EVANESCENCE – The Open Door

It was over three and half years ago that the female-fronted band from Little Rock, Arkansas (USA), named Evanescence, took the world by storm with their debut release Fallen. The debut sold nearly 14 million copies worldwide with more than six million in the United States alone. The album ended up producing two Top 10 singles, “My Immortal” and “Bring Me To Life” (which also appeared in the Daredevil® movie and soundtrack). Not only that, the debut also earned the band two Grammy® Awards in 2003 (Best New Artist and Best Hard Rock Performance for “Bring Me To Life”), spent over one hundred weeks on Billboard Magazine’s Top 200 chart, and was certified gold or platinum in over 35 countries Worldwide. That’s a hell of an impressive resume for a debut CD, wouldn’t you say? It’s evident why their newest release, The Open Door, should be met with the greatest of expectations.

A lot of “water cooler” talk has gone into fitting Evanescence into a musical genre or category. Some would say they are “Goth,” while others would dispute that claim with fervor. Whatever genre they actually fit into, the band did break ground in one area, especially in the USA. Amy Lee made it socially acceptable, sexy, and cool that a female vocalist could actually front a Hard Rock/Gothic “all boys” band and turn it into something commercially acceptable and profitable. Evanescence seemed to break this stereotype in the USA where other bands, like Lacuna Coil, had already succeeded in doing in other countries. In fact, Evanescence can be accredited for opening USA “doors” for bands like Lacuna Coil to walk-in and break into the USA market. Of course, the downside to this feat is that to the uninitiated or trained ear, all other female-fronted Hard Rock/Gothic bands are outright compared to Evanescence, making them somewhat the “benchmark.”

The release opens with “Sweet Sacrifice,” which contains a somewhat serene intro before breaking into a Hard Rock, Thrash guitar-driven “romp” with a melodic Amy Lee chorus. This one should fully please Fallen fans … a great start! The opener seems to cross almost seamlessly into “Call Me When You’re Sober,” which is the current single gracing USA FM airwaves to rave reviews. This track is splendid as well; mid-tempo paced, full of thick, buzz-saw guitars, melody, a great bobbing bass line, and an excellent drum beat. The next track, “Weight Of the World,” starts off with a great drum offbeat and stabbing guitar, but comes out of the gate a little meeker than the earlier tracks. The track sways between sullen and mid-tempo drives, but should please Evanescence fans nonetheless.

“Lithium” is best termed as Evanescence’s version of a “power ballad,” not particularly rocking, but Amy Lee’s vocals here are nothing short of astounding, the lady can definitely hold a note! “Cloud Nine” and “Snow White Queen” are respectable cuts, with “Snow White Queen” having a powerful, memorable chorus and orchestral strings. Both are just a shy short of not being as good as the two openers, but still good enough to hold fans’ interest.

By track seven, the release seems to stagger a bit. “Lacrymosa” and “Like You” are slower, sullen tracks and they just don’t seem to hold interest, even after multiple replays. The only saving grace is Amy Lee’s top-notch vocals, of course. The remaining tracks, other than the closer, kick it up a notch, but just don’t seem to satisfy as much as the first half of this disc. Album closer, “Good Enough,” is a tender moment with Amy Lee, piano, and more strings, it’s through and through a ballad.

Bottom line, Evanescence’s sophomore release has a lot to like in the first half of the release, after that the impact wears off some. Toe to toe with Fallen, one would have to say the debut is still, overall, the better of the two releases. For Amy Lee fans, this one is easy to tag with a recommendation of “must buy.” She has to be through and through one of the best, if not the best, female Rock singers in the business. She definitely is the highlight of this release (sorry guys) and can take any type of track a notch higher. Overall, this one is certainly a commendable release, just one that might not fully meet the highest expectations and anticipations of current Evanescence Fallen fans.

Lineup

Amy Lee – Vocals/Piano
Terry Balsamo – Guitar
John LeCompt – Guitar
Will Boyd – Bass
Rocky Gray – Drums