The Open Door

The predictors of Evanescence’s end are wrong

The style of the American rock band Evanescence is quite difficult to classify to a narrower category, the choice varying from gothic metal to arena nad even wagnerian rock. The bands’ front woman Amy Lee’s amazing high tone powerful vocals can make any song a piece of art, and Evanescence mostly adheres to rock numbers heavy on guitars, drums and basses and lyrical ballads, often causing listeners to cry. Since the 2003 debut album Fallen has been unleashed there have been significant changes in the band’s line-up: guitarist and manager Ben Moody has departed the band, Terry Balsamo now occupies his place, and Tim McCord is a new drummer starting from August 2006. Moody’s departure seemed a catastrophy to a great part of the audience, and many predicted the end of Evanescence. However, they are wrong. Lee found a new songwriting partner in the face of Balsamo, who has contributed greatly to the band’s new album The Open Door, the first single off which Call Me When You're Sober has appeared on the radio early this August. Filled with a wide spectrum of emotions from fear to happiness, The Open Door is filled with the feeling of unlimited freedom in Amy Lee’s vocals, and proves that Evanescence can continue creating gorgeous music despite any changes within the group.

The Open Door fills one with infinite gladness that Evanescence is back

According to Lee’s confession, the new record has let her finally do what she even didn’t know she is able to, and with the help of Terry Balsamo her enthusiasm and inspiration acquired the necessary direction. As on the previous album, Dave Fortman has produced all the tracks, trimming them with a perfect sounding that emphasizes Lee’s incomparable singing. Featuring 13 tracks the record fulfills the performer’s all dreams as a singer and as a songwriter and presents a collection of heavier rock songs and more heartfelt ballads. Opening with a hard song Sweet Sacrifice, the album continues on the single Call Me When You're Sober, refined with iridescent piano, which is one of Amy Lee’s favorites, and it is easy to understand why. The unforgettable melody and outstanding vocals place it among the year’s new hits and evoke the strongest feelings of the listeners. Weight of the World starts with Lee’s whispering and gradually turns into a monumental composition with penetrating vocals, which make hearts beat twice faster, and the desperate love ballad Lithium amazes with its solidity and depth. On The Only One Lee sings of faith, struggle with it and reveals her thoughts concerning the existence of God, all this against the background of contrasting loud drums and a soft piano. Closing with the singer’s another favorite, a happier ballad Good Enough, performed only with the accompanemint of piano and different from the generally sullen and dark album, The Open Door fills one with infinite gladness that Evanescence is back.

A heavier, more severe and uneasy album

The certain improvement in Evanescence performance is the way Lee’s vocals combine and contrast with the instrumentation. At times the guitars merely take them up and merge into one sound with the voice, and there are moments when Amy sings in exactly the opposite tone than the backing instruments, making the whole sounding especially thick and many-sided. The diapason of her voice has also become wider, which is especially well heard at the beginning and at the end of the songs. The specific feature of The Open Door is that most of the tracks are arranged in such a way, that it is impossible to predict the way they finish. A song may begin with a soft tune and almost whispering vocal and grow into a heavy and harsh composition filled with strong emotions like rage or struggle. Sometimes a resonant choir appears in the background and underlines the main vocalic line, but in most of the cases it is Amy’s unbelievable voice that gives this or that mood to a song and penetrates straight into a soul. The Open Door offers very little songs like My Immortal, being a heavier, more severe and uneasy album, with a great amount of beating energy and boiling emotions. Evanescence has not only continued its existence, but also confirmed its reputation of one of the best rock bands to whichever the category you refer it.