List Price: $18.97 Our Price: $7.48 You Save: $11.49 (61%)

Product Description

There's nothing like a breakup to focus your muse. This follow-up to the stunning, multi-platinum Fallen was penned as singer Amy Lee's troubled romance with bandmate Ben Moody was spiraling out of control, impelling her to craft an anxious record full of recriminations, revelation, and self-flagellation, as she questioned everything that kept her whole. It's a fascinating journey for the listener as she ventures into her own personal heart of darkness, her stricken, perfect voice suspended on an unsteady precipice between breakdown and breakthrough. Despite the loss of two members, including guitarist Moody who left mid-tour in 2003, the album has a maturity, sophistication, and a singular vision that wasn't found in their earlier work. Stately and as exotic as Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti, with its intricate instrumentation, disturbing imagery, and disembodied chorus, The Open Door shows exactly what this band is capable of. "Snow White Queen" is a goth-y alternative to Mariah Carey's "We Belong Together," equally anthemic, but with much more grit and pain. --Jaan Uhelszki

The follow-up to their Multi-Platinum Debut Featuring the hit single "Call Me When You're Sober"

Customer Reviews:

• Okay CD-both a mix of good and bad
  The band has a new sound and I enjoy that despite the similarities to their other work. Lee's voice sounds different when she sings which is quite interesting. In this album they successfully tackle very different styles-slow haunting melodies in place of rock, dreamlike background music, and make it work with ease. It's an applauded effort since the transition isn't an easy one to make.
  
  However, I have mixed feelings about the album...I find that it has almost no variation in terms of theme. All the songs are angry or upset at something giving it more of an emo-ish sound. I hate to compare Ev to such a genre; but this is actually how I felt. The themes all seemed the same-angry at an ex-boyfriend, the world, stalkers, etc. The rest are sad/haunted about being alone after she sings about all this anger. (Lithium/Lacrymosa/All That I'm Living For) Only a few songs -Like You, The Only One, Good Enough- break out of this trend to offer something new.
  
  The first song "Sweet Sacrifice" opens the album with a bang and immediately draws the listener to it. Especially when she sings the melody in a creepily haunting tone "Fear is only in our minds, taking over all the time, fear is only in our minds but it's taking over all the time..." coupled with the dark guitar strings that heighten the beat. This carries over to the chorus and consequentially the whole song. Unfortunately it ends a tad too soon; but it's nevertheless an impressive intro.
  
  "Call Me when You're Sober" is a tad lighter in tone, though still heavy on the guitars. It works well as a single and in addition makes it easy on the listener's ears, despite such a bland title. The build-up of the guitars to the chorus is a nice touch-the song wouldn't be quite the same without it.
  
  The third song, "Weight of the World," was one I wasn't partial too. I wasn't really drawn into the song. I seems too generic and is nothing new. It just seemed like it was something thrown together quickly in order to make a third song.
  
  "Cloud Nine had a similar effect on me; however, the chorus is very powerful and puts energy back into the album after such a sad ballad as "Lithium." The dreamy background music during the bridge deserves a mention as well. The only problem is, the song is extremely predictable. This makes it get old very fast.
  
  "Lithium" itself is a nice song. It's easy to get caught up in it, though I wish the chorus was sung more often.
  
  "Snow White Queen" is growing on me as a song; but to be honest, I wish there was more power in it. Lee focuses on being haunting; but after a while it seems she's singing on the same tone. There isn't as much buildup to the chorus and I feel the song could be great with a little more effort involved. I just wanted more.
  
  "Lacrymosa" is easily the worst song on the album. I'm in the minority here because everyone seems to love it. The first verse starts off nicely; however, Lee holds the notes for so long that it actually gets boring to listen to. When the chorus does finally arrive it sounds half done. "Blame it on me, set yourself free..." sounds like pure whining instead of singing. How she sings it also makes it seem as if they slapped the chorus together in a few minutes just to finish it-with Mozart music in the background. It sounds incomplete. It falls flat. After such a build-up to the chorus, it sinks below the melody of the verses. A song that collapses on itself like that isn't worthy of being on an album, IMO.
  
  "Like You" is a nice ballad to Lee's dead sister. Slightly creepy at times (I still get chills listening to it.) It's an interesting piece overall though. Easy to get lost in.
  
  "Lose Control" and "Good Enough" both tend to drag on too long. The notes are sung at a snail's pace and the background music is nothing short of tiresome as it's the same thing as their other songs. I realize they wanted a dreamy sound; but I really didn't like that idea as much. At least Lose Control has a somewhat interesting chorus and a good ending especially when she sings "There will be nothing good left of you" and the guitar rifts come on which was an interesting addition. But it still doesn't make up for the 3/4 of the song that was a chore to listen to. the differing styles just didn't work this time. Sadly, the song sounds like a mess.
  
  Good Enough, on the other hand, is about finding love, yet willing to do anything for the other person. It's almost as if she went back to that ex-boyfriend or is allowing someone else to control her. This makes the first half of the CD seem very forced to me when she's talking about being angry and breaking away from this person. It doesn't seem serious or real, IMO. Overall, I wasn't really impressed with either song.
  
  "The Only One" still remains my favourite song on this album. It starts off slow, then about a 1:20 the chorus bursts in unexpectedly as the listener was lulled into what seemed like a slow song. Actually, Lee sings it with so much power in the chorus that the song demands attention. I actually rewound the song just to listen to the chorus again it caught my attention that much. From the chorus and on, the song sticks with the powerful vocals, guitars, and drums, stopping only for a couple moments where the verses die down to build for the chorus. I could feel the tension rising as the soft spots allowed the song to crescendo and reach an impressive level then ended in true Ev style. It's some song...I love it.
  
  "Your Star" is an odd song. It's just different. I can't really explain it. I like the chorus, though the verses are dreary giving the song a mellow feel that we don't need after listening to some already mediocre songs. The bridge is really well done, however, and deserves a mention.
  
  "All that I'm Living For" is another powerful song that's interesting to listen to...can't really say much about it that hasn't been said already. But, the ending of the song is very unique and I enjoyed that. It puts some power back into the album.
  
  Overall, the album is an okay addition to Ev's work. I liked it overall; but I think it could've been way better. The new styles are aptly used and combined with others to make a nice melodic sound. However, the songs still sound similar, which brings the album down. A variation of themes, as seen in their earlier work, would be great to see and I could seriously see the album being loved even more by the fans. The potential is there. Shame they didn't use all of it. ...more info
• Nothing sophomore about this 2nd release
  I was introduced to Evanescence shortly after their first album was released. I fell for the sound immediately and of course, wanted more of it to be released! But there was quite a lull between the first and second albums and I began to worry that when (or if) the second album came out, it would sound just like the first or so different than the first that I wouldn't be able to recognize it.
  
  NOT SO! The Open Door brings a fresh approach the same underlying essence of the original album. The vocals are breath-taking at times, the hooks are catchy but not annoyingly so, the background of most songs is complex and artfully-composed. I have enjoyed this album as much, if not more, than their first release. Way to go, Evanescence, you've not fallen prey to the 2nd release lameness that so many others fail to escape! ...more info
• fabulous
  If you have heard any of their other music you will love this. It is fabulous....more info
• This CD rocks
  I still like their previous album more, but this is still an excellent record. ...more info
• Huh, what did she just sing
  I could barely understand the lyrics, that's why the ablum get 3 stars. I would actually like to give it 2 1/2 stars but I love her voice despite not understanding a word. I have had the ablum for about a month, trying to let it grow on me but...I'm a little disappointed. Fav tracks - Good Enough, Lithium, Call Me..., All that I'm Living For....more info
• Over a year, still a great CD.
  The album "The Open Door" has been our for over a year now and I think its time to rate it. :)
  
  1. Sweet Sacrifice: This song is very different...but good different. Love the lyrics and the overall sound of the song. 4/5
  
  2. Call Me When You're Sober: Their first single of this album. Love the lyrics; im sure people can relate to them (like me). Still love this song after all this time! 4/5
  
  3. Weight of the World: Well, this song is good...but its the only song on the album that hasnt grown on to me. Maybe it will later on, but as of now this is probobly my least favorite song on the album. 3/5
  
  4. Lithium: Slow, Catchy toon, with guitar. Great song! I can really relate to the lyrics. 4/5
  
  5. Cloud Nine: This is the only song on the album that at times its my favorite and at other times its my least favorite. At first I loved this song, then I got bored of it, but now I love it again. 3.5/5
  
  6. Snow White Queen: I don't normally go right for this song, but if i click it my accident or if it plays on shuffle I always listen to it. Good song! 3.5/5
  
  7. Lacrymosa: Love, Love, Love this song! Sounds great, great lyrics! 4.5/5
  
  8. Like You: This is one of the more personal songs on the album for Amy. Im not going to go into detail because its not my story to tell but I like the way this song flows + the lyrics are good. 4/5
  
  9. Lose Control: I have to be honest. At first, I HATED this song! I thought it was pointless and it sounded weird. But now it is actualy one of my favorite songs of the album! 4.5/5
  
  10. The Only One: Just like "Lose Control" I hated this song at firs too. But now its one of my favorites! 4.5/5
  
  11. Your Star: Best song ever. Enough said. 5/5
  
  12. All That I'm Living For: Kinda "loud" for my taste, but I really like this song. 4/5
  
  13. Good Enough: Great slow song for the times you don't wanna rock out! LOVE the lyrics! 5/5 ...more info
• Wow...
  I just purchased this CD a little over a week ago and I love it. Amy Lee's songs have such a haunting quality.. it's actually creepy, but I that's what I enjoy about it! Great CD.. I listen to it all of the time and I highly recommend it....more info
• Alright I guess
  This is about a three and half star CD. I love their first CD "Fallen", which was quite originally. It was a breath of fresh air to hear "Fallen". But it would seem that once Brian Moody left the band and well....several other people as well(about a year or two later). Each musician brings their own style of playing an instrument and singing. You can't change that no matter how hard you try. I mean yes true bands can like Red Hot Chili Peppers. But that's kinda rare to see and to find(if there's another band like this tell me. Metallica doesn't count since Red Hot Chili Peppers went through about ten different people before the line up now). I have to say, starting a band is like starting a family business. And if one person doesn't do their job the business will fall or not be the same.
  
  And I feel that I can see(or hear in this case) the major change in this band. All the original band members are no longer in the band. I'm not bashing the album completely. There are good songs on "The Open Door". But I wish Amy Lee could of mixed up a little and stop trying to re-create her first album. "The Open Door" actually didn't sell as much as the debut album. But that's just a side note.
  
  I felt like I was listening to song for 45-60 minutes. There was no change in the line up. But I got to say the song "Snow White Queen" is one of the best songs on the album. And some songs I feel like Amy Lee just picked them off the first album and rearranged the lyrics. Like "Lacrymosa" kinda sounds like "Whisper" from the Fallen album. Maybe it's just me....more info
• Better than Fallen
  If you like Evanescence you will love this new album! I loved it better than fallen....more info
• Amy Lee is Talented, Beautiful, and sounds like an Angel
  Amy Lee has the voice of an Angel. Not only her singing but all her other musical talents are tremendous. Piano playing is remarkable and I envoy her....more info
• Excellent vocals as usual.
  Amy Lee has an amazing voice and can fill her songs with emotion that is rarely matched. I purchased Open Door for my husband since he is an even bigger fan of Evanescence than I am. He was not disappointed and listens to it in the car on his way to work. Her best song on the disk is "You Never Call Me When You're Sober" in my opinion as it showcases her to her best in my opinion the music video for it is great as well.
  
  I didn't rate it a 5 because I felt it fell just slightly short of her previous release. While it was better artistically that artistic vision suffered for the lack of consistency on the songs in meter and length. A few of them felt disorganized and difficult to follow or just incomplete, as if they needed another verse or two to be finished. I hope that their next release will receive that additional polishing that this one was lacking. Either way you can be sure that I will purchase it and find out for myself since even with it's flaws "Open Door" is worth every penny....more info
• Solid second effort but still not that great
  What can you expect from Evanescence's second album? Pretty much the same; some hard hitting rock songs with a few piano love songs. Though this time around Amy Lee is projecting more vocally and at times sounding like Kelly Clarkson & Jewel. But that's not a bad thing! It's time they changed the repetitive nature which plagued the first album.
  
  Backed by a whole new band (they never seem to keep one member for long), they mix melodies and choruses up more. Not to mention Amy has female vocalist backing her on more tracks; this is great and helps create a good harmony. But why replace Guitarist Ben Moody with Cold's guitarist? Cold was a pretty lame band!
  
  Otherwise, the album opens with the decent distorted "Sweet Sacrifice" that turns into a sweeping progressive rock song. We then hear the pretty good Kelly Clarkson type intro of "Call Me When You're Sober". Track four "Lithium" (no not the Nirvana song, even though it's obvious Lee is a fan) is a well done slow piano and acoustic guitar driven track. They then let loose on "Cloud Nine" and rock out! "Snow White Queen" & "Lacrymosa" is a little different than anything I've heard from them and it works out well. "Lacrymosa" actually sounds quite haunting. After this I was saying FINALLY! I was wanting something different from them. Other decent tracks are "Lose Control", "Your Star" & the hard hitting "All That I'm Living For". The final track "Good Enough" is awesome and sounds as if it would be right at home on Jewel's first album.
  
  I can see them growing as a band, but this is still a mixed bag. If you like the debut album I can't say you'll be pleased with this one. It's slightly different and I can only hope that if a 3rd album is released they expand the sound of the band even more.
  
  *Song Rating*
  1.Sweet Sacrifice - 3/5
  2.Call Me When You're Sober - 3/5
  3.Weight Of The World - 2/5
  4.Lithium - 3/5
  5.Cloud Nine - 3/5
  6.Snow White Queen - 3/5
  7.Lacrymosa - 3/5
  8.Like You - 3/5
  9.Lose Control - 2/5
  10.The Only One - 3/5
  11.Your Star - 3/5
  12.All That I'm Living For - 3/5
  13.Good Enough - 5/5...more info
• Open the Door
  I Love this CD. Especially the song titled, "The Only One." It has a strainge haunting melody, fused together with Skull Blistering Metal! Clear and enchanting. This song will have you drifting off into another dimension! The female rock vocalist are awesome! The band blows you into a dimension of sound. A dimension of sight. A dimension mind and shadow!
  Try it....more info
• Wouldn't have bought a second album if this were their first
  Fallen was a very strong album--heck, I was hooked halfway through hearing the first single on the radio. And there were a couple strong songs since (Broken and Missing come to mind). On this one, Call Me When You're Sober and Lithium are strong but overall this album lacks the depth and spirit of Evanescence's first offering.
  
  I'm not sure if it's the lack of a male vocalist, or the loss of the influence on the songwriting that killed this album. I'd rather listen to Hungry Lucy, Within Temptation, or of course Fallen than this....more info
• great singer
  I heard this voice on a Moonlight episode and feel in love with the sound amy lee made. I searched for the name of the group and singer, then I bought the CD. I dont consider this gothic music, just good quality singing with excellent backround music. I sang professionally for all my life and when I heard this CD I fell in love with this sound so I have purchased other CDs from the same group. ...more info
• This Rocks!!!
  I loved this cd and was not dissappointed.It is exactly what I expected.I love her style ,and will be looking forward to the next cd. ...more info
• Another Great album, From Evanescence!
  this is another great CD, it follows more closely to the "Origins" CD, with a dash of fallen...if you are a fan, you must have this Album...more info
• Great music
  Got this CD for my 17 year old daughter and I was dad supreme for a whole week. Now mind you when I bought her a car that only got me Cool dad for a week, so this must be some really great music....more info
• Yet again, absolute amazing
  This is another amazing CD by the rock band Evanescence. If you have ever seen the show "The Tudors" on Showtime, their song Lacrymosa was used for previews and promos. There are many great songs on here such as "Snow White Queen" and "Call Me When Your Sober". These songs are a less dark than their previous album but still carry then same tone that I have come to love out of this band. And Amy Lee (the lead singer) still has an amazingly haunting voice. I highly recommend this CD....more info
• Atrocious
  This CD is just a horrible follow up to a band that had a great unique sound. Gone is the heaviness and darkness that surrounded their first CD. Instead, it has been replaced with over the top monotone singing by Lee. It worked in the first, but let's face it...the music is what makes her voice good...not the other way around. She belts out notes just fine, only there's no excitement or anything.
  
  Average singing...below average songwriting...nothing catchy....more info
• Amy Lee has a great voice, but this band is not my thing.
  I respect Amy Lee as a great rock vocalist. There aren't many females in the hard rock genre that I enjoy listening to. Her voice is just hypnotizing. That said, this is not a bad cd, but it is a bit too mainstream for my taste. To me, Lacuna Coil, Flyleaf, and Otep are all better female-fronted hard-rock bands. So check them out. I give 4 stars for Amy's voice....more info
• Decent follow up but wanes with time
  I was a fan of Evanescence's first album and when I heard their single "Call Me When You're Sober" I had to purchase this one. Overall it is a competent piece of music. The first time through I was entranced, yet the more I listened to it the less of a hold it held on me. Overall, only tracks 2 and 7 really stand on their own. The rest of the album, without the supporting tracks to segue into and prop them up, fail as individual efforts. If ever there was an ensemble album where it is the whole rather than the individual parts which make it work this is it....more info
• The difficult 'sort of' second album
  Having picked up this album within a couple of days of it's release it has taken me this long to get around to reviewing it. Which isn't a good sign admittedly. After the release of Origin and the explosion with their more `proper' debut Fallen this band certainly built one heck of a vehicle for world domination. 14 million copies and counting is impressive by anybodys standards and I felt compelled to give it no less than five stars... So after getting a live album out of their systems the reconvenced and rebuilt Evanescence certainly had a lot to prove in terms of their ability to follow up the huge success of Fallen.
  
  And on the strength of this release it would seem that they both did and didn't achieve it. This album is thirteen tracks of music that is recognisably from the same band that produced the world dominating Fallen. However a number of changes have occurred and one is an alteration of guitarist which has meant that the band are effectively running a bit short in the grunt department. No offence to Terry Balsamo who was Amy Lees' main songwriting partner on this album but his riffs are less insistent, less biting. And the situation is that the production does not help matters as it appears more dense, like your listening to the album with the stereo in the next room. That's about the best way I can think of to describe it.
  
  Having said that the claustrophobic feel to the production certainly suits the effect Amy Lee is aiming at in many of these songs as she delves deeper into her miasma of depressive subject matter. As Classic Rocks stated in the last line of their review of this album `lighten up woman!'. Yet it is this very feel that leads to track three, Weight of the World, being so effective. And certainly the albums opener Sweet Sacrifice could almost of been on the earlier Fallen as it rides an excellent vocal melody. And as the album wears on the band show themselves willing to take chances with slower paced structures and more frequent use of piano based passages, something which gave the band more opportunity for changing up and down the gears when I saw them on the tour for this album.
  
  Other highlights of this album are the way it all feels like it fits together. Sure, as stated above the band plays around with some different time signatures and heaviness levels but it all seems to fit which speaks of a single minded focus tying it all together. Some studio trickery on tracks like Lose Control show the band more in control in the studio environment and that augers well for the future.
  
  Lowlights would comprise the single minded unhappiness of the album. For a band that seemed so fresh and empowering, admittedly with a somewhat similar lyrical bent, on their first album they somehow sound flat here. Melodies are often strained or totally unmemorable which leaves one struggling to pick out great songs whereas on Fallen it seemed everything had that midas touch.
  
  Evanescence have here succeeded in extending their muse somewhat and have built a more dank and difficult listen. Also the lyrics - which everyone knew would be scrutinised to the nth degree in light of the interpersonal issues striking the band - are kept pretty generalist to my mind with the exception of lead single Call Me When Your Sober. The band have not been able to reproduce the vitality of Fallen however nor have they been able to master the huge recording budget thrown their way by making the production values work for them. A must for fans but the casual listener should approach this with caution....more info
• Good, but not as much as the previous.
  There are at least a couple of good songs on this one, but the previous was better....more info
• Evanescence - The Open Door
  Love this album- They had a hard time beating "Fallen" - Im not sure they accomplished beating the last album, but this one is really good too. Definitely recommend purchasing if you are an Evanescence fan. ...more info
• Adee
  Evanesence Rocks Man An Awsome Second Cd Im Not Suprised Its Only Whats Expected Of Them To Be Soo Good Man...more info
• Painting Inspiration!
  Just received my copy a few days ago and this CD helped me finish a commissioned trio painting project in just 3 hours, so that's saying something! It has the right balance between driving, fast songs and songs and songs that are mellow and make you sit back and cry. ALL the songs make you think, and that's why I appreciate Evanescence so much. She doesn't take life, her Christianity, her mental health or even her own song writing for granted. She appreciates and deeply discects each part of her life throughout this project. It's easy to see how all of these aspects play off of each other and make up who she is and this is what mixes so wildly and beautifully to make her songs so magical. Thank you Amy, and Evanescence, for some honest music with raw and unapologetic lyrics we need lately, when everything else is just written to rhyme and make a quick buck. ;)...more info