Female-fronted rock band Evanescence is no stranger to the music world. The once unknown quartet spawned their success from the popularity of songs �Bring Me to Life� and �My Immortal� which appeared on the �Daredevil� soundtrack in mid-2003.
Immediately catching the ears of rock and pop music fans alike, front gal Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody were poised and eager to ignite their rock music, and they did.
By Renee DeFloria,
Senior Staff Writer
Female-fronted rock band Evanescence is no stranger to the music world. The once unknown quartet spawned their success from the popularity of songs �Bring Me to Life� and �My Immortal� which appeared on the �Daredevil� soundtrack in mid-2003.
Immediately catching the ears of rock and pop music fans alike, front gal Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody were poised and eager to ignite their rock music, and they did.
Evanescence’s debut album �Fallen� sold nearly 14 million copies worldwide, with over 6 million alone in the United States. Later in the year, Evanescence took home two shiny Grammy Awards for Best New Artist and Best Hard Rock Performance for �Bring Me to Life.� However, fans would soon see the end of the songwriting duo that was Amy Lee and Ben Moody as Moody left midway through the band’s tour due to creative and personal differences. Replaced by guitarist Terry Balsamo from the band Cold, the new Evanescence returned to the studio for the long journey to their sophomore release.
�The Open Door� was released in the United States on October 3, 2006. In its first week, the album sold 447,000 copies and nudged its way onto the Billboard Top 200.
Fans seem to be pleased overall with the new direction Amy Lee has chosen with her new songwriting partner Terry Balsamo.
Critics are overjoyed that the band has taken a less commercial route with Lee’s more mature but still dark and tormented songs.
The jury is still out with how I feel about this album. I love it for its bold, new, creative step into the future of Evanescence, and I hate it because it’s not the same Evanescence I fell in love with back in 2003.
The album begins with a hard, �slap in your face� approach and then slowly simmers into a handful of ballads that make me wonder if the song has ever changed into next track or not.
Album opener �Sweet Sacrifice� is one of my favorites off the album with such vengeful lyrics as, �You poor sweet innocent thing dry your eyes and testify and oh you love to hate me don’tyou honey? I�m your sacrifice.�
The song moves directly into the summer hit �Call Me When You�re Sober� which has been rumored to be an ode to Lee’s ex-boyfriend Shaun Morgan of the band Seether. �Weight of the World� is another good song which feels like it has Evanescence written all over it.
After the fourth track it seems like The Open Door takes the �new� Evanescence spin with songs like
�Cloud Nine� and �Snow White Queen,� which sound like a completely different band altogether and quite frankly don’tseem to hold my interest.
Amy Lee shows off her classical piano influence in the songs �Lose Control� and �Like You.�
Capping off the album, Lee continues to showcase her talent for the piano in the remaining songs.
Must-hear songs are the melancholy �Your Star,� as well as the spooky strings of �Lacrymosa.�
�The Open Door� is certainly an album with uncompromising potential. It will surely pick up a lot of new fans along the way. �The Open Door� is also an album that is probably going to take some time (if ever) to grow on the fans of the Evanescence from 2003.
Though one thing is for certain, the Lee and Moody songwriting days are a thing of the past as this band moves in its new direction.
Love them or hate them, Evanescence is a band that doesn’tplan on going anywhere anytime soon. I give this album a B.
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