Review Summary: The Dark Times of Symphonic/Gothic Metal, Part 3
To adress the obvious: yes, Evanescence is not really gothic or symphonic metal. But I'm writing a series of reviews for poorly received symphonic metal albums released between 2006 and 2016, and this particular album was released in 2006, appears to be Evanescence's most divisive work, and uses a lot of orchestration, so I'd say it mostly belongs in this series.
"The Open Door" feels chaotic, because it was made during a particularly chaotic time in Eva's career, with Amy Lee and Ben Moody's painful separation, Amy's other messy break-up with Shaun Morgan from Seether, and a bunch of other problems. So expect a lot of bitter break-up anthems, a lot of confusion and unpleasant emotions, and unfortunately, a distinct impression that Amy and her new musicians have no idea where to go musically. Yes, this album tries a lot of things. It has more symphonic elements, like I said, some heavier riffs, and Amy pushing her voice with her lowest and highest notes. All of this is good when it works, and when it doesn't, it feels like Evanescence are trying too hard, and end up not doing enough.
For example, opener "Sweet Sacrifice" tries to establish a sinister atmosphere, but doesn't completely achieve that, but it does have some not particularly memorable riffs and Amy yelling or whispering bitter lyrics to someone she despises. "Call me When You're Sober" is another obvious break-up song, with some nice piano work that's still way beneath Amy's skills as a pianist. On the complete opposite end, "All That I'm Living For" is a sweet ballad about a new, happier relationship, but it's ruined by Amy yelling the chorus. "Lacrymosa" should have been more interesting, like a metal cover of Mozart's "Lacrimosa", but instead, it's just another break-up song that occasionally plays a few part of "Lacrimosa" with an I.
I wouldn't say any of these songs are exactly terrible, just that they clearly can't compare to Evanescence's best. There are also two songs I'm not sure I like or not, "Your Star" and "Cloud Nine". "Your Star" is a very average, simple song about looking for your lover, with an unexplained allusion to "the lights of Lisbon". It only gets interesting in the bridge, with its big symphonic choir. "Cloud Nine" has a peculiar and kind of fun melody, with high and low notes, but it turns out to be just another song about missing your lover.
Then, are there actually good songs on this album? I'd say yes. "Weight of the World" is where the heavier, louder music and the lower and higher vocals actually work. It's about wanting to, uh, close the door on your unpleasant past and heal, and though it's not the only song with those themes, it's one of the best. The other ballads are pretty good, like "Lithium" and its icy piano melody, the typical Evanescence song, I guess. "Good Enough" is an even better for Amy's piano skills, but something about its lyrics, with lines like "So take care what you ask of me, because I can't say no", always felt a little creepy to me. "Like You" has an interesting instrumental with mostly piano and background guitars and percussion, like something from Eva's pre-"Fallen" days. It's also a heart-breaking song about Amy's childhood and how she wanted to die to join her dead sister. I'm sure these were not easy words to say out loud, let alone record in a song, and in my opinion, this song is the reason this album still deserves a listen.
Evanescence's saddest, most honest song is followed by "Lose Control", a strange track about letting loose and do crazy things like having an affair. Once you're no longer shocked by the mood whiplash, you'll notice a few good things about "Lose Control", like the dark, seductive undertone and the sense of fun. It feels weird to describe an Evanescence song as fun or seductive, but it kind of works. "The Only One" is another strange experimentation, beginning with radio jingles and scratching, before turning into what I can only describe as a dark r'n b ballad with lyrics about not fitting in and not believing what the authorities tell you. I interpret that as being about leaving a cult, though it could be about many other things as well, the song is just that mysterious. These two songs are interesting experiments, but you won't get much out of them if you have a very specific idea of what an Evanescence song is supposed to sound like.
"The Open Door" is really all over the place. I like that it tries new things, that it tries to be feel "bigger" than the band's usual output. I've made fun of their bitter break-up lyrics, but I like how Amy is working through her issues and finding a sense of closure. But aside from a few songs, I can't say I really love that album. Amy on her own has some trouble recreating the magic of "Fallen", so her outside-the-formula experiences end up being the most interesting songs on the album. But while the Evanescence formula tracks can sometimes work, a lot of them are just repetitive and uninteresting, and being heavier and more symphonic only make them feel like they are trying too much, to end up not doing enough.
Of all the albums I've reviewed for this series (links here: https://www.metal-archives.com/reviews/Tristania/Rubicon/428215/EvinJelin/324615 and https://www.metal-archives.com/reviews/Nightwish/Dark_Passion_Play/595486/EvinJelin/324615 on the metal archives), this one isn't the worst. I don't exactly hate it, but something always kept me from really enjoying it, so we can still consider it Evanescence's most disappointing effort. To address an obvious issue, no I don't hate all of Eva's post-Ben Moody albums. To me, what made early Evanescence so great was Ben and Amy's combined talents, there was not one absolutely better than the other. Her writing has improved, and she has proven she can write without him easily ("The Bitter Truth" is a vast improvement on "The Open Door" and the self-titled album), but it wasn't easy at first. What about Ben's work without Amy? Well we'll see that later.
