The Open Door

The Open Door is the second studio album by American rock band Evanescence, released on September 25, 2006, by Wind up Records. Amy Lee had full creative control of the record, incorporating new elements into their previous musical styles, including her classical influences, homemade sounds, industrial rock, symphonic metal, progressive rock, electronica and the use of choirs on several songs. The album was written in the course of 18 months, and the recording process was delayed as a result of guitarist Terry Balsamo's stroke. Most of the songs were co composed by Lee and Balsamo, with production handled by Dave Fortman. The Open Door received generally positive reviews from music critics. The song "Sweet Sacrifice" received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance, and the album won Album of the Year at the 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 reached the top five in over 15 countries. The album was certified platinum by the RIAA just over a month after its release, and has since been certified double platinum. As of 2011, it has sold more than six million copies worldwide. "Call Me When You're Sober" was released digitally as the album's lead single on September 4, 2006. The song peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and charted in the top 10 of multiple countries internationally. "Lithium" was released as the second single on December 4, 2006, and "Sweet Sacrifice" was released as the third international single from the album on May 25, 2007. "Good Enough" was released in Germany as the final single on December 14, 2007. The Open Door was supported by a worldwide tour that ran from October 2006 to December 2007.

Lee stated that Evanescence would begin writing material for the second album in March 2004, after finishing their tour for Fallen (2003). She said that it was "impossible to write on tour and [writing is] the one thing I love more than anything else about my job", adding that "everybody's just ready to stop touring and go back to the studio". The album progressed slowly because of Lee's desire to maximize the creative process and not rush production, as well as Terry Balsamo's stroke. In reference to the album's title, Lee said: "I feel like I have the ability to do a lot of things I couldn't do before, for a number of reasons A lot of doors have kind of been opened in my life—not just since everything has happened for us." The album cover, which was designed by Lee, was posted on Evanescence's official website on August 4, 2006.

quote box|width=25%|quote="I feel like with Fallen, a lot of those songs sound like I was trying to prove myself and establish what we were and our sound. I was trapped having to feel a certain way. But with the new record, I sort of went with everything. I am not afraid to feel happy sometimes, and I think there's moments on the album with sensuality, which is really fun and beautiful, instead of the last time, where I felt like I was only getting out part of me. This record embraces the whole me. "|source= — Amy Lee talking about The Open Door with MTV News. Most of the songs were co composed by Lee and guitarist Balsamo, who share credits for nine songs. Lee was the sole composer of "Like You", "Lithium" and "Good Enough", and composed "All That I'm Living For" with guitarist John LeCompt. Deeming writing a vulnerable process, Lee could only write music by herself in the past, and this album was the first time she wrote music together with another person. It was a "completely different" writing environment with him; there was "no pressure of wanting to rule the world" and they were "having fun with it for a change". She and Balsamo began working together at her rented home in California. After experiencing cabin fever, they rented a place in Florida, where they finished the album. The two would also "sit in a room and jam". Lee said the songs she was working on for the album "still sound like the Evanescence everybody knows, but at the same time it's going in a new direction, and I love that direction." at Record Plant Studios, Los Angeles, California. DJ Lethal programmed on every song on the album with Lee doing additional programming. John LeCompt is credited with additional programming on "Call Me When You're Sober" and "All That I'm Living For", which was also programmed by Bon Harris. David Campbell finished the orchestral arrangements, which were performed by Seattlemusic. She told The Washington Post:

<blockquote>"So much has changed in my life I was going through so many things in the making of the record, and before the making of the record. 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." When asked whether The Open Door was thematically different from Fallen, Lee said that Evanescence and music in general is her venue to "purge all of the negative and hard, difficult experiences" throughout her life, and while that is front and center in this album, it comes from a less hopeless attitude and with a more reflective outlook. Rather than "wallowing" in "the hard stuff", the record is characterized by her newfound resolution and is thematically in search of answers and happiness. "I had so much I needed to get off my chest," Lee explained. "It's very literal and specific." The album consists of gothic rock songs with brooding lyrics, Lee's "searing fallen angel" vocals, and "epic melodies", accompanied by pianos, strings and choirs, while "there's no shortage of soaring, dynamic rockers", Richard Harrington of The Washington Post wrote. Ann Powers of the Los Angeles Times described the record as a "whorl of personal confession, high theater and head banging rock" with "youthfully earnest and sometimes obvious" lyrics. Jon Dolan of Entertainment Weekly felt the music possessed the "same crush of chunka chunka riffs, moody electronic churn, and Valhalla bound metal slam" of Fallen, alongside Lee's "strikingly operatic singing". Postmedia News said the album "loses the punchy power rifts" of Fallen "and instead persuades the listener with piano and airy vocals". The Boston Globes Sarah Rodman summarized it as a "mix of Lee's ethereal soprano, piano interludes, and layers of serrated guitar crunch". Lee channels her frustrations "utilizing a few curious faith based metaphors in the process", according to Christianity Todays Andree Farias, and "industrial backbeats" defer to "thick metal riffs, orchestrated grandeur, and ghoulish choral elements, all complemented by Lee's operatic soprano". Jordan Reimer of The Daily Princetonian said "haunting orchestral arrangements and programming" infuse the album, which is thematically defined by "tumultuous relationships and loneliness", while Lee's attitude sounds "more aggressive and less vulnerable than before" and her vocal melodies range from "sublimely minimalist to roaringly operatic." The Irish Times characterized it as a "heavy sounding" record, "still unmistakably Goth but with strings and choirs attached." Kerrang! described the mood of The Open Door as "elegant heaviness". The guitars are "far heavier than before" with some riffs of "melodic darkness", and the album also contains "much more prominent classical influence at work" with strings and choirs accentuated, alongside Evanescence's "trademark goth edged metal", "trademark dark pop driven hooks", and new Bjork inspired electronica that "creates a subtle mood". Lee said the song is also "almost sarcastic" to herself as she "needs to stop being that sweet sacrifice". Lee said the song is about "dealing with someone with an addiction, which is really hard, especially when you love someone", later confirming it was inspired by the end of her relationship with singer Shaun Morgan of rock band Seether. Dubbed a "chick anthem" by Lee based on the reception she received from female fans, the song is "a literal snapshot of one's frustration of dealing with the addiction of someone they love", The Washington Post wrote. In "Lithium", Lee sings about "the choice between the comfort of sorrow and the possibility of happiness". It represents her habit of letting sorrow "be an excuse to make music", a "cycle" she admits she does not want to be stuck in. "The Last Song I'm Wasting on You", the B side track on the "Lithium" single, was written by Lee during the Fallen tour. She recorded it at the time in a bathroom on an analog device. "Cloud Nine" was inspired by a break up. Lee said she was "struggling with a relationship and felt like a waste of space." "Snow White Queen" was inspired by Lee's experiences with stalkers. The Los Angeles Times described it as a "harrowing account of a stalker and his victim", Musically, it is a rock song with industrial beats in its composition. Composed solely by Lee, According to Kerrang!, the track features "distorted, sleazy vocals", "thick groovy riffs" and "orchestral flourishes". Background vocals on the song were performed by The Millennium Choir. the song is entirely a piano composition, with "gentle vocals", ending the album on a hopeful note. then Japan on September 27, Ireland and Germany on September 29, Australia on September 30, and North America which later appeared as a B side track on the "Lithium" single. "Call Me When You're Sober", the album's lead single, had a limited radio release on July 31, 2006, which preceded a wider release the following week. As the track leaked onto the Internet two days before its scheduled release to radio airplay, Wind up allowed radio stations to play the song ahead of schedule. Subsequently, the recording was made available for digital download on September 4, 2006, and a physical release as a single followed on September 25. number three on the New Zealand Singles Chart, number five on the Australian Singles Chart, and at number four on the UK Singles Chart. It also charted within the top 20 of many other international charts. The song was certified Platinum by the RIAA in 2009, and Gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). The second single, "Lithium", was released on December 4, 2006 in the UK. It peaked 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 album's third single was originally planned to be "All That I'm Living For", but after considering the wishes of Evanescence and its fans, the label released "Sweet Sacrifice" instead. It charted in Germany, Turkey, and on Billboards Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks. "Good Enough" was released as the fourth single exclusively in Germany on December 14, 2007. "Weight of the World" was released as a promotional single in October 2007 exclusively in Colombia. In 2009, it was released for download on the video game Rock Band 3, along with "Call Me When You're Sober" and "Bring Me to Life". The track "Together Again" was one of the songs Lee said she had originally written for the film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which was rejected,refn| 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." It peaked at number 86 on the Canadian Hot 100.

Extra time was given for Balsamo to recover more from his stroke before touring began. Lee said that "there was so much pressure", but she did not want to hire another guitar player; it was important for her to have Balsamo on tour and she was confident he was going to get better. The "knowledge" of guitar playing was still there, he noted, and "my mind would tell my hand what it should do, but it wouldn't do it"; the process was about retraining his hand "to do what it's supposed to do." and finished on December 15, 2006, in New York City. After touring North America during October, Evanescence traveled to Europe during November before returning to the United States to play at large arenas. When performing in the United States, Canada and Australia, Evanescence was supported by Revelation Theory, Stone Sour and The Black Maria, and Shihad, respectively. The tour's second leg commenced on March 16, 2007, in Fresno, California, and continued in North America, South America, South Africa, and back to North America, and finished in Europe. The United States gigs included support from Chevelle and Finger Eleven. In Buenos Aires, Evanescence played at a rock festival with Aerosmith, Velvet Revolver and Ratones Paranóicos. Between the European gigs, the band took part in the Family Values Tour 2007 alongside Korn. After Family Values, the band continued touring through Mexico and the U. S. The final leg of the tour began on October 23, 2007, in Coral Gables, Florida; the band was supported by Sick Puppies and Julien K, while Shiny Toy Guns made a guest appearance during the December 1, 2007, show at University Park, Pennsylvania. After over a year of touring, the last show was played in Kingston, Rhode Island on December 9, 2007. New additions to the setlist of the tour's final leg included "Lose Control", "Missing" and "Understanding".

The Open Door debuted at number one in the United States, Australia, Germany and Switzerland, and charted in the top five in Austria, Canada, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, South Korea, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Additionally, the record opened at the top position on the Rock Albums chart and at number two on the Digital Albums. Two weeks after its availability in the United States, the album sold approximately 725,000 copies, and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on November 6, 2006. On June 24, 2009, the album was awarded double platinum certification by the RIAA. It sold 2.1 million copies in the U. S. by October 2011.