Evanescence's The Open Door: Just When You Thought They Were Gone

After reading this review, anyone who knows me might say that I am a little biased - as a major fan of Evanescence since their debut album, Fallen, came out three and a half years ago.

With that said, anyone who really knows me would know that I have a very open mind, and that I believe very much in honesty and fair critique. And that is just what this review is going to consist of.

To begin with, I love Evanescence. Their first album has changed my life in such a positive way, and for that I am forever loyal to the band. But this review isn't about that. It's about The Open Door, and how it somehow manages to be so different and yet similar at the same time.

Upon first listen, I wasn't extremely impressed. I had been waiting three years for a new album, and in that time I had become more and more anxious. But I didn't think it was bad either, and was happy enough that an album had finally arrived. It just didn't hit me right off the bat like Fallen had. But that didn't matter. Within a few listens to the CD, I learned that it was music to grow on me, and once it had, I enjoyed it more than I ever thought I could.

A lot of people (even die-hard Ev fans) were disappointed with The Open Door. For me, it's to the point where I think it blows the first album out of the water. But I understand where those who absolutely do not agree are coming from. Three years is a lot of time to let your expectations build up, beyond where they should. As I said before, I have a very open mind and kept it that way during those three years. I did not want my hopes to become so high that the actual album could never meet them. Because, let's face it - Fallen was a major success, and to pull that again would just be a miracle.

Listening to this album with that attitude, you might be very surprised at what you find. I didn't expect this to be better or even close to the band's first album, and in return I received a very surprising reward - music that connects with me on the same level, if not moreso, than Fallen did.

So now into the song reviews.

SWEET SACRIFICE

I believe this song is a great choice for the first song on the album, although it's far from a favorite of mine. It's a great opener. I love the beginning, how it gradually builds up heavier and heavier with Amy's voice singing softly behind the instruments. At about 0:20 seconds, I feel a bit let off from what I was just hearing. But then I realize it holds perfectly for the chorus that is about to come. The range of Amy's vocals in this song are quite amazing, and reaches highs that I'm really not used to - in this first song alone, one can tell just how much the singer's voice has grown in three years.

CALL ME WHEN YOU'RE SOBER

As the album's first single, I really enjoyed this song for awhile. But once I heard the rest of the album, it was hard for me to understand where it fits. It completely stands out from the rest of the songs. The intro has always irritated me a bit - it just doesn't hit me, at all. Her voice sounds way too processed in this part, especially the way it's layered like that. When the guitars and drums come in, though, the vibe it gives off completely rocks. It really just makes me want to headbang to it, and when the line "and you're too late" appears, I just turn to mush inside. This song is like a bunch of smaller songs put together, and perhaps that's why it seems so different from the rest. I actually kind of like it in that aspect. The part I love the most - the bridge. "How could I have burned paradise?" The song is worth the listen just for that.

WEIGHT OF THE WORLD

One of the heaviest songs on the album - the distance of Amy's voice in the background goes so well with this, I can't even describe it. The way she sings low in the verses is so different from what I'm used to with her, but it's a wonderful different. The absolute best part of the song, though, is definitely the chorus. It just takes off from there, and seems to reach no limit after that point.

LITHIUM

As the upcoming second single, this song is my absolute favorite. This is the one that hit me the quickest, like a pile of bricks falling down on me from the first listen. Tears came along with it. I was instantly attached, and it's the one I can most easily relate to. "I want to stay in love with my sorrow" , "Here in the darkness I know myself" , "Can't break free until I let it go" ... I can't even begin to describe the epiphany I feel whenever I hear these lyrics. Along with the amazing musical qualities, and how this song somehow sounds hard and soft at the same time, I feel chills coursing down me more and more with each listen. The range of Amy's voice is simply beautiful to hear, and that alone can bring tears to my eyes.

CLOUD NINE

I didn't like this song really at all when I first listened, but after a few days of growing on me, I can say that I really enjoy it. It still definitely is not a favorite, but it's different and enjoyable to listen to. I feel that it could have been better if Amy's voice wasn't so screened over much of the time. I simply love the "If I fall and all is lost / it's where I belong" and then later with the added "no light to lead the way / remember that all alone is where I belong" - not only do these parts completely floor me, but the vocal range absolutely astounds me.

SNOW WHITE QUEEN

One of my top favorites - though I think the beginning verse is a little underwhelming for the beginning of a song, it does fit well with the creepy feel of it. Once it hits "You'll never know the way your words have haunted me..." I can really feel it drawing me in. The background vocals that begin at the end of this verse leading into the chorus fit very well, and I feel very overcome (in such a good way) by the time the chorus ends. It's another song that I can find myself relating to, in just a somewhat different way than Amy's meaning - the lyrics really mean a lot to me, and hearing such powerful music coupled with that just makes my veins feel like ice water is coursing through them.

LACRYMOSA

This song is one of my favorites as far as the lyrics go. They are outstandingly beautiful to me, and they mean so much. They almost have a beautifully sarcastic feel to it, and I adore that. Being the most "classical" song on the album, it makes me wish there was more of that this time around. This is also the only song where a guitar solo really stands out. The only real complaint I have with this song is that it just felt too short.

LIKE YOU

Everytime I hear this song, I'm reminded of one of Sarah McLachlan's older works. It just has that dark/disheveled beauty in both lyrics and sound that I love so much.

This song is definitely one of my favorites. Honestly, I don't think it can even be compared to Hello (from Fallen). It's so much darker to me, and the emotions that Amy has involved in this song are much more easily transferrable. I literally feel cold when I listen to it. The changes in the music really string it all together well, keeping it flowing smoothly while at the same time maintaining such a jagged, raw quality that matches the mood of the lyrics perfectly.

Lyric-wise, I think this song is my favorite. They're short and broken and, in a lot of ways, vague enough. When the line "I hate me for breathing without you" comes in, I can just about feel my heart snap in two. The repetition throughout the song is wonderfully done, and at all the right moments. The "grieving for you / I'm not grieving for you" followed up by the repetition in the chorus - it's seriously well done. It drives the emotion like a hammer to a nail. It reminds me too well of my own past loss, and makes one understand on a purely emotional level these very feelings that Amy is trying to convey.

LOSE CONTROL

I didn't exactly care for this song at first, but it's just another one of those that had to take time to grow on me. I love how the song starts out all sweet-sounding, and then explodes into a scattering of erratic music and lyrics. It really gives me the feel of innocence lost. This style is definitely different for Ev, but it's an escalating kind of different.

THE ONLY ONE

Another insta-fave. This is one of the darkest songs on the album, in my opinion - everything about it gives me such a withdrawn, haunted feel. At the same time it's beyond beautiful - the way Amy sings with the constant hard rhythm of guitars backing her almost drives me sweetly insane.

YOUR STAR

Something about this song is just...wow. It's a bit tumultuous - I love the slow/heavy feel to it, it's something that captures me just right. The piano intro is simply beautiful, and when she first begins to sing, I can't help but fall in love. It's another one that reminds me of Sarah.

ALL THAT I'M LIVING FOR

In the beginning, this song didn't grip me as much as some of the other ones did. Now, however, it is definitely at the top of my favorites. The "all that I'm living for / all that I'm dying for" is what didn't hit me the right way at first, and I have no idea why. But the power of the verses - both musically and lyrically - are what helped drive the force of this song home. Not only do the vocals slide along so smoothly with the words, but the heavy background music is exquisitely divine in this.

GOOD ENOUGH

The longest song on the album, this one has about a 1 minute piano intro. I already feel so involved that, by the time Amy finally starts singing, it's hard to imagine that her voice and words can envelope me even further. But they do, and I feel swept away by the emotion that's conjured in me. For the first really "happy" Evanescence song, I can say that I am on the opposite side of disappointed. This is probably my second most-loved song on this album.

I personally feel that this album has topped Fallen. On another level, though, I don't think the two can even be compared. I miss the vague, mysterious lyrics from the first album, but the music in The Open Door is much more complex in my opinion, and just as easily relatable.

Overall, I give it a 4.5 out of 5.