The Open Door
by Evanescence
  • Record Label: Wind-Up
  • Release Date: Oct 3, 2006
User Score
8.5

Universal acclaim- based on 231 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 195 out of 231
  2. Mixed: 16 out of 231
  3. Negative: 20 out of 231

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  1. SteveW.
    Jan 2, 2008
    5
    Boring and formulaic, very simple. A massive descent in originality and I'm gonna just come out and say that Amy Lee is a singer and shouldn't be allowed to write her own songs again. Not that it was terrible, I quite liked how some of the instrumentals fit so well together, and had some fair musical progression, but was still very uninteresting. Of course my least favorite song Boring and formulaic, very simple. A massive descent in originality and I'm gonna just come out and say that Amy Lee is a singer and shouldn't be allowed to write her own songs again. Not that it was terrible, I quite liked how some of the instrumentals fit so well together, and had some fair musical progression, but was still very uninteresting. Of course my least favorite song here has to be "sweet sacrifice", because Amy Lee's voice in that is so all over the bloody place. She needs someone telling her which tones sound good together because she doesn't have a clue.… Expand
  2. RoryW
    Oct 20, 2006
    4
    I loved Fallen, remains one of my favourite albums, but to be honest The Open Door is in my opinion the greatest failure in recent gothic rock. None of the tracks stand out whereas Fallen could easily have produced 11 singles. Bitterly dissapointed, I've lost a great deal of respect for the band
  3. JoW
    Oct 30, 2006
    6
    While this album has some amazing lyrics, some incredible vocals, and some excellent tempos, the key word here is "some". There is so much more that could have been done, and a lot more that shouldn't have been done. Overproduced vocals combine with underwhelming guitars to create track after track of what sounds like the same song. Lead singer Amy Lee has a pure and amazing voice, While this album has some amazing lyrics, some incredible vocals, and some excellent tempos, the key word here is "some". There is so much more that could have been done, and a lot more that shouldn't have been done. Overproduced vocals combine with underwhelming guitars to create track after track of what sounds like the same song. Lead singer Amy Lee has a pure and amazing voice, but sadly it is hidden behind layered and distorted vocals. The guitars are predictable and amateur, which may be the reason for all of the other types of background noises and distortion. The songs lack internal coherence. They swtich from being mournful, to ethereal, to soulful, to fist-pumping rock within a few short seconds, leaving the listener wondering what type of sound the band was trying to achieve on each track.… Expand
  4. jyo_tirmayad
    Oct 5, 2006
    5
    Amy Lee should have waited it out until more good songs came to surface in her emotionally ridden writer's world. There is nothing on "...Door" which is as good as "Bring Me to Life" or "My Immortal" from the album Fallen album. "Call Me When Your Sober" would have been only one of the good songs on "Fallen" but not a song for which it would have been immortalized by. Saying that, Amy Lee should have waited it out until more good songs came to surface in her emotionally ridden writer's world. There is nothing on "...Door" which is as good as "Bring Me to Life" or "My Immortal" from the album Fallen album. "Call Me When Your Sober" would have been only one of the good songs on "Fallen" but not a song for which it would have been immortalized by. Saying that, there are a few saving graces: Amy Lee has a fantastic voice; she is still young and can make it better the 3rd time around -- let's face it, coming close to the grand majesty of "Fallen" would have been hard for ANY band; and she is inherently talented and rocks, plain and simple. I bought this CD and will listent to it a lot, because there are some beautiful moments on it and because of Amy Lee's personal charisma and beautiful voice. It is a beautiful instrument, and too bad they couldn't find nearly enough material to match it. And yes, Ben Moody's presence, as expected, has shown us that Amy Lee's voice was only half of Evanescence's brilliance. At least on "Fallen."… Expand
  5. DarcyB
    Oct 6, 2006
    6
    The first album had a theme and feel who's individual parts stood on their own as unique. This album is like alphabits drowning in soup. You can see that they're there, they all taste like tomato, and there are too many Es. I'm disappointed. The songs feel uninspired, if not tired, as if the band didn't know what to do with itself. The music remains true to the genre, The first album had a theme and feel who's individual parts stood on their own as unique. This album is like alphabits drowning in soup. You can see that they're there, they all taste like tomato, and there are too many Es. I'm disappointed. The songs feel uninspired, if not tired, as if the band didn't know what to do with itself. The music remains true to the genre, and it's production quality is high, so it's not a bad listen by any means. You'll just have a hard time remembering, "oh yeah, that was song 11!"… Expand
  6. NatdRat
    Oct 17, 2006
    6
    Amy Lee's vocals are top notch on The Open Door, but they are not enough to lift this second album above average. Amy's longtime friend and writing partner, Ben Moody, is certainly missed as the songs are somewhat banal and meandering. Expect "Call Me When Your Sober" to be the only memorable tune off of this release as all the others are not quite airplay worthy.
  7. DREFromCharlotte
    Oct 4, 2006
    6
    Heavy metal with a womanly spin? Or just Tori Amos turned Goth? I like Evanescence a lot, and there is a lot to like here. The music can be thrilling. But this seems repetitive and dark. Guitarist Ben Moody is missed -- the guitar hooks are way too predictable and pedestrian. Singer Amy Lee is a mightly talent, and in one out of every three songs, we get to really enjoy her talent.
  8. EdnitaR
    Sep 3, 2009
    6
    I think that The Open Door wasn't as good as Fallen but I did like some of the songs like call me when your sober, and lithium.
  9. MinaN
    Oct 11, 2006
    6
    Not as good as "Fallen", quite disappointing. Not even a memorable song and they sound too similar. Anyway, it's not bad.
  10. Zal
    Jan 23, 2012
    5
    While not terrible, this album was disappointing. I personally loved Fallen so I had high expectations for this. Unfortunately, I did not think it was that great. I liked some of the songs like "Snow White Queen," "Lithium, " and "The Only One," but there really wasn't much else that I liked. "Call Me When You're Sober" wasn't that enjoyable and I barely remember "Sweet Sacrifice." I thinkWhile not terrible, this album was disappointing. I personally loved Fallen so I had high expectations for this. Unfortunately, I did not think it was that great. I liked some of the songs like "Snow White Queen," "Lithium, " and "The Only One," but there really wasn't much else that I liked. "Call Me When You're Sober" wasn't that enjoyable and I barely remember "Sweet Sacrifice." I think it's sad since I loved Fallen and I do believe that Evanescence is good, but you can tell that Moody leaving the group really took it's toll, and this album shows it.… Expand
  11. Juliakay337
    Mar 19, 2012
    5
    I don't think anyone can deny that Amy Lee has exceptional vocal ability, and I think there are some well crafted songs here. However, the album is almost unbearably melancholy...it seems like a chore to listen to it. There's a difference between music that you can relate to when you're feeling down and music that truly brings you down.

Awards & Rankings

20
#20 Most Discussed Album of 2006
46
#46 Most Shared Album of 2006

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
61

Generally favorable reviews - based on 12 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 12
  3. Negative: 1 out of 12
  1. Blender
    70
    Denser and more scuzzed-up than Fallen, the album amps everything up to gloriously epic, over-the-top proportions. [Oct 2006, p.129]
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  2. Billboard
    70
    Those who embraced "Fallen" will doubtlessly fall even harder into "The Open Door."
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  3. The New York Times
    50
    Many of these theatrical, midtempo songs run together.
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