The Open Door
Encyclopedia
The Open Door is the second studio album
by the American rock
band Evanescence
. It was first released in Poland on September 25, 2006, through Wind-up Records
and subsequently in more than 20 other countries worldwide. Originally intended to be released in March 2006, the release date of The Open Door was changed due to guitarist Terry Balsamo
's stroke, the loss of the band's former manager and Will Boyd's and Ben Moody
's departure from the band. The album symbolizes a new beginning for the band, incorporating new elements in their old music such as gothic rock, symphonic rock and pop music as well as choirs on several songs. The writing process for the album took a period of over 18 months and the majority of the songs were written by Amy Lee
and Terry Balsamo, while being produced by Dave Fortman
.
The album received mixed to positive reviews from music critics who generally praised its lyrical content and the instrumentation accompanied by Lee's vocals. However, some critics gave a negative review towards the different sound from the band's last album Fallen (2003). The album earned a nomination at the 50th Grammy Awards
for Best Hard Rock Performance
with "Sweet Sacrifice
". The band also won in the category Album of the Year at the 2007 MTV Australia Video Music Awards. The Open Door debuted at number one on the Billboard 200
selling more than 447.000 copies in its first week. It topped the charts in Australia, Europe, Germany, Greece and Switzerland and charted in top five in over fifteen countries. The album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA) just over a month after its release, and has since sold more than six million copies worldwide. It was also certified Platinum, Gold and 2× Platinum in over fifteen worldwide markets. As of October, 2011 it has sold more than two million copies in the United States and over six million copies worldwide.
"Call Me When You're Sober
" was digitally released as the first single from the album on September 4, 2006 and it was later released as a CD single
on September 27. It peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and it charted within the top 20 in several more charts internationally. "Lithium
" was released as the second single on January 1, 2007 while "Sweet Sacrifice
" was released as the third international single from the album on May 5, 2007. "Good Enough
" was released as the fourth single from the album and it failed to chart on the music charts. The Open Door had been supported by two worldwide tours.
's stroke, Will Boyd's and Ben Moody
's departure and the loss of their former manager. Although Lee stated on the fan forum
that Evanescence's new album would be completed in March 2006, the release was pushed back allegedly because "Wind-up Records...wanted to make a few changes to the upcoming single "Call Me When You're Sober
." Talking about the development and inspiration of the album, Lee stated:
In an interview with MTV News
, Lee revealed the inspiration behind the title of the album: "I feel like I have the ability to do a lot of things I couldn't do before, for a number of reasons.[...] As a musician, I feel like I can just do whatever. This album is completely the way I wanted it to be on every level, and it's more of me and it's more of my writing. A lot of doors have kind of been opened in my life — not just since everything has happened for us. But lately, I have kind of just learned to go, 'OK, that's it,' and cut a few ties and move away — learn how to say 'No' and look for happiness." Lee also stated that the band "broke the doors" and tried doing different things which was also an inspiration for the title. The artwork for the album shows Lee in front of an open door. The Victorian
dress she wears on the artwork was designed by herself. Simon Cosyns of The Sun concluded that the artwork "keeps the dark Evanescence image intact, with sinister fairytale scenes, elaborate Victorian gothic arches, illuminated typography and elaborate flowing dresses." Dane Prokofiev of PopMatters
praised the artwork calling it "gother-looking piece."
The album was recorded at Record Plant Studios, Los Angeles, California. It was produced and mixed by Dave Fortman
at Ocean Way Studios
. Jeremy Parker done the audio engineering
with Mike Houge and Wesley Seidman as an additional engineers while Ted Jensen
mastered
the album at Sterling Sound, New York. The choral arrangements were finished by Amy Lee and recorded at Capitol Studios
, Hollywood, California. The choir and the string were recorded in an old chapel near Seattle, Washington. DJ Lethal
programmed
every song on the album although John LeCompt was an additional programmer on "Call Me When You're Sober" and on "All That I'm Living For" which was also programmed by Bon Harris
. David Campbell finished the orchestral arrangements which were performed by Seattlemusic.
, Lee described the sound of the album, "I just wanted to create and do something different and branch out. At the heart of it I know it's still Evanescence and it's still me, but structurally it's a lot more fun. We went a lot of different ways with it instead of constantly sticking to the same structure and the same pop formula. I think it's more mature and more brave all around; it's like the instruments actually go together, the piano and guitar and vocals, since they're written together -- they intertwine. It's definitely even more personal. At least for me, because I was there, it sounds more fun because I was having so much more fun." Talking about the album with MTV News, Lee stated: "It's very new for us, and it's fun, actually. This album, I sort of pushed all my limits and did all the things maybe I wasn't brave enough to do the last time or just that I'm older now and more mature and — I don't know — a better writer. I worked a lot harder and I think that the songs are better and I'm excited." In another interview with The Sun, she said that the main theme behind The Open Door was freedom and her personal life. The lyrics were mostly talking about "what was going on at the time" in her life and about "the experimenting and fun stuff" the band tried in The Open Door. Lee described the songs on the album as "very dark", but added that they showed how to pass the tough moments in life. In comparison with Fallen she said "They're very different. The chords are still there but it's just a more mature version." She further stated: "Fallen is a great record [but] I don't think you can match the success of another body of work. I think that's only going to frustrate you. My only goal making this one was making something that I love even more and that I think is an even better record, and we've definitely done that." Incorporating classical influences and several new elements in the music, she further drew inspiration from Portishead and Björk
.
"Lacrymosa" and "Your Star" contain background vocals provided by The Millennium Choir, a choir which worked with the band on several songs on Fallen. Richard Harrington of The Washington Post
noted that the album consists of gothic rock
songs with brooding lyrics and Lee's vocals while pianos, strings and choirs provide the music. Other genres present in the songs on The Open Door are heavy metal
, opera
and pop music
. Jim Farber of Daily News concluded "Evanescence's music again isn't quite metal (unless you think Creed
qualifies). Neither is it exactly pop (at least not in the current R&B-leaning sense of the term). But the resulting hybrid offers a genuine alternative to everything else that's out there." Farber found similarities between the songs on The Open Door with artists like Mariah Carey
, Sarah Brightman
, Nickelback
and Annie Haslam
. A writer of The Sydney Morning Herald
concluded that "the band's symphonic metal tunes and dark-hearted lyrics are gloomier than ever" on The Open Door. Ann Powers
of Los Angeles Times
called the music on the album "too pop for some and too hard for others" further describing the lyrics as "youthfully earnest and sometimes obvious." In his review of The Open Door, Jon Dolan of Entertainment Weekly concludes: "The music is still the same crush of chunka-chunka riffs, moody electronic churn
, and Valhalla-bound metal slam, all in service of Lee's strikingly operatic singing." Sarah Rodman of The Boston Globe
wrote that the songs on the album are similar to the band's other songs "Bring Me to Life
" and "Going Under
", with the "mix of Lee's ethereal soprano, piano interludes, and layers of serrated guitar crunch that conjure visions of Sarah McLachlan
fronting Godsmack
." Rolling Stone
s Rob Sheffield compared Lee's vocals with '80s "shoulder-pad belters" like Pat Benatar
and Ann Wilson
from the band Heart
. Christianity Todays Andree Farias called the album "an extension of what the band has done before. Industrial backbeats give way to thick metal riffs, orchestrated grandeur, and ghoulish choral elements, all complemented by Lee's operatic soprano."
", the first song of the album contains "rumbling guitars" and a string section as stated by IGN
s Ed Thompson. The main theme for the song is getting over from an abusive relationship
which was also an inspiration to all the songs on Fallen. Both Jordan Reimer of The Daily Princetonian
and Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone
speculated that the song was written for Evanescence's former guitarist Ben Moody. "Call Me When You're Sober" is a rock
song that starts as a piano ballad
before quickly turning into an alternative metal
song that uses elements of nu-metal, symphonic rock
, and pop music
. Lee described the song as a "chick anthem" and openly revealed that she wrote the song for her ex-boyfriend Shaun Morgan
of the American alternative metal band Seether
. With no effort to hide her still-raw emotions, Lee accuses her lover, "Don't cry to me/ If you loved me/ You would be here with me/ Don't lie to me/ Just get your things/ I've made up your mind." Described as a "chick anthem", the protagonist in the song explains why the relationship between the pair won't work through the lyrics "Don't cry to me … If you loved me, you would be here with me / … How could I have burned paradise? How could I … you were never mine." "Weight of the World" is a mixture of pop and metal as stated by a writer of Stornoway Gazette
. Inspired by the pressures of fame the protagonist has, it contains "Eastern motifs" and "distorted vocals" in the opening lines "Feels like the weight of the world / Like God in heaven gave me a turn / Don't cling to me, I swear I fix you" and in the chorus lines "If you love me, then let go of me / I won't be held down by who I used to be."
"Lithium" is a slow-tempo rock
song where the protagonist sings about the fear of lithium in a lower register while "embrac[ing] feeling over numbness." Its chorus was originally written on a guitar when Lee was 16 years old but the guitar was later changed to piano when the verses were written. Written about the choice between the comfort of sorrow and the possibility of happiness, the song shows protagonist's sadness as an excuse to make music. Critics noted similarities between the "tinkling" piano intro in the song and the band's previous material, most notably their song "My Immortal" (2003). MTV News' Chris Harris compared "Lithium" with Tori Amos
' songs. Rolling Stones Rob Sheffield noted that the song was Lee's ode to Kurt Cobain
and Nirvana
's song of the same name. "Cloud Nine" was inspired by a break-up which is present in the lines "If you want to live, let live/ If you want to go, let go/ What are we doing here?/ Because I can live without you." It uses strings, studio effects and Lee's "layered moaning." "Snow White Queen" was inspired after Lee had weird experiences with stalkers. She stated, "My privacy had been completely invaded and there were a couple of nights where I couldn't stay at my house. So I wrote a song about it through the eyes of the stalker, and with my perspective, too." Entertainment Weeklys Jon Dolan found similarities between the song and Tori Amos "Me and a Gun
". It uses several industrial beats into its composition.
"Lacrymosa" incorporates the Lacrimosa
sequence from Mozart's Requiem
(1791). It includes a 22-orchestra led by Dave Campbell and background vocals by The Millennium Choir. Inspired by the film Amadeus
, the song contains electronic backing beats, symphonic string section, heavy guitar and a haunting choir. The choir backing track in the song makes a contrasting representation of light and dark. Jim Farber of Daily News compared the song with materials by English progressive rock band Renaissance
. "Like You" is written in memory of Amy Lee's deceased sister, as was "Hello" on Fallen. Lee stated: "I can't help but be affected by that, and if it's my place to express myself and all the things that have been most deep and the most painful and have just touched me, I feel like it does honor her." One of the most personal songs on the album, "Like You" contains emo
lyrics "I long to be like you/Lie cold in the ground like you" which are accompanied by heavy riffing guitars. Rolling Stones Rob Sheffield found similarities between "Like You" and a song called "Helena" while other critics compared the song with Evanescence's earlier material on Fallen. "Lose Control" was inspired by Balsamo's loud guitar and it contains Portishead influences. The protagonist shows his anger through the lines "You don't remember my name, I don't really care."
"The Only One" was originally called "Tuna Afternoon" and it talks about Lee's experiences with close-mindedness and people around her which seemed lost in a world they didn't belong in. It starts with a piano intro similar to the band's Fallen era and songs by Sarah McLachan. In the song, Lee "decries human guidance" with the chorus lines "All our lives / We've been waiting / For someone to call our leader / All your lies / I'm not believing / Heaven shine a light down on me." "Your Star" was inspired by Lee's loneliness during the band's tour in support of Fallen. She was inspired to write the chorus in Lisbon
when she looked at the sky and she couldn't see the stars at night. Other inspiration came from the band Pantera
. Guitars and piano provide its instrumentation, while Lee sings about "Lord Himself
" as stated by Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone. "All That I'm Living For" was co-writen by guitarist John LeCompt and it describes Lee's writing process at night which is present on the first line "Save me from the night again/ I can feel the separation from the living." It contains "power chords", elements of electronica
, abrasive guitars and Lee's vocals. "Good Enough" was solely written by Amy Lee and it was put as the last song on the album because it symbolized a theme of the album and a theme in Lee's life. It features a string section and resemblance to Tori Amos' and Sarah McLachan's songs. Inspired by her long-time friend and husband, Josh Hartzler, "Good Enough" has a similar composition to "My Immortal" because of their piano sound.
and Walmart.com. The pre-order, if bought before October 3, 2006, contained an interview with Amy Lee and a bonus track titled "The Last Song I'm Wasting on You", which later appeared as a B-side track on the "Lithium" single. On September 24, the album became available for full streaming at AOL Music.
", which had a limited radio release on July 31, 2006, going into wide release over the next week. The full version of "Call Me When You're Sober" had been leaked to the Internet a couple of days before it was due to be officially released to radio airplay; after this occurred, the record label allowed radio stations to begin playing the song. Later, it was available for digital download
on September 4, 2006 and an official release as a single followed on September 25. For the week ending September 9, 2006, the song peaked at number 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100
. It managed to peak at number 3 on the New Zealand Singles Chart, number 5 on the Australian Singles Chart, and number 4 on the UK Singles Chart
. It also charted within the top 20 of several more charts internationally and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA) on February 17, 2009, and Gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association
(ARIA).
The second single from The Open Door, "Lithium
" was released in the United Kingdom on January 8, 2007. It appeared on several international charts peaking at number 26 on the Australian Singles Chart, number 32 on the UK Singles Chart and at number 16 on the New Zealand Singles Chart. The third single was originally planned to be "All That I'm Living For"; however, after considering the wishes of both the fans and the band itself, the label decided to change the release, and "Sweet Sacrifice" was released as the next single from the album. It charted in Germany, Turkey and on Billboards Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks. Though "Lithium" and "Sweet Sacrifice" charted in the top 40 at rock radio, neither appeared on the Hot 100. Bill Richards, Wind-up senior VP of marketing and sales, attributed the reduced airplay of the album due to not having "the hard rock [tracks] to solidify the base, and it wasn't melodic and poppy enough with big hooks to go to pop." "Good Enough
" was released as the fourth single from the album, but failed to appear on charts.
in October 2007 to the country of Colombia
only. "Together Again", a song created for The Open Door but later cut, was released as a free digital download on January 22, 2010 to benefit the United Nations Foundation
for their Haiti earthquake
recovery efforts. During a statement, Lee stated: "I am deeply moved by the tragic loss and devastation in Haiti. We hope to be able to make a positive contribution to the UN's emergency response by teaming with the UN Foundation through our music." The song later received wide release as a digital download on February 23, 2010. It managed to peak at number 86 on the Canadian Hot 100
. In a 2004 interview with MTV News, Amy Lee revealed that she was composing music for the film, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
. She also revealed that the producers of the movie offered her a small role: "They were like, 'Do you want to do a cameo?' And I was like, 'Hell yeah! Let me die. I want to be somebody who gets murdered.' So I don't think that's going to happen." She later revealed that "Lacrymosa", a song from the album was originally written for the film, but was mysteriously not included. However, according to producers, neither Lee or the band were approached to compose music for the film. Another song was also written for the movie, but it was rejected because of its dark sound.
The first leg of The Open Door world tour began October 5, 2006, in Toronto
, Canada
and lasted until December 15, 2006, in New York City
. After touring North America during October, the band traveled to Europe during November before returning to the United States to play large arenas. This leg of their tour continued on January 5, 2007, with the band playing locations in Canada, Japan, and Australia. When playing in the United States, the band was supported by Revelation Theory
, by the bands Stone Sour
and The Black Maria
when in Canada, and by Shihad
in Australia. The second leg of their world tour began on March 16, 2007, in Fresno, California
. The tour ran through the United States, South America, South Africa, back to the U.S., and finished in Europe. Supporting the band during the opening U.S. part of this leg is Chevelle
and Finger Eleven
. When in Buenos Aires
, Evanescence took part in a rock festival with Aerosmith
, Velvet Revolver
and Ratones Paranóicos. During part of the European section, the band took part in the Family Values Tour 2007
alongside Korn
. After Family Values, the band continued touring through Mexico
and the United States. The final leg of the tour kicked off on October 23, 2007, in Coral Gables, Florida
. Sick Puppies
and Julien-K
were the supporting bands while Shiny Toy Guns
made a special guest appearance during the December 1, 2007, show in University Park, Pennsylvania
. After over a year of touring, the last show was played in Kingston, Rhode Island
, and the tour ended on December 9, 2007. New additions to the set list for this tour include "Lose Control", "Missing", and "Understanding".
. At Metacritic
, which assigns a normalized
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
score of 61, based on twelve reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". IGN
music reviewer Ed Thompson, said that "The Open Door is everything that you could ever want in a follow-up album - and more" and added that despite Ben Moody's exit from the band Lee and Balsamo haven't missed the beat. Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone gave the album three-and-a-half stars out of five and said that "Amy Lee is still extremely sad about boys, God and much, much more." He concluded that " When the pain takes over her corseted soul, as in practically every song on The Open Door, she just overdubs her big bodice-ripping voice into a choir." He noted that the "best songs on The Open Door are the creepiest." Sheffield finished his review by saying "Obviously, Lee has got a touch of the magnetic and destructive herself. But that's what makes the breakup songs on The Open Door feel mighty real." Jon Dolan of Entertainment Weekly
wrote that the album is "[...] more personal and, by accessing a deeper emotional palette, maybe even more universal." A writer of Blender
gave a positive review saying: "Denser and more scuzzed-up than Fallen, the album amps everything up to gloriously epic, over-the-top proportions."
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
from Allmusic stated that "The Open Door is a muddle of affections. Sonically, however, it captures the Evanescence mythos better and more consistently than the first album - after all, Lee now has no apologies of being the thinking man's nu-metal chick, now that she's a star". Calling the album "less fun", Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times
concluded that some of the song on the album are similar between each other. St. Louis Post-Dispatch
s Sara Berry wrote that the album "their sound remains essentially the same: the strange but amicable marriage of churning guitar riffs to lead singer Amy Lee's silky soprano." Sarah Rodman of The Boston Globe
called the album a 45-minute "romantic peace" stating that "if Door featured more open-throated crooning and less teeth-gritting anger it would be a much more interesting record." She concluded that the sound of the album gets "black and blacker" and noted "Lyrics tend toward repetition of words like 'darkness,' 'haunting,' and 'rage.'" Christa Titus of Billboard
magazine called it a "far more nuanced, moody and richly textured effort" then Fallen. A writer for Postmedia News gave the album three-and-a-half stars out of five and noted "While it's similar in style and sound to its predecessor, The Open Door loses the punchy power rifts and instead persuades the listener with piano and airy vocals." Andre Farias of Christianity Today
noted: "The sound is loud, yes, but it's almost indistinguishable from its predecessor—a disappointment considering the opus was nearly three-and-a-half years in the making."
Some reviewers gave negative reviews towards the loud sound on the album and criticized the lyrics. A more mixed review was given by Jim Farmer of the Daily News, who commented that the "jerry-built" sound the band used for the album "isn't anything to be admired." MusicOMH
reviewer Alex Nunn, gave the album two out of five stars and said, "Seeing Amy Lee's lyrics go as drastically down the pan as this resembles watching a bad car crash." He added, "Musically it's power chords and big riffs-ahoy, generic, mundane, boring stuff. The Open Door is an exercise in how not to make a sophomore album." Darryl Sterdan of Jam!
also graded The Open Door with two stars highlighting Lee's voice and criticizing the same instructions used for making the songs on the album. He added that the songs put together make a "monotonous blast of self-indulgent Evanonsense." Sterdan finished his review by concluding that "some door[s] are better off staying closed." Andy Gill of The Independent
also criticized The Open Door and wrote that Lee's narrow vocal range was mirrored in the "restricted breadth of the band's musical and emotional range, which never strays outside the short distance from paranoid to apocalyptic, concerns addressed in as bombastic and tune-dodging a manner as possible." At the 2007 NRJ Music Awards, The Open Door received a nomination for Best International Album of the Year. The Open Door won in the category Album of the Year at the 2007 MTV Australia Video Music Awards. "Sweet Sacrifice" received a nominations in the category for Best Hard Rock Performance
at the 50th Grammy Awards
.
chart, The Open Door debuted at number one selling over 447,000 copies in its first week and becoming the 700th album to top the chart. It also debuted at number one on the Rock Albums chart and at number two on the Digital Albums. In just two weeks on the charts in the United States, the album sold approximately 725,000 copies, and on November 8, 2006, it was certified platinum
by the Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA) after little more than a month in its wide release. The Open Door became the 38 best-selling album of 2006 in the United States and it was the 52 best-selling album for 2007. Double platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America was awarded on June 24, 2009.
On the UK Albums Chart
, The Open Door debuted at number two on October 14, 2011, which later became its peak position and sold more than 94,409 copies in its first week and became the 81 best-selling for 2006. As of October, 2011, it has sold more than 347,000 copies in the United Kingdom. In Canada, the album debuted at number 2, selling over 43,000 copies in its first week. It was later certified double platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association
(CRIA). In Australia and New Zealand, the album peaked at numbers 1 and 2 respectively. It was later certified 2× Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association
(ARIA) and Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
(RIANZ). As of June 10, 2008, The Open Door had sold nearly two million copies in the United States and as of October 11, 2011 it sold over 2.1 million copies in the same country and additional two million copies worldwide.
Notes
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by the American rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Evanescence
Evanescence
Evanescence is an American rock band founded in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1995 by singer/pianist Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody. After recording private albums, the band released their first full-length album, Fallen, on Wind-up Records in 2003. Fallen sold more than 17 million copies worldwide...
. It was first released in Poland on September 25, 2006, through Wind-up Records
Wind-Up Records
Wind-up Entertainment, Inc. is a record label based in New York City. It was formed in 1997 by Alan Meltzer, former owner of CD One Stop, following his 1996 purchase of Grass Records. Wind-up is currently the largest independently-owned record label in the world...
and subsequently in more than 20 other countries worldwide. Originally intended to be released in March 2006, the release date of The Open Door was changed due to guitarist Terry Balsamo
Terry Balsamo
Terry Balsamo , is an American guitarist. He is the former guitarist of the alternative metal band Cold and the current guitarist of Evanescence.-Early projects and Cold:...
's stroke, the loss of the band's former manager and Will Boyd's and Ben Moody
Ben Moody
Benjamin Robert Moody is a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and actor. He is best known as co-founder, lead guitarist, and songwriter of Grammy Award-winning rock band Evanescence from 1995 to October 2003...
's departure from the band. The album symbolizes a new beginning for the band, incorporating new elements in their old music such as gothic rock, symphonic rock and pop music as well as choirs on several songs. The writing process for the album took a period of over 18 months and the majority of the songs were written by Amy Lee
Amy Lee
Amy Lynn Hartzler , best known as Amy Lee, is an American singer-songwriter and classically trained pianist. She is co-founder and lead vocalist of the rock band Evanescence. She cites influences ranging from classical musicians such as Mozart to modern artists Björk, Tori Amos, Danny Elfman and...
and Terry Balsamo, while being produced by Dave Fortman
Dave Fortman
Dave Fortman is the guitarist for the band Ugly Kid Joe. He currently is an American music producer. He has worked with bands such as Superjoint Ritual, Watership Down, Eyehategod, Mudvayne, Otep, Slipknot on their new fourth studio album titled All Hope Is Gone, and Simple Plan, as well as on both...
.
The album received mixed to positive reviews from music critics who generally praised its lyrical content and the instrumentation accompanied by Lee's vocals. However, some critics gave a negative review towards the different sound from the band's last album Fallen (2003). The album earned a nomination at the 50th Grammy Awards
50th Grammy Awards
The 50th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, on February 10, 2008. Kanye West received the most nominations, with eight. Amy Winehouse was the big winner, winning a total of five awards. Herbie Hancock's River: The Joni Letters won Album of the Year,...
for Best Hard Rock Performance
Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance was an award presented to recording artists at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, for works containing quality performances in the hard rock music genre...
with "Sweet Sacrifice
Sweet Sacrifice
"Sweet Sacrifice" is a song by American rock band Evanescence. It was released on May 25, 2007, as the third single from their second studio album, The Open Door. It was written by Amy Lee and Terry Balsamo while the production was handled by Dave Fortman. "All That I'm Living For" was initially...
". The band also won in the category Album of the Year at the 2007 MTV Australia Video Music Awards. The Open Door debuted at number one on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
selling more than 447.000 copies in its first week. It topped the charts in Australia, Europe, Germany, Greece and Switzerland and charted in top five in over fifteen countries. The album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
(RIAA) just over a month after its release, and has since sold more than six million copies worldwide. It was also certified Platinum, Gold and 2× Platinum in over fifteen worldwide markets. As of October, 2011 it has sold more than two million copies in the United States and over six million copies worldwide.
"Call Me When You're Sober
Call Me When You're Sober
"Call Me When You're Sober" is a song by American rock band Evanescence. The song was written by Amy Lee and Terry Balsamo and produced by Dave Fortman and it was included on their second studio album The Open Door. On July 30, 2006 several radio stations played the track before its official...
" was digitally released as the first single from the album on September 4, 2006 and it was later released as a CD single
CD single
A CD single is a music single in the form of a standard size Compact Disc, not to be confused with the 3-inch CD single, which uses a smaller form factor. The format was introduced in the mid-1980s, but did not gain its place in the market until the early 1990s...
on September 27. It peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and it charted within the top 20 in several more charts internationally. "Lithium
Lithium (Evanescence song)
Maxi 7" Vinyl Picture Disc-Chart performance:...
" was released as the second single on January 1, 2007 while "Sweet Sacrifice
Sweet Sacrifice
"Sweet Sacrifice" is a song by American rock band Evanescence. It was released on May 25, 2007, as the third single from their second studio album, The Open Door. It was written by Amy Lee and Terry Balsamo while the production was handled by Dave Fortman. "All That I'm Living For" was initially...
" was released as the third international single from the album on May 5, 2007. "Good Enough
Good Enough
Good Enough may refer to:Albums* Good Enough , by OlaSongs* "Good Enough" * "Good Enough" * "Good Enough", by Bobby Brown from Bobby* "Good Enough", by Brian McKnight from U-Turn...
" was released as the fourth single from the album and it failed to chart on the music charts. The Open Door had been supported by two worldwide tours.
Background, titling and artwork
During an interview with MTV News, Lee said that the band will begin the writing for the album in March, 2004 after they finish their tour for Fallen. She revealed that it was impossible to write on tour and added that "everybody's going to go to their house and write material." She further said that the band was going to get together just for the recording of the new material. Amy Lee originally broke the news about the new album to the fans in a post on an unofficial Evanescence site, EvBoard.com. However, the album progressed slowly for several reasons, including Amy Lee's desire to maximize the creative process and not rush production, other band members' side projects, guitarist Terry BalsamoTerry Balsamo
Terry Balsamo , is an American guitarist. He is the former guitarist of the alternative metal band Cold and the current guitarist of Evanescence.-Early projects and Cold:...
's stroke, Will Boyd's and Ben Moody
Ben Moody
Benjamin Robert Moody is a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and actor. He is best known as co-founder, lead guitarist, and songwriter of Grammy Award-winning rock band Evanescence from 1995 to October 2003...
's departure and the loss of their former manager. Although Lee stated on the fan forum
Internet forum
An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are at least temporarily archived...
that Evanescence's new album would be completed in March 2006, the release was pushed back allegedly because "Wind-up Records...wanted to make a few changes to the upcoming single "Call Me When You're Sober
Call Me When You're Sober
"Call Me When You're Sober" is a song by American rock band Evanescence. The song was written by Amy Lee and Terry Balsamo and produced by Dave Fortman and it was included on their second studio album The Open Door. On July 30, 2006 several radio stations played the track before its official...
." Talking about the development and inspiration of the album, Lee stated:
"Life happens. We were writing for more than a year, and even during the recording process, there were all kinds of stuff like relationship problems, and then there were all kinds of drama with [Rider], which was really stressful and straining. Terry's stroke was the most difficult part. All the things that happened were really inspiring, because it was frustrating. But for me at least, every time we get really frustrated and you're hitting a wall and everything is chaos, it just makes the music that much better, because you have passion — even if it's negative. That's sometimes better, actually. At the end of it, we all felt like we could take a new breath and start anew. We wrote great songs, and I love them. But at the same time, you need the trials to really be able to put something out there that's genuine and real."
In an interview with MTV News
MTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
, Lee revealed the inspiration behind the title of the album: "I feel like I have the ability to do a lot of things I couldn't do before, for a number of reasons.[...] As a musician, I feel like I can just do whatever. This album is completely the way I wanted it to be on every level, and it's more of me and it's more of my writing. A lot of doors have kind of been opened in my life — not just since everything has happened for us. But lately, I have kind of just learned to go, 'OK, that's it,' and cut a few ties and move away — learn how to say 'No' and look for happiness." Lee also stated that the band "broke the doors" and tried doing different things which was also an inspiration for the title. The artwork for the album shows Lee in front of an open door. The Victorian
Victorian fashion
Victorian fashion comprises the various fashions and trends in British culture that emerged and grew in province throughout the Victorian era and the reign of Queen Victoria, a period which would last from June 1837 to January 1901. Covering nearly two thirds of the 19th century, the 63 year reign...
dress she wears on the artwork was designed by herself. Simon Cosyns of The Sun concluded that the artwork "keeps the dark Evanescence image intact, with sinister fairytale scenes, elaborate Victorian gothic arches, illuminated typography and elaborate flowing dresses." Dane Prokofiev of PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
praised the artwork calling it "gother-looking piece."
Writing and recording
The writing process for The Open Door took a period of 18 months. The new songs on the album were written by Amy Lee and Terry Balsamo who shared credits for thirteen songs. However, Lee wrote "Like You", "Lithium" and "Good Enough" alone while she co-wrote "All That I'm Living For" with guitarist John LeCompt. Lee stated that after Moody's departure she didn't have somebody to hold her back in the writing process. Instead, Balsamo was "lifting" her up and pushing her to do something she wouldn't have done with Moody. Lee said: "He's a great writer, and it was just like we were just having fun with it for a change. It was like, 'Let's stop taking everything so seriously and have fun,' and we wrote a lot of songs that I'm just totally in love with." Lee described Balsamo's writing process during an interview with The Sun, "He's got this sort of spooky, surreal element to his guitar writing. [...] It’s really cool because it just works perfectly with what we do. He was really trying to create something so we were both discovering this new sound together and branching out. [...] Writing with Terry was a unique experience in my life because I’ve never been able to just sit and write music with somebody and not be afraid of what they would say." In a statement she said that the making of the album was "really intense" and that she came out "feeling purified" while her writing partner, Balsamo, lifted her "to a whole new level of inspiration and possibilities."The album was recorded at Record Plant Studios, Los Angeles, California. It was produced and mixed by Dave Fortman
Dave Fortman
Dave Fortman is the guitarist for the band Ugly Kid Joe. He currently is an American music producer. He has worked with bands such as Superjoint Ritual, Watership Down, Eyehategod, Mudvayne, Otep, Slipknot on their new fourth studio album titled All Hope Is Gone, and Simple Plan, as well as on both...
at Ocean Way Studios
Ocean Way Recording
Ocean Way Recording is the name of a series of recording studios in Hollywood, California and Nashville, Tennessee. Ocean Way Studios is well known in the recording industry due to the award-winning albums that were produced there....
. Jeremy Parker done the audio engineering
Audio engineering
An audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
with Mike Houge and Wesley Seidman as an additional engineers while Ted Jensen
Ted Jensen
Ted Jensen is an American recording engineer. Jensen is the chief mastering engineer at Sterling Sound. He started his career as a mastering engineer in 1976 and is currently the most active Mastering Engineer in the industry...
mastered
Audio mastering
Mastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
the album at Sterling Sound, New York. The choral arrangements were finished by Amy Lee and recorded at Capitol Studios
Capitol Studios
The Capitol Studios complex opened in the Capitol Records Building, a futuristic new building in the heart of Hollywood, in 1956. It has since hosted some of the most treasured recordings in music history, from Frank Sinatra to the Beastie Boys. It is owned by Capitol Records whose parent company...
, Hollywood, California. The choir and the string were recorded in an old chapel near Seattle, Washington. DJ Lethal
DJ Lethal
Leor Dimant , better known as DJ Lethal, is a turntablist and producer and member of the bands Limp Bizkit, House of Pain and La Coka Nostra.-Early life:Leor Dimant was born in Riga, Latvia, when this country was still part of the Soviet Union...
programmed
Programming (music)
Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices, often sequencers or computer programs, to generate music. Programming is used in nearly all forms of electronic music and in most hip hop music since the 1990s. It is also frequently used in modern pop and rock...
every song on the album although John LeCompt was an additional programmer on "Call Me When You're Sober" and on "All That I'm Living For" which was also programmed by Bon Harris
Bon Harris
Bon Harris is an English composer, producer, singer/song writer, and multi-instrumentalist. He is a founding member of the quintessential British EBM group Nitzer Ebb, programming Nitzer Ebb's signature sound...
. David Campbell finished the orchestral arrangements which were performed by Seattlemusic.
Musical style
Talking with Rolling Stone, Lee revealed that the album will be "a complete spectrum of darkness and scary stuff and emotion." During an interview with The Washington PostThe Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, Lee described the sound of the album, "I just wanted to create and do something different and branch out. At the heart of it I know it's still Evanescence and it's still me, but structurally it's a lot more fun. We went a lot of different ways with it instead of constantly sticking to the same structure and the same pop formula. I think it's more mature and more brave all around; it's like the instruments actually go together, the piano and guitar and vocals, since they're written together -- they intertwine. It's definitely even more personal. At least for me, because I was there, it sounds more fun because I was having so much more fun." Talking about the album with MTV News, Lee stated: "It's very new for us, and it's fun, actually. This album, I sort of pushed all my limits and did all the things maybe I wasn't brave enough to do the last time or just that I'm older now and more mature and — I don't know — a better writer. I worked a lot harder and I think that the songs are better and I'm excited." In another interview with The Sun, she said that the main theme behind The Open Door was freedom and her personal life. The lyrics were mostly talking about "what was going on at the time" in her life and about "the experimenting and fun stuff" the band tried in The Open Door. Lee described the songs on the album as "very dark", but added that they showed how to pass the tough moments in life. In comparison with Fallen she said "They're very different. The chords are still there but it's just a more mature version." She further stated: "Fallen is a great record [but] I don't think you can match the success of another body of work. I think that's only going to frustrate you. My only goal making this one was making something that I love even more and that I think is an even better record, and we've definitely done that." Incorporating classical influences and several new elements in the music, she further drew inspiration from Portishead and Björk
Björk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir , known as Björk , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk...
.
"Lacrymosa" and "Your Star" contain background vocals provided by The Millennium Choir, a choir which worked with the band on several songs on Fallen. Richard Harrington of The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
noted that the album consists of gothic rock
Gothic rock
Gothic rock is a musical subgenre of post-punk and alternative rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...
songs with brooding lyrics and Lee's vocals while pianos, strings and choirs provide the music. Other genres present in the songs on The Open Door are heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
, opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
and pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
. Jim Farber of Daily News concluded "Evanescence's music again isn't quite metal (unless you think Creed
Creed (band)
Creed is an American rock band formed in 1995 in Tallahassee, Florida. Becoming popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the band has released three consecutive multi-platinum albums, one of which has been certified diamond, and has sold over 28 million records in the United States, with an...
qualifies). Neither is it exactly pop (at least not in the current R&B-leaning sense of the term). But the resulting hybrid offers a genuine alternative to everything else that's out there." Farber found similarities between the songs on The Open Door with artists like Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
, Sarah Brightman
Sarah Brightman
Sarah Brightman is an English classical crossover soprano, actress, songwriter and dancer. She is famous for possessing a vocal range of over 3 octaves and singing in the whistle register...
, Nickelback
Nickelback
Nickelback is a Canadian rock band from Hanna, Alberta. Since 1995 the band has included guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, guitarist and back-up vocalist Ryan Peake and bassist Mike Kroeger.. The band's current drummer and percussionist is Daniel Adair who has been with the band since 2005....
and Annie Haslam
Annie Haslam
Annie Haslam is an English progressive rock vocalist and songwriter.Originally a fashion student, she began studying under opera singer Sybil Knight in 1970 and developed her five-octave vocal range...
. A writer of The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...
concluded that "the band's symphonic metal tunes and dark-hearted lyrics are gloomier than ever" on The Open Door. Ann Powers
Ann Powers
Ann Powers is an American writer and pop music critic.Powers has been writing about popular music and society since the early 1980s...
of Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
called the music on the album "too pop for some and too hard for others" further describing the lyrics as "youthfully earnest and sometimes obvious." In his review of The Open Door, Jon Dolan of Entertainment Weekly concludes: "The music is still the same crush of chunka-chunka riffs, moody electronic churn
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
, and Valhalla-bound metal slam, all in service of Lee's strikingly operatic singing." Sarah Rodman of The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
wrote that the songs on the album are similar to the band's other songs "Bring Me to Life
Bring Me to Life
"Bring Me to Life" is a song by American rock band Evanescence. It was written by Amy Lee, Ben Moody and David Hodges and produced by Dave Fortman. It also features guest vocals from Paul McCoy of the band 12 Stones. Wind-up released "Bring Me to Life" in 2003 as the lead single from Evanescence's...
" and "Going Under
Going Under
"Going Under" is a song by American rock band Evanescence. It was released on September 9, 2003, as the second single from their debut album Fallen. It was written by Amy Lee, David Hodges and Ben Moody, while production was handled by Dave Fortman...
", with the "mix of Lee's ethereal soprano, piano interludes, and layers of serrated guitar crunch that conjure visions of Sarah McLachlan
Sarah McLachlan
Sarah Ann McLachlan, OC, OBC is a Canadian musician, singer and songwriter. Known for her emotional ballads and mezzo-soprano vocal range, as of 2006, she has sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is Surfacing, for which she won two Grammy Awards and four...
fronting Godsmack
Godsmack
Godsmack is an American heavy metal band from Lawrence, Massachusetts, formed in 1995. The band is composed of founder, frontman and songwriter Sully Erna, guitarist Tony Rombola, bassist Robbie Merrill, and drummer Shannon Larkin...
." Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
s Rob Sheffield compared Lee's vocals with '80s "shoulder-pad belters" like Pat Benatar
Pat Benatar
Pat Benatar is an American singer and four-time Grammy winner. She had considerable commercial success particularly in the United States...
and Ann Wilson
Ann Wilson
Ann Dustin Wilson is an American musician, best known as the lead singer, flute player, songwriter, and occasional guitar player of the rock band Heart.-Personal life:...
from the band Heart
Heart (band)
Heart is an American rock band who first found success in Canada. Throughout several lineup changes, the only two members remaining constant are sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson. The group rose to fame in the 1970s with their music being influenced by hard rock as well as folk music...
. Christianity Todays Andree Farias called the album "an extension of what the band has done before. Industrial backbeats give way to thick metal riffs, orchestrated grandeur, and ghoulish choral elements, all complemented by Lee's operatic soprano."
Songs and lyrics
"Sweet SacrificeSweet Sacrifice
"Sweet Sacrifice" is a song by American rock band Evanescence. It was released on May 25, 2007, as the third single from their second studio album, The Open Door. It was written by Amy Lee and Terry Balsamo while the production was handled by Dave Fortman. "All That I'm Living For" was initially...
", the first song of the album contains "rumbling guitars" and a string section as stated by IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
s Ed Thompson. The main theme for the song is getting over from an abusive relationship
Relational aggression
Relational aggression, also known as covert aggression or covert bullying, is a type of aggression in which harm is caused through damage to relationships or social status within a group rather than by means of actual or threatened physical violence...
which was also an inspiration to all the songs on Fallen. Both Jordan Reimer of The Daily Princetonian
The Daily Princetonian
The Daily Princetonian is the daily independent student newspaper of Princeton University. It is published five days a week from September to May and three days a week during the University's Reading Period in January and May.- Finances :...
and Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
speculated that the song was written for Evanescence's former guitarist Ben Moody. "Call Me When You're Sober" is a rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
song that starts as a piano ballad
Piano ballad
Piano ballad is a term often used to refer to a piece for solo piano in the 19th century, during the romantic era. It was a term used to refer to a piece written in a "narrative" style, and was often lyrical in nature. This type of work made its premiere with Chopin's first romantic ballad, the...
before quickly turning into an alternative metal
Alternative metal
Alternative metal is a genre of alternative rock and heavy metal that gained popularity in the early 1990s. Most notably, alternative metal bands are characterized by heavy guitar riffs and experimental approaches to heavy music.-Origins:...
song that uses elements of nu-metal, symphonic rock
Symphonic rock
Symphonic rock is a sub-genre of progressive rock. Since early in progressive rock's history, the term has been used sometimes to distinguish more classically influenced progressive rock from the more psychedelic and experimental forms of progressive rock....
, and pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
. Lee described the song as a "chick anthem" and openly revealed that she wrote the song for her ex-boyfriend Shaun Morgan
Shaun Morgan
Shaun Morgan Welgemoed is a South African musician known as the lead singer and the lead/rhythm guitarist of the post-grunge rock/alternative metal band Seether.-Early life:...
of the American alternative metal band Seether
Seether
Seether is a post-grunge/alternative metal band from Pretoria, South Africa, formed in 1999. The band is currently signed to Wind-up Records...
. With no effort to hide her still-raw emotions, Lee accuses her lover, "Don't cry to me/ If you loved me/ You would be here with me/ Don't lie to me/ Just get your things/ I've made up your mind." Described as a "chick anthem", the protagonist in the song explains why the relationship between the pair won't work through the lyrics "Don't cry to me … If you loved me, you would be here with me / … How could I have burned paradise? How could I … you were never mine." "Weight of the World" is a mixture of pop and metal as stated by a writer of Stornoway Gazette
Stornoway Gazette
The Stornoway Gazette is a local newspaper reporting on local issues in the Western Isles of Scotland, specifically Stornoway and the Outer Hebrides.- External links :* of the Stornoway Gazette...
. Inspired by the pressures of fame the protagonist has, it contains "Eastern motifs" and "distorted vocals" in the opening lines "Feels like the weight of the world / Like God in heaven gave me a turn / Don't cling to me, I swear I fix you" and in the chorus lines "If you love me, then let go of me / I won't be held down by who I used to be."
"Lithium" is a slow-tempo rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
song where the protagonist sings about the fear of lithium in a lower register while "embrac[ing] feeling over numbness." Its chorus was originally written on a guitar when Lee was 16 years old but the guitar was later changed to piano when the verses were written. Written about the choice between the comfort of sorrow and the possibility of happiness, the song shows protagonist's sadness as an excuse to make music. Critics noted similarities between the "tinkling" piano intro in the song and the band's previous material, most notably their song "My Immortal" (2003). MTV News' Chris Harris compared "Lithium" with Tori Amos
Tori Amos
Tori Amos is an American pianist, singer-songwriter and composer. She was at the forefront of a number of female singer-songwriters in the early 1990s and was noteworthy early in her career as one of the few alternative rock performers to use a piano as her primary instrument...
' songs. Rolling Stones Rob Sheffield noted that the song was Lee's ode to Kurt Cobain
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Donald Cobain was an American singer-songwriter, musician and artist, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the grunge band Nirvana...
and Nirvana
Nirvana
Nirvāṇa ; ) is a central concept in Indian religions. In sramanic thought, it is the state of being free from suffering. In Hindu philosophy, it is the union with the Supreme being through moksha...
's song of the same name. "Cloud Nine" was inspired by a break-up which is present in the lines "If you want to live, let live/ If you want to go, let go/ What are we doing here?/ Because I can live without you." It uses strings, studio effects and Lee's "layered moaning." "Snow White Queen" was inspired after Lee had weird experiences with stalkers. She stated, "My privacy had been completely invaded and there were a couple of nights where I couldn't stay at my house. So I wrote a song about it through the eyes of the stalker, and with my perspective, too." Entertainment Weeklys Jon Dolan found similarities between the song and Tori Amos "Me and a Gun
Me and a Gun
"Me and a Gun" is a song by American singer-songwriter and musician Tori Amos. It was released as the first single from her debut studio album Little Earthquakes. It was released on October 21, 1991 by Atlantic Records in North America and EastWest Records in the UK.-Background:The song is three...
". It uses several industrial beats into its composition.
"Lacrymosa" incorporates the Lacrimosa
Lacrimosa (Requiem)
The Lacrimosa is part of the Dies Irae sequence in the Requiem mass. Its text comes from the 18th and 19th stanzas of the sequence. Many composers, including Mozart, Berlioz, and Verdi have set the text as a discrete movement of the Requiem.-Latin Text:...
sequence from Mozart's Requiem
Requiem (Mozart)
The Requiem Mass in D minor by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was composed in Vienna in 1791 and left unfinished at the composer's death. A completion by Franz Xaver Süssmayr was delivered to Count Franz von Walsegg, who had anonymously commissioned the piece for a requiem Mass to commemorate the...
(1791). It includes a 22-orchestra led by Dave Campbell and background vocals by The Millennium Choir. Inspired by the film Amadeus
Amadeus
Amadeus is a play by Peter Shaffer.It is based on the lives of the composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri, highly fictionalized.Amadeus was first performed in 1979...
, the song contains electronic backing beats, symphonic string section, heavy guitar and a haunting choir. The choir backing track in the song makes a contrasting representation of light and dark. Jim Farber of Daily News compared the song with materials by English progressive rock band Renaissance
Renaissance (band)
Renaissance are an English progressive rock band, most notable for their 1978 UK top 10 hit "Northern Lights" and progressive rock classics like "Carpet of the Sun", "Mother Russia" and "Ashes Are Burning".-Original incarnation :...
. "Like You" is written in memory of Amy Lee's deceased sister, as was "Hello" on Fallen. Lee stated: "I can't help but be affected by that, and if it's my place to express myself and all the things that have been most deep and the most painful and have just touched me, I feel like it does honor her." One of the most personal songs on the album, "Like You" contains emo
Emo
Emo is a style of rock music and its associated subcultureEmo may also refer to:- Businesses :* Emo , an Irish oil company and filling station chain* Emo Speedway, a racetrack in Emo, Ontario...
lyrics "I long to be like you/Lie cold in the ground like you" which are accompanied by heavy riffing guitars. Rolling Stones Rob Sheffield found similarities between "Like You" and a song called "Helena" while other critics compared the song with Evanescence's earlier material on Fallen. "Lose Control" was inspired by Balsamo's loud guitar and it contains Portishead influences. The protagonist shows his anger through the lines "You don't remember my name, I don't really care."
"The Only One" was originally called "Tuna Afternoon" and it talks about Lee's experiences with close-mindedness and people around her which seemed lost in a world they didn't belong in. It starts with a piano intro similar to the band's Fallen era and songs by Sarah McLachan. In the song, Lee "decries human guidance" with the chorus lines "All our lives / We've been waiting / For someone to call our leader / All your lies / I'm not believing / Heaven shine a light down on me." "Your Star" was inspired by Lee's loneliness during the band's tour in support of Fallen. She was inspired to write the chorus in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
when she looked at the sky and she couldn't see the stars at night. Other inspiration came from the band Pantera
Pantera
Pantera was an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas. Formed by the Abbott brothers, Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell in 1981, bassist Rex Brown would join in late 1981 with vocalist Terry Glaze. Looking for a new and heavier sound, Pantera had Terry replaced in 1987 with Phil Anselmo as...
. Guitars and piano provide its instrumentation, while Lee sings about "Lord Himself
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
" as stated by Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone. "All That I'm Living For" was co-writen by guitarist John LeCompt and it describes Lee's writing process at night which is present on the first line "Save me from the night again/ I can feel the separation from the living." It contains "power chords", elements of electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
, abrasive guitars and Lee's vocals. "Good Enough" was solely written by Amy Lee and it was put as the last song on the album because it symbolized a theme of the album and a theme in Lee's life. It features a string section and resemblance to Tori Amos' and Sarah McLachan's songs. Inspired by her long-time friend and husband, Josh Hartzler, "Good Enough" has a similar composition to "My Immortal" because of their piano sound.
Release and promotion
The Open Door was released worldwide beginning with Poland on September 25, 2006, Japan on September 27, Ireland and Germany on September 29, Australia on September 30, the rest of Europe on October 2, 2006, and was released to North America and Argentina on October 3. The digital version of the album was made available for pre-order on August 15, 2006 on iTunesITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
and Walmart.com. The pre-order, if bought before October 3, 2006, contained an interview with Amy Lee and a bonus track titled "The Last Song I'm Wasting on You", which later appeared as a B-side track on the "Lithium" single. On September 24, the album became available for full streaming at AOL Music.
Singles
The first single from the album was "Call Me When You're SoberCall Me When You're Sober
"Call Me When You're Sober" is a song by American rock band Evanescence. The song was written by Amy Lee and Terry Balsamo and produced by Dave Fortman and it was included on their second studio album The Open Door. On July 30, 2006 several radio stations played the track before its official...
", which had a limited radio release on July 31, 2006, going into wide release over the next week. The full version of "Call Me When You're Sober" had been leaked to the Internet a couple of days before it was due to be officially released to radio airplay; after this occurred, the record label allowed radio stations to begin playing the song. Later, it was available for digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
on September 4, 2006 and an official release as a single followed on September 25. For the week ending September 9, 2006, the song peaked at number 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. It managed to peak at number 3 on the New Zealand Singles Chart, number 5 on the Australian Singles Chart, and number 4 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. It also charted within the top 20 of several more charts internationally and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
(RIAA) on February 17, 2009, and Gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
(ARIA).
The second single from The Open Door, "Lithium
Lithium (Evanescence song)
Maxi 7" Vinyl Picture Disc-Chart performance:...
" was released in the United Kingdom on January 8, 2007. It appeared on several international charts peaking at number 26 on the Australian Singles Chart, number 32 on the UK Singles Chart and at number 16 on the New Zealand Singles Chart. The third single was originally planned to be "All That I'm Living For"; however, after considering the wishes of both the fans and the band itself, the label decided to change the release, and "Sweet Sacrifice" was released as the next single from the album. It charted in Germany, Turkey and on Billboards Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks. Though "Lithium" and "Sweet Sacrifice" charted in the top 40 at rock radio, neither appeared on the Hot 100. Bill Richards, Wind-up senior VP of marketing and sales, attributed the reduced airplay of the album due to not having "the hard rock [tracks] to solidify the base, and it wasn't melodic and poppy enough with big hooks to go to pop." "Good Enough
Good Enough (Evanescence song)
"Good Enough" is a song by American rock band Evanescence. It was released in 2007 as the fourth single from their second studio album, The Open Door. The song was written by lead vocalist Amy Lee and produced by Dave Fortman. According to Lee it was written for her long-time friend and husband,...
" was released as the fourth single from the album, but failed to appear on charts.
Other notable songs
"Weight of the World" was released as a promotional singlePromotional recording
A promotional recording, or promo, is an audio or video recording distributed for free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available...
in October 2007 to the country of Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
only. "Together Again", a song created for The Open Door but later cut, was released as a free digital download on January 22, 2010 to benefit the United Nations Foundation
United Nations Foundation
The United Nations Foundation started up in 1998 with a $1 billion grant from Ted Turner in order to support the United Nations in executing its programs worldwide. The creation of the Foundation was intended to encourage other donors to also support the UN in its activities...
for their Haiti earthquake
2010 Haiti earthquake
The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake, with an epicentre near the town of Léogâne, approximately west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. The earthquake occurred at 16:53 local time on Tuesday, 12 January 2010.By 24 January, at least 52 aftershocks...
recovery efforts. During a statement, Lee stated: "I am deeply moved by the tragic loss and devastation in Haiti. We hope to be able to make a positive contribution to the UN's emergency response by teaming with the UN Foundation through our music." The song later received wide release as a digital download on February 23, 2010. It managed to peak at number 86 on the Canadian Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...
. In a 2004 interview with MTV News, Amy Lee revealed that she was composing music for the film, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a 2005 epic fantasy adventure film directed by Andrew Adamson and based on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the first published and second chronological novel in C. S. Lewis's children's epic fantasy series, The Chronicles of...
. She also revealed that the producers of the movie offered her a small role: "They were like, 'Do you want to do a cameo?' And I was like, 'Hell yeah! Let me die. I want to be somebody who gets murdered.' So I don't think that's going to happen." She later revealed that "Lacrymosa", a song from the album was originally written for the film, but was mysteriously not included. However, according to producers, neither Lee or the band were approached to compose music for the film. Another song was also written for the movie, but it was rejected because of its dark sound.
Tour
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and lasted until December 15, 2006, in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. After touring North America during October, the band traveled to Europe during November before returning to the United States to play large arenas. This leg of their tour continued on January 5, 2007, with the band playing locations in Canada, Japan, and Australia. When playing in the United States, the band was supported by Revelation Theory
Rev Theory
Rev Theory is an American hard rock band formed in 2002 in North Andover, Massachusetts. The band has released three studio albums: Truth Is Currency , Light It Up , and Justice . The song "Voices" is currently being used for World Wrestling Entertainment star Randy Orton...
, by the bands Stone Sour
Stone Sour
Stone Sour is an American rock band from Des Moines, Iowa. Since 2006, the group has been composed of Corey Taylor , Jim Root , Josh Rand, , Shawn Economaki and Roy Mayorga . Original drummer Joel Ekman left the group in 2006...
and The Black Maria
The Black Maria
The Black Maria was a rock band from Toronto, Canada. After touring and recording actively between 2003–2007, the band has gone into a permanent hiatus.-History:The Black Maria was formed in 2003, based out of the Greater Toronto Area in Canada....
when in Canada, and by Shihad
Shihad
Shihad is a New Zealand hard/alternative rock band, currently based in Melbourne, Australia. During Shihad's recording career, they have produced four number-one studio albums and three top-ten singles in their home country of New Zealand....
in Australia. The second leg of their world tour began on March 16, 2007, in Fresno, California
Fresno, California
Fresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...
. The tour ran through the United States, South America, South Africa, back to the U.S., and finished in Europe. Supporting the band during the opening U.S. part of this leg is Chevelle
Chevelle
Chevelle is an American alternative metal trio that formed in 1995 in Grayslake, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. The band was originally composed of two brothers and a local friend: Pete Loeffler , Sam Loeffler , and Matt Scott . Matt was later replaced by brother Joe Loeffler...
and Finger Eleven
Finger Eleven
Finger Eleven is a Canadian rock band from Burlington, Ontario, formed in 1989. They have currently released five studio albums, with their album The Greyest of Blue Skies bringing them into the mainstream...
. When in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, Evanescence took part in a rock festival with Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
, Velvet Revolver
Velvet Revolver
Velvet Revolver is an American hard rock supergroup consisting of former Guns N' Roses members Slash, Duff McKagan, and Matt Sorum, alongside Dave Kushner formerly of punk band Wasted Youth. Stone Temple Pilots vocalist Scott Weiland was Velvet Revolver's lead singer from their formation until...
and Ratones Paranóicos. During part of the European section, the band took part in the Family Values Tour 2007
Family Values Tour 2007
The Family Values Tour is a rock tour headlined by Korn. Korn founded the Family Values tour in 1998 and headlined the first edition. The next two lineups, in 1999 and 2001, were topped by Limp Bizkit and Stone Temple Pilots, respectively. In 2006 they revived the tour after a 5 year hiatus...
alongside Korn
Korn
Korn is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, formed in 1993. The current band line up includes four members: Jonathan Davis, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu, and Ray Luzier. The band was formed as an expansion of L.A.P.D.The band released their first demo album,...
. After Family Values, the band continued touring through Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and the United States. The final leg of the tour kicked off on October 23, 2007, in Coral Gables, Florida
Coral Gables, Florida
Coral Gables is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, southwest of Downtown Miami, in the United States. The city is home to the University of Miami....
. Sick Puppies
Sick Puppies
Sick Puppies is an Australian rock band, formed in 1997. The band consists of vocalist and guitarist Shimon Moore, bassist Emma Anzai and drummer Mark Goodwin....
and Julien-K
Julien-K
Julien-K is a music group that began as a side project for electronic music created by Amir Derakh and Ryan Shuck from Orgy, with the later addition of Elias Andra, and Anthony 'Fu' Valcic....
were the supporting bands while Shiny Toy Guns
Shiny Toy Guns
Shiny Toy Guns is an American indie rock band that formed in 2002 in Los Angeles, California. They released their first studio album We Are Pilots in 2006, after recording it two previous times. It featured three singles that peaked inside the top 30 in the Alternative Songs Chart. We Are Pilots...
made a special guest appearance during the December 1, 2007, show in University Park, Pennsylvania
University Park, Pennsylvania
University Park, Pennsylvania is an unincorporated community in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States, and is the location of the flagship campus of the Pennsylvania State University....
. After over a year of touring, the last show was played in Kingston, Rhode Island
Kingston, Rhode Island
Kingston is a village and a census-designated place in the town of South Kingstown, Rhode Island, United States, and the site of the main campus of the University of Rhode Island. Much of the village center is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Kingston Village Historic...
, and the tour ended on December 9, 2007. New additions to the set list for this tour include "Lose Control", "Missing", and "Understanding".
Critical reception
The Open Door received mixed to positive reviews from music criticsMusic criticism
See also Music journalism for reporting on classical and popular music in the media.The Oxford Companion to Music defines music criticism as 'the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres'. In this...
. At Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which assigns a normalized
Standard score
In statistics, a standard score indicates how many standard deviations an observation or datum is above or below the mean. It is a dimensionless quantity derived by subtracting the population mean from an individual raw score and then dividing the difference by the population standard deviation...
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
Weighted mean
The weighted mean is similar to an arithmetic mean , where instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others...
score of 61, based on twelve reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
music reviewer Ed Thompson, said that "The Open Door is everything that you could ever want in a follow-up album - and more" and added that despite Ben Moody's exit from the band Lee and Balsamo haven't missed the beat. Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone gave the album three-and-a-half stars out of five and said that "Amy Lee is still extremely sad about boys, God and much, much more." He concluded that " When the pain takes over her corseted soul, as in practically every song on The Open Door, she just overdubs her big bodice-ripping voice into a choir." He noted that the "best songs on The Open Door are the creepiest." Sheffield finished his review by saying "Obviously, Lee has got a touch of the magnetic and destructive herself. But that's what makes the breakup songs on The Open Door feel mighty real." Jon Dolan of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
wrote that the album is "[...] more personal and, by accessing a deeper emotional palette, maybe even more universal." A writer of Blender
Blender (magazine)
Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....
gave a positive review saying: "Denser and more scuzzed-up than Fallen, the album amps everything up to gloriously epic, over-the-top proportions."
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...
from Allmusic stated that "The Open Door is a muddle of affections. Sonically, however, it captures the Evanescence mythos better and more consistently than the first album - after all, Lee now has no apologies of being the thinking man's nu-metal chick, now that she's a star". Calling the album "less fun", Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
concluded that some of the song on the album are similar between each other. St. Louis Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch is the major city-wide newspaper in St. Louis, Missouri. Although written to serve Greater St. Louis, the Post-Dispatch is one of the largest newspapers in the Midwestern United States, and is available and read as far west as Kansas City, Missouri, as far south as...
s Sara Berry wrote that the album "their sound remains essentially the same: the strange but amicable marriage of churning guitar riffs to lead singer Amy Lee's silky soprano." Sarah Rodman of The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
called the album a 45-minute "romantic peace" stating that "if Door featured more open-throated crooning and less teeth-gritting anger it would be a much more interesting record." She concluded that the sound of the album gets "black and blacker" and noted "Lyrics tend toward repetition of words like 'darkness,' 'haunting,' and 'rage.'" Christa Titus of Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazine called it a "far more nuanced, moody and richly textured effort" then Fallen. A writer for Postmedia News gave the album three-and-a-half stars out of five and noted "While it's similar in style and sound to its predecessor, The Open Door loses the punchy power rifts and instead persuades the listener with piano and airy vocals." Andre Farias of Christianity Today
Christianity Today
Christianity Today is an Evangelical Christian periodical based in Carol Stream, Illinois. It is the flagship publication of its parent company Christianity Today International, claiming circulation figures of 140,000 and readership of 290,000...
noted: "The sound is loud, yes, but it's almost indistinguishable from its predecessor—a disappointment considering the opus was nearly three-and-a-half years in the making."
Some reviewers gave negative reviews towards the loud sound on the album and criticized the lyrics. A more mixed review was given by Jim Farmer of the Daily News, who commented that the "jerry-built" sound the band used for the album "isn't anything to be admired." MusicOMH
MusicOMH
musicOMH is a United Kingdom-based website which publishes independent reviews, featues and interviews from across all musical genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B.-History:...
reviewer Alex Nunn, gave the album two out of five stars and said, "Seeing Amy Lee's lyrics go as drastically down the pan as this resembles watching a bad car crash." He added, "Musically it's power chords and big riffs-ahoy, generic, mundane, boring stuff. The Open Door is an exercise in how not to make a sophomore album." Darryl Sterdan of Jam!
Jam!
Jam! is a Canadian website, which covers entertainment news. It is part of the CANOE online portal, owned and operated by Quebecor through its Sun Media division....
also graded The Open Door with two stars highlighting Lee's voice and criticizing the same instructions used for making the songs on the album. He added that the songs put together make a "monotonous blast of self-indulgent Evanonsense." Sterdan finished his review by concluding that "some door[s] are better off staying closed." Andy Gill of The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
also criticized The Open Door and wrote that Lee's narrow vocal range was mirrored in the "restricted breadth of the band's musical and emotional range, which never strays outside the short distance from paranoid to apocalyptic, concerns addressed in as bombastic and tune-dodging a manner as possible." At the 2007 NRJ Music Awards, The Open Door received a nomination for Best International Album of the Year. The Open Door won in the category Album of the Year at the 2007 MTV Australia Video Music Awards. "Sweet Sacrifice" received a nominations in the category for Best Hard Rock Performance
Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance was an award presented to recording artists at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, for works containing quality performances in the hard rock music genre...
at the 50th Grammy Awards
50th Grammy Awards
The 50th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, on February 10, 2008. Kanye West received the most nominations, with eight. Amy Winehouse was the big winner, winning a total of five awards. Herbie Hancock's River: The Joni Letters won Album of the Year,...
.
Commercial performance
The Open Door debuted at number one in the United States, Australia, Germany, Greece and Switzerland. It charted in the top five in Austria, Canada, France, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, South Korea, Sweden and the United Kingdom. On the US Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart, The Open Door debuted at number one selling over 447,000 copies in its first week and becoming the 700th album to top the chart. It also debuted at number one on the Rock Albums chart and at number two on the Digital Albums. In just two weeks on the charts in the United States, the album sold approximately 725,000 copies, and on November 8, 2006, it was certified platinum
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
(RIAA) after little more than a month in its wide release. The Open Door became the 38 best-selling album of 2006 in the United States and it was the 52 best-selling album for 2007. Double platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America was awarded on June 24, 2009.
On the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
, The Open Door debuted at number two on October 14, 2011, which later became its peak position and sold more than 94,409 copies in its first week and became the 81 best-selling for 2006. As of October, 2011, it has sold more than 347,000 copies in the United Kingdom. In Canada, the album debuted at number 2, selling over 43,000 copies in its first week. It was later certified double platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association
Music Canada
Music Canada was a Canadian music television miniseries which aired approximately monthly on CBC Television from 1966 to 1967.-Premise:This series featured various special productions of music and dance, from classical to modern styles.-Scheduling:...
(CRIA). In Australia and New Zealand, the album peaked at numbers 1 and 2 respectively. It was later certified 2× Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
(ARIA) and Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...
(RIANZ). As of June 10, 2008, The Open Door had sold nearly two million copies in the United States and as of October 11, 2011 it sold over 2.1 million copies in the same country and additional two million copies worldwide.
Track listing
- All songs produced by Dave FortmanDave FortmanDave Fortman is the guitarist for the band Ugly Kid Joe. He currently is an American music producer. He has worked with bands such as Superjoint Ritual, Watership Down, Eyehategod, Mudvayne, Otep, Slipknot on their new fourth studio album titled All Hope Is Gone, and Simple Plan, as well as on both...
.
Notes
- During an interview with The Metal Edge Lee confirmed that several outtakes including "The Last Song I'm Wasting on You" (which appeared as a B-side to "Lithium), "If You Don't Mind" and "Together Again" were made for the album.
- The two-disc Japanese limited edition was released September 27, 2006, and includes the music video for "Call Me When You're Sober" and behind the scenes footage. The music CD also contains an additional bonus track.
Credits and personnel
Credits are taken from Allmusic and The Open Doors liner notes.- Terry Balsamo – composer, guitar
- Tamara Berard – choir
- Will Boyd – bass
- Melanie Bruno – choir
- Alyssa Campbell – choir
- David Campbell – orchestral arrangements
- Marcella Carmona – choir
- Kevin Dalbey – choir
- Rory Faciane – drum technician
- Dave Fortman – audio production, mixing, producer
- Mary Gaffney – choir
- Rocky Gray – drums
- Bon Harris – programming
- Mike Hogue – assistant engineer
- Simon James – concert master
- Ted Jensen – mastering
- John LeCompt – composer, guitar, programming
- Amy Lee – choir arrangement, composer, piano, programming, vocals
- Carrie Lee – vocals (background)
- Andrew Lurie – management
- Darren Majewski – A&R
- Gail Marowitz – art direction
- Diana Meltzer – A&R
- Millennium Choir – choir
- Mike Mongillo – product manager
- Frank Ockenfels – photography
- Joanne Paratore – choir
- Jeremy Parker – engineer
- Darryl Phinnessee – choir
- David Sabee – contractor
- Seattlemusic Group – group
- Wesley Seidman – assistant engineer
- Ed Sherman – package design
- Dwight Stone – choir
- Tania Themmen – choir
- Talaya Trigueros – choir
- Lisa Wall Urgero – choir
- Gregg Wattenberg – A&R
- Susan Youngblood – choir
Weekly charts
| Chart (2006) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Charts ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
1 |
| Austrian Albums Chart Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... |
2 |
| Belgian Albums Chart Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995... (Flanders) |
9 |
| Belgian Albums Chart Ultratop 40 Ultratop 40 singles, often just Ultratop 40, is the weekly chart of best-selling singles in Wallonia and Brussels Capital Region, the french-speaking parts of Belgium. Its equivalent covering the Flanders region is Ultratop 50. Both charts are produced and published by the Ultratop organization... (Wallonia) |
4 |
| Canadian Albums Chart Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
2 |
| Czech Albums Chart | 4 |
| Danish Albums Chart | 5 |
| Dutch Albums Chart MegaCharts MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top... |
2 |
| European Albums Chart European Top 100 Albums The European Top 100 Albums chart is the European adaptation of the Billboard 200 albums chart. It was created in March 1984.The European Top 100 Albums, commonly referred to as Eurochart Top 100 Albums shows the sales of an act in 19 European countries based on IFPI data.The European Top 100... |
1 |
| Finnish Albums Chart | 5 |
| French Albums Chart Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
2 |
| German Albums Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
1 |
| Greek Albums Chart IFPI Greece International Federation of the Phonographic Industry Greece or IFPI Greece is the Greek branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and is the official charts provider and recording sales certification body for Greece. Currently two charts are compiled, one for sales of... |
1 |
| Irish Albums Chart Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically... |
3 |
| Italian Albums Chart Federation of the Italian Music Industry The Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy.... |
2 |
| Mexican Albums Chart Top 100 Mexico Top 100 México is a record chart which accounts for sixty percent of the albums sold in Mexico. The chart has the support of major record distributors in Mexico and is issued by the Mexican Association of Producers of Phonograms and Videograms, A.C. since 2005 on a weekly basis... |
76 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
2 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
3 |
| Portuguese Albums Chart Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa The Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa is currently the only recording industry association in Portugal. Created in 1989, it succeeded GPPFV and UNEVA .... |
2 |
| Spanish Albums Chart | 5 |
| Swedish Albums Chart | 2 |
| Swiss Albums Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
1 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
2 |
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
1 |
| US Top Rock Albums | 1 |
Certifications
| Country | Certification |
|---|---|
| Argentina Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers The Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers is an Argentine organization member of the IFPI, which represents the music industry in the country. It is a nonprofit organization integrated by multinational and independent record labels.... |
Gold |
| Australia Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... |
2× Platinum |
| Austria | Gold |
| Belgium | Gold |
| Brazil Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos The Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos is an official representative body of the record labels in the Brazilian phonographic market.- About :... |
Platinum |
| Canada Music Canada Music Canada was a Canadian music television miniseries which aired approximately monthly on CBC Television from 1966 to 1967.-Premise:This series featured various special productions of music and dance, from classical to modern styles.-Scheduling:... |
2× Platinum |
| Europe | Platinum |
| France Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
Gold |
| Germany Bundesverband Musikindustrie The Bundesverband Musikindustrie or simply BVMI represents the music industry in Germany. The association represents the interests of nearly 350 labels and music industry related enterprises.... |
Gold |
| Hungary Mahasz Mahasz is the Hungarian music industry association, founded in 1992. Mahasz hands out the Hungarian Music Awards and maintains the music charts for Hungary.... |
Gold |
| Japan Recording Industry Association of Japan The Recording Industry Association of Japan is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved the music industry... |
Gold |
| Mexico | Gold |
| New Zealand Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
Platinum |
| Russia | 2× Platinum |
| Switzerland | Platinum |
| United States Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States... |
2× Platinum |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2006) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart | 32 |
| Austrian Albums Chart | 38 |
| Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders) | 82 |
| Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia) | 48 |
| Dutch Albums Chart | 79 |
| Finnish Albums Chart | 15 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 22 |
| UK Albums Chart | 81 |
| US Billboard 200 | 57 |
| US Rock Albums | 8 |
| Worldwide Charts | 14 |
| Chart (2007) | Position |
| US Billboard 200 | 52 |
| US Rock Albums | 10 |
Release history
| Region | Release date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poland | September 25, 2006 | CD, digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
Wind-up Wind-Up Records Wind-up Entertainment, Inc. is a record label based in New York City. It was formed in 1997 by Alan Meltzer, former owner of CD One Stop, following his 1996 purchase of Grass Records. Wind-up is currently the largest independently-owned record label in the world... |
| Japan | September 27, 2006 | EMI Music Japan | |
| Germany | September 29, 2006 | Wind-up | |
| Ireland | |||
| Australia | September 30, 2006 | ||
| Canada | October 3, 2006 | ||
| United States | |||
External links
- The Open Door at MetacriticMetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...