Open the door for an oustanding album (The Open Door - Evanescence)

Member Name: Mildew82

Product:	The Open Door - Evanescence
Date:	12/09/09 (90 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Haunting,powerful, emotive collection of songs

Disadvantages: An element of commercialism creeping in

Evanescence probably don't need an introduction, but for the sake of those who may have just woken from a coma or stumbled into one of those pesky worm holes and have been transported 50 years into the future here is a quick bit of background on them.

Evanescence are a Goth rock band formed in 1995 in Little Rock, Arkansas by Amy Lee and Ben Moody, alongside Moody's friends John LeCompt, Rocky Gray and Will Boyd. Their first demo album released was Origin in 2000, and this was a raw, yet beautiful album showcasing their potential talent for music and lyric writing and the absolutely amazing strong and impassioned vocals of Amy Lee.

Skip forward to 2003 with the release of the global sensation Fallen with sales in excess of 15 million (7 x Platinum) and two Grammy awards to their name which effectively rejuvenated the Goth rock genre and brought them to the forefront of the music industry. This was an album of great variety with heavy rock songs and darkly haunting ballads and was home to the song "Bring Me To Life" which skyrocketed the group to stardom and set the tone to what was a truly phenomenal album.

Three years were to pass before the release of their next album The Open Door and in this time the band had undergone some major upheavals. Ben Moody (with such an apt name) had left the band in the middle of their European Tour for Fallen citing reasons of "creative differences". Moody was replaced by the guitarist Terry Balsamo originally from the band Cold.

But further delays were to ensue before the release of their second full album - Balsamo suffered a stroke, their former manager left in controversy and so with all this growing anticipation could The Open Door live up to all the hype?


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The Open Door
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The Open Door was released on 25th September/ 3rd October 2006 around the world with overwhelming success. Within the first week of release The Open Door sold 447,000 and by the second had sold 725,000 copies and was already certified as platinum by November 2006. Debuting at number one in the US and four other countries and reaching the top five in 14 other countries including the UK it seemed that hopes were exceptionally high for this album.

I was also heavy with anticipation before the album was released but must confess to being slightly concerned after my initial hearing of the first single "Call Me When You're Sober". Obviously with new creative forces behind this new album I wasn't expecting a carbon copy of Fallen (something which would have been incredibly disappointing) and was glad to find that the essence of Evanescence (try saying that 10 times fast) was still there with pure and heavy guitar riffs, beautiful piano melodies and of course Amy Lee's trademark powerful and haunting vocals in full force.

But the lyrics seemed less evocative, less dark and the music was perhaps just a little more mainstream and a little too polished which made me wonder if this album would not have the edge that Fallen had. But upon hearing the rest of the album, relief set in and I was once again sucked in to the compelling and emotive world that Evanescence are able to create with their music and in some ways I actually prefer this album to Fallen.


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The Tracks
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1. Sweet Sacrifice
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Sweet Sacrifice was the third single released off the album and got to #24 in the US. This is a stunning opening to the album. We are eased into the song with a gentle guitar riff, soft and pure vocals from Lee, before slowly building to a heavy and angry tempo with matching haunting and angry vocals from Lee. There is also a symphonic undertone in the more dramatic parts of this song which adds to the depth and range of this song.

The lyrics are pleasingly just as Evanescence have always managed, dark, evocative and meaningful - maybe not as powerful as some of the tracks on Fallen, but for me the band hadn't lost any of their spark on this opening track.

9/10


2. Call Me When You're Sober
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Ah, the first single as I mentioned before. To be fair, despite the obvious commercial advantages to this song it is a grower. It is very catchy, with a nice melody, a nice balance of shifting tempos throughout the song and naturally the exquisite vocals of Amy Lee give it that extra special something.

With a pleasant, but not awe inspiring tune, and decent enough lyrics, but lacking any of the dark evocations that Evanescence normal provoke this is an okay, but not amazing song.

7/10


3. Weight of the World
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Another angry and impassioned song and the fifth single to be released, this song keeps up the momentum of the album with a fast paced and heavy rock tune. Again, nicely balanced with heavy guitar riffs interwoven with more melodic piano based phases and a chance for Amy Lee to really let rip with all the power of her voice, plus dark, angry and anguished lyrics to perfectly suit the mood this is another excellent and heart-thumping song.

8/10

4. Lithium
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A change in tempo for the second single to be released, Lithium is the first ballad off the album. This song has a beautiful and extremely haunting piano based melody, and for the first time on the album Amy Lee really displays a full range of emotions in her vocals which genuinely inspire true feeling from this song. The chorus is chillingly epic and the lyrics are eerily depressing and full of torment which makes this song a standout one on the album and are Evanescence at their best.

10/10


5. Cloud Nine
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Cloud Nine marks a return to the angry, more up tempo style as seen in Sweet Sacrifice and Weight of the World. The song is punctuated with heavy riffs, and free-flowing vocals from Lee which work in tandem with the changing pace of the song to flit from angry to resigned with smooth and effortless grace. The lyrics are yet again wonderfully dark and slightly bitter and this song consistently maintains the dark aura of the album.

9/10


6. Snow White Queen
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Snow White Queen is the first completely haunting song on the album. With controlled and chilling vocals and a gently building piano melody leading to a chorus full with a tale of inescapable and tormenting captivity this is an extremely enchanting song. Amy Lee's vocals again intermingle with the ebbs and flows of the music with amazing ease to create yet another astoundingly evocative song.

10/10

7. Lacrymosa
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A Latin word that means weeping (I had to look that up!), Lacrymosa adds a new element to the album with much more emphasis on a symphonic style with violins and the piano taking centre stage. Again, the music, lyrics and Lee's vocals are haunting and, as many of this song's predecessors, this song undergoes a serious of ebbs and flows, with gentle passages leading up to an adrenaline fuelled chorus full of anger and pain where the guitar begins to kick in to assist with this extra dimension to the song.

9/10


8. Like You
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Another haunting and melodic song, with heavy emphasis on the piano this is yet again another awe inspiring song on the album. I believe this song was written for Amy Lee's sister who tragically died at the age of 3, and the genuine emotion that rolls off this song is extremely moving and gives the beautifully crafted lyrics all that much more meaning. Lee's vocals are again so full of feeling that you cannot help but be sucked in by the sheer intensity of the song.

9/10


9. Lose Control
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After the last two achingly haunting songs, Lose Control brings back a slightly less intense, but yet again another angry song with emphasis returning a balance between heavy guitar riffs and an understated melodic piano tune. Lee's vocals are again supreme and show amazing dexterity to change effortlessly from anguished to incensed as the song demands it.

9/10

10. The Only One
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This is by far my favourite song on the album. I absolutely adore the lyrics on this song, both the music and Lee's vocals are the most haunting of any of the songs on this album, and the way this song builds through an array of emotions is jaw dropping. The genuine feeling and passion inspired by this song is quite simply amazing - there is a rollercoaster of tempos and emotions woven throughout this song which makes it the best constructed song on the album.

10/10


11. Your Star
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Your Star is another haunting tune again with great emphasis on a piano melody and the exceptionally emotional vocals from Lee. A slow building song which does reach a passionate climax and with poetic, dark and meaningful lyrics this is the kind of song you can just get lost in. Another excellent addition to the album which is timely placed to keep a great balance between anger and pain, heavy rock and melodic harmonies.

8/10


12. All That I'm Living For
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Again, All That I'm Living For sees a mix between the heavy guitar riffs and a gentler symphonic melody which in a way summarises the whole album through the amazing ability to seamlessly switch from one style to the other. Again there is a haunting quality to this song through both the melody and Lee's stunning vocals, and once again the dark and angry lyrics round off this song in style.

8/10


13. Good Enough
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The fourth single to be released off the album, Good Enough is a fitting way to finish off the album. Here Lee gets to show off both her voice and her piano skills with an uncharacteristically slow paced song, but very vulnerable song. There is absolutely nowhere to hide with this song, and Lee clearly gives it her all. With a far more symphonic style than any of the previous songs on this album, this is one of the more emotional songs on the album, and builds brilliantly to a very moving climax.

9/10


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Conclusion
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I would say that The Open Door for me lived up to and actually exceeded the hype by a full country mile. Evanescence have definitely taken a different direction from that of Fallen, but their essence that made them such a magical band has remained and has manifested itself in a new, but just as exciting way.

The Open Door is a richly dark and thoroughly evocative album and is jam packed with fantastic riffs and melodies that range from heavy Goth rock to heart breaking ballads, poetic and meaningful lyrics and the absolutely stunning vocals of Amy Lee which all culminate to create a truly fantastic album.

I can't wait for them to release their third studio album in 2010.

A must have album!

Summary: An amazing Goth rock album - absolutely not to be missed