs started of similarly. I came to the conclusion that first part of the album sounded pretty good, and that I didn't really like the other half; most of the songs in the second half sound the same and get boring.

However, I was very impressed by Amy Lee's vocal range. She hits extremely low notes in "Snow White Queen", and very high notes in "Lithium".

I was hoping for some more of that classic Evanescence dark-hard-rock feel, and it feels like there were some in a few of the songs ("Sweet Sacrifice" and "Weight of The World"). The band does include a choir in some songs, like Fallen did.

I'm not sure if it's because Ben Moody left, or that Evanescence just took an artistic turn- but I still like Fallen better than this album. Maybe in time I will appreciate the music a bit more, but I'm not listening to it nonstop like I did "Fallen". Overall, an ok follow-up to Fallen, but I'm giving it a good rating because Evanescence does have musical talent. =]

With Evanescence's second album, we learn that singer & pianist Amy Lee was as much a part of the six-times-platinum sound of 2003's "Fallen" as now-departed guitarist and songwriting partner Ben Moody. We also learn that Lee is no woman to scorn. "The Open Door" is full of blistering attacks on those who have betrayed her, a list that starts with Moody but doubtlessly includes ex-boyfriend Shaun Morgan of Seether, the impetus for first single "Call Me When You're Sober." Fortunately, Lee and company—including former Cold guitarist Terry Balsamo, who suffered a stroke while making the album—have translated her heartache into another successful set of melodramatic goth/industrial anthems with touches of prog and even classical (Mozart's "Requiem") in "Lacrymosa." Those who embraced "Fallen" will doubtlessly fall even harder into "The Open Door."

The 1st CD from Evanescence was a complete suprise. After hearing 2 of their tracks on the "Daredevil" soundtrack, I said to myself, "Hey, I like the sound of both the lyrics AND the rythm," so I bought the CD and was floored at the fact that every track was strong, still rythmic, and that Amy Lee (vocals) just completely rocked every single track with bold lyrics and a pleasant voice- that could be supple, yet turn right around, and flat out flex some serious muscle.

This second CD's approach had me eager to make a 1st day purchase. I figured after nearly 3 years of waiting, that this CD would surely rock. I am extremely dissapointed. Amy Lee screeches and howls like a wounded dog on almost EVERY track. She moans and groans like a school child that has to wake up early to go to school. This is NOTHING like the first CD. At times, Amy Lee just bounces her voice up and down and all around like the blue-alien-chick in that movie "The Fifth Element." This is downright PAINFUL to listen to. I cannot honestly roll my windows down and blast this garbage like I did their 1st CD. I would instantly lose my manliness.

Evanescence was the first and ONLY female led group that I believed could rock with the likes of Linkin Park and Chevelle. Man, they took a serious turn for the worse. They can now rock with the likes of the Dixie Chicks. These songs are exremely weak and have no energy whatsoever. It is just a huge racket. The beats, at times, can be OK, but those songs especially are the ones that Amy Lee just obliterates with a horrid voice and whining lyrics. What happened to her?

If you like their hit "Call me when you're sober" which I sort of liked, you will still be completely let down by this CD. What are they even singing about in this CD? I don't understand any of it. Stop moaning please. Geese, this is just PAINFUL in every sense of the word. All they had to do was keep doing what they were doing: but they failed. This is a "chick flick" cd. No male that honestly liked their 1st cd would EVER like this CD. Oh my gosh, I am so furious with myself for spending 9.99 on this. I could have gone to Popeye's for some chicken and been happier. I think Amy Lee says the line "All I stood for.." at least 100 times in this CD. How original.

The only halfway decent tracks are 4, 5, and 10. I can't say I enjoy hearing track 2 anymore (call me when you're sober) because is was played to DEATH on XM radio, I can't stand it anymore. But even these few tracks would NOT have made the cut on their first CD. The only song that is honestly good is track 12.

Conclusion: Save your money on this CD. And DO NOT see them in concert unless you want to see one of their openers, like Revelation Theory (now THEY rock!)

THIS ALBUM IS HAUNTINGLY BEAUTIFUL. AMY LEE'S VOICE WILL LEAVE YOU ENCHANTED. HEAVY RIFFS AND SOULFUL MELODIES MAKE THIS BAND AN ORIGINAL. CLASSICAL MEETS METAL. EVENESCENCE WILL TAKE YOU THROUGH THE OPEN DOOR WITH THEM TO A WORLD OF PAIN, LOVE, DESPAIR, SADNESS, AND EVEN STRENGTH AND THE POWER TO OVERCOME. THIS ALBUM IS MORE POSITIVE THAN PREVIOUS ONES. IT HAS A LIGHT THAT PERMEATES THE DARKNESS OF THE MUSIC. THE FEATURED SONG "CALL ME WHEN YOU'RE SOBER" IS ONE OF THE STRONGEST SONGS ON THE ALBUM AND MIRRORS AMY LEE'S REAL RELATIONSHIP ENDING. EXPERIENCE THIS YEARS MOST STRIKING ALBUM.