The Open Door

During an interview with MTV News, Lee revealed that Evanescence would being writing material for their sophomore record in March 2004 after finishing their tour in support of Fallen. She further explained it was "impossible to write on tour and [writing is] the one thing I love more than anything else about my job", adding that "everybody's just ready to stop touring and go back to the studio".[1]

The album progressed slowly primarily because of Lee's desire to maximize the creative process and not rush production, as well as guitarist Terry Balsamo's stroke, turmoil in Lee's personal life, and Lee's lawsuit against the band's former manager.[2][3][4] Lee said that Balsamo's stroke during recording was "the most difficult part" of the process, adding that the frustration of everything that occurred became inspiration and fuel for the album, and made it "a really special" record for the band; "At the end of it, we all felt like we could take a new breath and start anew."[2][5]

In an interview with MTV News, Lee said about the album's title: "I feel like I have the ability to do a lot of things I couldn't do before, for a number of reasons... ... A lot of doors have kind of been opened in my life—not just since everything has happened for us."[6] The album cover, which was designed by Lee,[7] was revealed through the band's official website on August 4, 2006.[8]

The Open Door took 18 months to write. The new songs were composed by Lee and guitarist Balsamo, who share credits for nine songs.[4][9] Lee was the sole composer of "Like You", "Lithium" and "Good Enough", and co-wrote "All That I'm Living For" with guitarist John LeCompt.[9] Lee said she went through a spectrum of emotions throughout her experiences in the lead up to and development of this album.[2] She confessed that after Moody's departure she had nobody to hold her back in the writing process and that Balsamo was lifting her up and encouraging her to do something she would not have done with Moody.[2][10] She was "finally creating in the same room with someone", as previously Lee and Moody "could never really sit in the same room and create" and the writing process of Fallen largely consisted of them writing music separately and then adding to each other's work.[2] In an interview with Jam!, Lee confirmed that Moody and her "were always butting heads", and he was more focused on being commercial and making what "people would want to hear". With his exit, she felt she reclaimed a creative freedom she had lost around him. "The writing of this record was the best process of my life because I had free reign. I could do whatever I wanted without being judged or being told it's stupid."[3]

Lee said that she and Balsamo "work really well together", and "it was like we were just having fun with it for a change ... we wrote a lot of songs that I'm just totally in love with."[2][10] It was a "completely different" writing environment with Balsamo, who is "laid-back", and there was "no pressure of wanting to rule the world. It's just about writing great music."[11] She and Balsamo "would just sit in a room and jam".[11] She said the songs she was working on for the album "still sound like the Evanescence everybody knows, but at the same time it's going in a new direction, and I love that direction."[10] Lee explained that the making of the album was "really intense" and that she came out "feeling purified".[12]

The Open Door was recorded from September 2005 to March 2006[13] at Record Plant Studios, Los Angeles, California.[9] In October 2005, as the album was being recorded and he was in the studio, Balsamo suffered a stroke from a torn neck artery, and the left side of his body was paralyzed.[4][14] Lee recalled the "horrifying" experience as it took over 12 hours for him to be able to receive an MRI, "meanwhile, the first 12 hours after a stroke, long-term effects are happening".[14] She called his recovery a "huge miracle" after doctors did not think he would ever be able to play guitar again. Balsamo began physical therapy and the process of re-training his hand to play, stating that he was determined to overcome the paralysis.[17]

The record was produced and mixed by Dave Fortman at Ocean Way Studios. Jeremy Parker handled the audio engineering, Mike Houge and Wesley Seidman served as additional engineers, and Ted Jensen mastered the record at Sterling Sound, New York.[9] The choral arrangements were finished by Lee and recorded at Capitol Studios, Hollywood, California, with the choir and strings being recorded in an old chapel near Seattle, Washington.[9][18] DJ Lethal programmed every song on the album, and John LeCompt was an additional programmer on "Call Me When You're Sober" and "All That I'm Living For", which was also programmed by Bon Harris. David Campbell finished the orchestral arrangements, which were performed by Seattlemusic.[9]

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Lee said the album was "a complete spectrum of darkness and scary stuff and emotion".[19] She told The Washington Post:

"So much has changed in my life - I was going through so many things in the making of the record, and before the making of the record. ... I just wanted to create and do something different and branch out. At the heart of it I know it's still Evanescence and it's still me, but structurally it's a lot more fun. We went a lot of different ways with it instead of constantly sticking to the same structure and the same pop formula. I think it's more mature and more brave all around; it's like the instruments actually go together, the piano and guitar and vocals, since they're written together - they intertwine. It's definitely even more personal. At least for me, because I was there, it sounds more fun because I was having so much more fun."[4]

Lee said that she pushed her own limits, doing things she didn't have the courage to do in the making of Fallen.[6][20] She also said her goal was to make a record that she loved even more than Fallen, rather than to copy the formula which made the previous record successful.[21][11] Lee incorporated her classical influences and several new elements in the music.[3][15] When asked whether The Open Door was thematically different from Fallen, Lee said that Evanescence and music in general is her venue to "purge all of the negative and hard, difficult experiences" throughout her life, and while that is front and center in this album, it comes from a less hopeless attitude and with a more reflective outlook. Rather than "wallowing" in "the hard stuff", the record is characterized by her newfound resolution and is thematically in search of answers and happiness.[11][4] "I had so much I needed to get off my chest," she explained. "It's very literal and specific."[20] Lee said the lyrics on the album are a lot more confessional than she had written previously; she could "do the safe thing" for herself and hide in a metaphor in some of the songs, but she chose to not censor herself as she felt she "really needed to get out of the whole space of negativity".[4]

The album consists of gothic rock songs with brooding lyrics, Lee's "searing fallen angel" vocals, and "epic melodies", accompanied by pianos, strings and choirs, while "there's no shortage of soaring, dynamic rockers", Richard Harrington of The Washington Post wrote.[4] Aly Comingore of the Santa Barbara Independent said it is "rich in instrumentation", swelling with "organs, elaborate string arrangements, and lush choral vocals", and driven by Lee's "intense lyrics and classically trained piano skills."[22] The Sydney Morning Herald felt that Lee's "emotional convalescence" gave way to "symphonic metal tunes and dark-hearted lyrics" that "are gloomier than ever".[20] Ann Powers of the Los Angeles Times described the record as a "whorl of personal confession, high theater and head-banging rock" with "youthfully earnest and sometimes obvious" lyrics.[14] Jon Dolan of Entertainment Weekly felt the music possessed the "same crush of chunka-chunka riffs, moody electronic churn, and Valhalla-bound metal slam" of Fallen, alongside Lee's "strikingly operatic singing".[23] The Boston Globe's Sarah Rodman summarized it as a "mix of Lee's ethereal soprano, piano interludes, and layers of serrated guitar crunch".[24] Jordan Reimer of The Daily Princetonian said "haunting orchestral arrangements and programming" infuse the album, which is thematically defined by "tumultuous relationships and loneliness", while Lee's attitude sounds "more aggressive and less vulnerable than before" and her vocal melodies range from "sublimely minimalist to roaringly operatic."[25] "Industrial backbeats" defer to "thick metal riffs, orchestrated grandeur, and ghoulish choral elements, all complemented by Lee's operatic soprano", Christianity Today's Andree Farias remarked, while Lee channels her frustrations "utilizing a few curious faith-based metaphors in the process".[26] The Irish Times characterized it as a "heavy sounding" record, "still unmistakably Goth but with strings and choirs attached."[5] Ed Thompson of IGN described the songs as "less radio-friendly" than those on Fallen and "all the more complete for their lack of bending to fit the hit song."[27] Billboard said The Open Door is full of "blistering attacks on those who have betrayed" Lee, comprising a "successful set of melodramatic goth/industrial anthems with touches of prog and even classical".[28]

Album opener "Sweet Sacrifice" contains "rumbling guitars", a string section, and a "layer of programming" alongside Lee's "trademark haunting vocals and dark lyrics", according to IGN.[27] The main theme of the song is recovery from an abusive relationship that was the source of Lee's writing on Fallen, coming from a "much stronger standpoint" on this album.[29][30] Lee said the song is also "almost sarcastic" to herself as she "needs to stop being that sweet sacrifice".[31] Entertainment Weekly described it as a "bruising breakup lament that turns into an anthem of freedom".[23]

"Call Me When You're Sober" is a rock song that starts as a piano ballad and mixes hard rock with elements of nu metal, symphonic rock and electronic pop.[32][33] Lee said the song is about "dealing with someone with an addiction, which is really hard, especially when you love someone", later confirming it was inspired by the end of her relationship with singer Shaun Morgan of rock band Seether.[29] She also said that it is about "more than the most obvious thing", deeming it "empowering" for herself as it represents "leaving a whole world behind that was really hurting me",[4] and "getting to the place with yourself where you're finally willing to stand up for yourself. Put your foot down when you know you need to."[34] Dubbed a "chick anthem" by Lee based on the reception she received from female fans,[35] the song is "a literal snapshot of one's frustration of dealing with the addiction of someone they love", The Washington Post observed.[4][23]

"Weight of the World" is a "relentless rocker with Eastern motifs and distorted vocals".[29][4] Inspired by the pressures of fame,[36][31] Lee was feeling "pressure from fans who feel I can solve their problems"; she does not consider herself a role model and does not "have the answers", Lee explained, noting that she understands that sometimes "the only thing that seems to really help is that someone else who has felt that low expressing those feelings to you".[31]

Evanescence performing at a concert of the first leg of The Open Door world tour

"Lithium" is a slow-tempo rock song; Lee sings of the fear of lithium in a lower register.[29] The song is about "the choice between the comfort of sorrow and the possibility of happiness", Lee said, and represents the singer's habit of letting sorrow "be an excuse to make music", a "cycle" she admits she does not want to be stuck in.[20] Lee originally wrote its chorus on guitar when she was 16 years old, but later changed it to piano when she wrote the verses.[29] The Sydney Morning Herald described the song as "sweeping, churning", with its "refrain of 'I want to stay in love with my sorrow / Oh God but I want to let it go'" getting "to the heart of Lee's life story so far."[20] Entertainment Weekly described it as a "tortured Queensrÿche-style pain strummer".[23] Sam Law of Kerrang! said "Lithium" showcases Lee's "classical powerhouse, built around a tinkling piano" and her "wide-ranging vocals", with "crashes of metallic instrumentation".[37]

"Cloud Nine" was inspired by a break-up. Lee said she was "struggling with a relationship and felt like a waste of space."[29] The song uses strings, studio effects and Lee's "layered moaning".[29] The Boston Globe said it features "woozy, horror-movie keys".[24] The next song on The Open Door and the first Lee wrote for it,[38][16] "Snow White Queen" was inspired by Lee's experiences with stalkers.[20][29] Lee said that her privacy had been "completely invaded" to the point she could not stay in her house. She wrote the song from the perspective of a stalker and herself.[29] The Los Angeles Times described it as a "harrowing account of a stalker and his victim",[14] Entertainment Weekly called it a "crazy" song that "gets inside the mind of a male predator",[23] and Rolling Stone deemed it "seriously disturbed."[36] Musically, it is a rock song with industrial beats in its composition.[29][4]

Incorporating the Lacrimosa sequence of Mozart's Requiem (1791), Lee's favorite piece of music,[4][29] "Lacrymosa" contains electronic backing beats, symphonic string section, heavy guitar and a haunting choir.[27] The vocals make a contrasting representation of light and dark, according to IGN.[27] Lee gave Lacrimosa a "dramatic prog-rock makeover", The Washington Post wrote.[4] The New York Times described it as "grandiose ... an audacious, exhilarating blast".[32] The song features a 22-piece orchestra led by David Campbell and background vocals performed by The Millennium Choir.[9]

The "spare and sombre" "Like You" is about the death of Lee's younger sister, following "Hello" on Fallen.[4][29] Regarding this theme, Lee said, "I can't help but be affected by that, and if it's my place to express myself and all the things that have been most deep and the most painful and have just touched me, I feel like it does honor her".[4] Composed solely by Lee,[9] and one of the most intimate songs on the album,[29] "Like You", contains lyrics which yearn for death so Lee can be with her sister.[32] Rolling Stone described it as a "teen-death trip" and among the "creepiest" songs on the album,[36] while The Boston Globe called it "plaintive" and spooky.[24]

"Lose Control" uses "half-step two chords", Lee said, musically influenced by Portishead.[29] The song is about wanting to be less apprehensive and looser.[39] "Almost sacrilegious", Entertainment Weekly wrote, it "finds childlike release in sin".[23] "The Only One" lyrically depicts Lee's past experiences with close-mindedness and people around her who "seemed lost in a world" in which she felt she did not belong.[29] In the song, Lee "decries human guidance" with the chorus lines, "All our lives / We've been waiting / For someone to call our leader / All your lies / I'm not believing / Heaven shine a light down on me", according to Christianity Today.[26] Nick Catucci of New York magazine described the song as an "almost sultry, industrial-inflected entreaty to an absent God, animating the mighty struggle with faith that the religious and lapsed all share."[40]

"Your Star" was motivated by Lee's loneliness during the band's tour in support of Fallen. She was inspired to write the song in Lisbon, where she was jet-lagged and depressed, and could not see stars when she looked at the night sky. Other musical inspiration came from the works of Pantera.[29] "All That I'm Living For" describes Lee's night-time writing process, showcased in the opening line, "I can feel the night beginning / Separate me from the living".[29] The song contains a "salvo of guitars" that contrast with Lee's "delicate delivery", alongside electronica elements.[29][41] Background vocals on the song were performed by The Millennium Choir.[9]

Album closer "Good Enough" was solely composed by Lee and placed at the end of the album by her to symbolize its theme and a new beginning for herself.[20][4] Featuring a string section,[42] the song is entirely a piano composition, with "gentle vocals", ending the album on a hopeful note.[29] Lee called it a "completely different" kind of song from her as it "sort of has a happy ending".[6] It represents her mindset after completing the album: "I had gone through a lot of difficult things during the writing of the whole album, and by the end of it, I had stepped away from those bad situations ... For the first time I felt like I could write a song based on how good I felt."[29][6] "Good Enough" is the last song Lee wrote for the The Open Door.[6] Entertainment Weekly described it as a "deceptively soft" song that "flirts again with the dark side" and "strikes a final note of cathartic badness."[23] A "haunting ballad", The Washington Post wrote, "Good Enough" is a "different creature" among the other songs on the record.[4] The Boston Globe called it a "moment of romantic peace" on the album, featuring an "incongruously downtrodden groove" alongside Lee's "most luxurious vocal to date".[24] Although Lee's voice gives the song "a funereal cast", IGN said, it is lyrically optimistic and "the most unique song Lee has ever released".[27]

The Open Door was first released in Poland on September 25, 2006,[43] then Japan on September 27,[44] Ireland and Germany on September 29,[45] Australia on September 30,[46] and North America[47] on October 3. The digital version of the album was made available for pre-order on August 15, 2006, on iTunes. If purchased before October 3, 2006, the pre-order included an interview with Amy Lee and a bonus track titled "The Last Song I'm Wasting on You", which later appeared as a B-side track on the "Lithium" single.[48]

Tour

Amy Lee during a concert in 2007

Extra time was given for Balsamo to recover more from his stroke before touring began. Lee said that "there was so much pressure", but she did not want to hire another guitar player; it was important for her to have Balsamo on tour and she was confident he was going to get better.[11][4] "So much of his heart went into this record, and I don't think it would be right to go without him", she added. "We hadn't played together since the stroke, and a few weeks ago [before October 2006] we had our first rehearsal and it was an amazing feeling."[4] Lee said Balsamo was still recovering but he and guitarist John LeCompt "worked it out as to who's going to play what and what's going to be the best for [Balsamo]."[4] A month after touring began, Balsamo said that he still had paralysis in his left arm and hand. "I'm like at enough where I can get by on tour. Basically this tour is like therapy right now for me. I'm hoping it will get better."[16] The "knowledge" of guitar playing was still there, he noted, and "my mind would tell my hand what it should do, but it wouldn't do it"; the process was about retraining his hand "to do what it's supposed to do."[16]

The first leg of The Open Door Tour began on October 5, 2006, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada,[73] and finished on December 15, 2006, in New York City. After touring North America during October, Evanescence traveled to Europe during November before returning to the United States to play at large arenas.[73] The leg of the tour continued on January 5, 2007, and consisted of appearances in Canada, Japan and Australia.[74] When performing in the United States, Canada and Australia, Evanescence was supported by Revelation Theory, Stone Sour and The Black Maria, and Shihad, respectively. The tour's second leg commenced on March 16, 2007, in Fresno, California, and continued in North America, South America, South Africa, and back to North America,[75] and finished in Europe. The United States gigs included support from Chevelle and Finger Eleven. In Buenos Aires, Evanescence played at a rock festival with Aerosmith, Velvet Revolver and Ratones Paranóicos. Between the European gigs, the band took part in the Family Values Tour 2007 alongside Korn. After Family Values, the band continued touring through Mexico and the U.S. The final leg of the tour began on October 23, 2007, in Coral Gables, Florida; the band was supported by Sick Puppies and Julien-K, while Shiny Toy Guns made a guest appearance during the December 1, 2007, show at University Park, Pennsylvania. After over a year of touring, the last show was played in Kingston, Rhode Island on December 9, 2007. New additions to the setlist of the tour's final leg include "Lose Control", "Missing" and "Understanding".[76]

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	61/100[77]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[78]
Billboard	Positive[28]
Blender	[79]
Entertainment Weekly	B+[23]
Jam!	[80]
Kerrang!	[81]
Now	[82]
Postmedia News	[83]
Rolling Stone	[36]
Spin	8/10[31]

On review aggregator Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received a weighted average score of 61 based on 12 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[84] IGN music reviewer Ed Thompson felt that The Open Door "is everything that you could ever want in a follow-up album—and more", adding that Lee and Balsamo "seem to have a better understanding of each other than Lee and Moody ever did. The tracks are less radio-friendly ... but they are all the more complete".[27] Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone gave the album three-and-a-half stars out of five, writing that the best songs on it "are the creepiest. Lee has got a touch of the magnetic and destructive herself. But that's what makes the breakup songs feel mighty real."[36] Jon Dolan of Entertainment Weekly said the record is "more personal and, by accessing a deeper emotional palette, maybe even more universal".[23]

Blender gave a positive review, stating that Lee "isn't just drawn to melodrama; she thrives on it", and the album is "denser and more scuzzed-up" than Fallen while "amp[ing] everything up to gloriously epic, over-the-top proportions".[79] Billboard said that the album shows that Lee "was as much a part of Fallen as Moody", and she translates her "heartache into another successful set of melodramatic goth/industrial anthems with touches of prog and even classical".[28] Spin's Mellisa Maerz rated the album four stars out of five, regarding it a "post-dysfunctional kiss-off that builds from ethereal Sunday-mass uplift into full-eff-you guitar dirges, revealing an angrier, more self-assured Lee who waxes sardonic but still misses the comfort in being sad".[31] Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic said that much of The Open Door is "a muddle of affections" and it sonically "captures the Evanescence mythos better and more consistently than the first album – after all, Lee now has no apologies of being the thinking man's nu-metal chick, now that she's a star".[78] Eric Danton of Hartford Courant wrote: "The net result of so much woe [in Lee's life] is a new, stronger Lee, one who scarcely sounds like the uncertain performer from 2003. She is clearly in command on her band's sophomore effort".[85] Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times said it is "no surprise" that after Moody's departure "Evanescence sounds gloomier and thornier than the old one", with Lee "finally free to be as bombastic as she wants to be", although the album is "less fun".[32]

St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Sara Berry opined that while the record is "overwhelmingly dark", the band "manages to escape the 'sophomore slump'", complimenting the music and deeming it "an ideal soundtrack for life's moodier moments."[86] Sarah Rodman of The Boston Globe found the final track "Good Enough" to be the "lone glimmer in the gloom", adding that "if [the album] featured more open-throated crooning and less teeth-gritting anger it would be a much more interesting record".[24] Christa Titus of Billboard called it a "far more nuanced, moody and richly textured effort" than Fallen.[63] Postmedia News gave the album three-and-a-half stars out of five, saying, "While it's similar in style and sound to its predecessor, The Open Door loses the punchy power rifts and instead persuades the listener with piano and airy vocals".[83] Andre Farias of Christianity Today said that "in many ways [the album] is an extension of what the band has done before", and complimented Lee's "operatic soprano" and "enigmatic and sinister" way of channeling her frustrations.[26] Nick Catucci of New York magazine said the album "bristles with righteous anger" alongside "meticulously produced arrangements" that echoes Scandinavian art-metal while Lee "whispers and wails with a pain and ambivalence closer in spirit to the blues".[40] Santa Barbara Independent's Aly Comingore said The Open Door "successfully slammed in the face of [Lee's] disbelievers", and "moved in a direction that is simultaneously new and reminiscent of the potential at which Fallen once hinted."[22]

In a mixed review, Jim Farber of the Daily News commented that the "hybrid" of musical styles "offers a genuine alternative to everything else that's out there" and the "production has more heft than [Fallen's]", but the "jerry-built" sound the band used "isn't anything to be admired".[87] MusicOMH reviewer Alex Nunn panned the album, saying that the band needed ex-member Moody and rebuking the music, lyrics, and Lee's vocals.[88] Darryl Sterdan of Jam! commended Lee's voice but regarded most of the gothic-metal tracks as "overproduced, bombastic epics assembled from the same parts" and the album "self-indulgent".[80] Andy Gill of The Independent also criticized it, believing that Lee's "narrow vocal range is mirrored in the restricted breadth of the band's musical and emotional range, which never strays outside the short distance from paranoid to apocalyptic, concerns addressed in as bombastic and tune-dodging a manner as possible".[89]

At the 2007 NRJ Music Awards, The Open Door received a nomination for Best International Album of the Year,[90] and the album won Album of the Year at the 2007 MTV Australia Video Music Awards.[91] One of the album's songs, "Sweet Sacrifice", was nominated in the category of Best Hard Rock Performance at the 50th Grammy Awards.[92]

The Open Door debuted at number one in the United States, Australia, Germany and Switzerland, and charted in the top five in Austria, Canada, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, South Korea, Sweden and the United Kingdom.[93] On the US Billboard 200, The Open Door debuted at number one, selling over 447,000 copies in its first week.[94][95] Additionally, the record opened at the top position on the Rock Albums chart and at number two on the Digital Albums.[96][97] Two weeks after its availability in the United States, the album sold approximately 725,000 copies, and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on November 8, 2006. The Open Door became the 38th best-selling album of 2006 in the U.S.; it was the 52nd best-selling album for 2007.[98][99] On June 24, 2009, the album was awarded double platinum certification.[100]

On the UK Albums Chart, The Open Door debuted and peaked at number two on October 14, 2006.[101] In Canada, the album debuted at number two, selling over 43,000 copies in its first week.[102] It was later certified double platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA).[103] In Australia and New Zealand, the album peaked at numbers one and two, respectively.[93][104] It was later certified double-platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) and platinum by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ).[105][106] As of June 10, 2008, The Open Door had sold nearly two million copies in the United States. As of October 2011, total sales in that territory have been brought to 2.1 million units,[107] and an additional of two million copies worldwide.[63][108]

Credits adapted from the liner notes of The Open Door.[9]

• Official website