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Band Members:
Amy Lee - Vocals, Piano, Keyboard
Terry Balsamo - Guitar
John LeCompt - Guitar
Tim McCord - Bass
Rocky Gray - Drums
Tracklisting:
1. Sweet Sacrifice
2. Call Me When You're Sober
3. Weight Of The World
4. Lithium
5. Cloud Nine
6. Snow White Queen
7. Lacrymosa
8. Like You
9. Lose Control
10. The Only One
11. Your Star
12. All That I'm Living For
13. Good Enough
Lately it seem as though the music scene as a while is becoming bored with itself, that is, the 'main-streamed' music scene. Of course, there is a small handful of noticeable exceptions, but for the most part, it seems as though today's artists do not feel the need to grow into and around their music and are perfectly happy with re-releasing the same old tried and true songs, only with different lyrics. Today's music scene is literally becoming starved of excitable and innovative new music. With this in mind, we turn to Evanescence and their new album 'The Open Door.'
Never has an album left me gawping in utter bewilderment as this one has. After falling in love with the powerful voice that is Amy Lee, as well as the dark and haunting beauty behind the lyrics of her songs, I was literally watering at the mouth in anticipation for this new album. Any woman who could mix a strong classical voice with biting lyrics and rock music was completely worthy of adoration, at least in my books. The couple of sound bites released online through 'YouTube' and the Official Evanescence web page, gave Evanescence fans just enough to keep them excited and interested, and when 'Call Me When You?re Sober' hit the air, it made quite the splash. Fans swallowed it whole and the music world was more than happy to welcome Amy Lee, her massive voice and the wonder that was Evanescence (including their new guitarist) back into the limelight. Then the record was dropped, and although it made quite the impression on the charts, it left many people standing open-mouthed in shocked disappointment. Rather than an innovative new sound that stretched the boundaries of what Amy Lee could do with her voice, 'The Open Door,' which was presented as something new and exciting, is nothing more than 14 tracks dedicated to Lee?s breakup with alcoholic Seether front-man Shaun Morgan, and while it is obvious that Lee's voice has grown immensely, half the time she sounds bored and unexcited with her own material. 'Lacrymosa,' which could have been an operatic rock pinnacle to this album, registers as flat and dull when Lee's voice fails to relay any emotion whatsoever, and if the listener manages to make it through the album, the bonus track entitled 'The Last Song I'm Wasting On You' has them sighing with a distinct 'god, not again!' flavor.
Looking at the lyrics of each song results in another slap of disappointment. Nearly every single song (with the exception of maybe two or three songs, if your squint at them) rotates through the same emotional cycle, when Lee can rouse herself enough to put any sort of emotion in her voice. Each track opens with a declaration of hurt or betrayal, which eventually leads to anger and bitter sadness and will transform into a pleading 'don?t leave me alone' before Lee declares forgiveness for all of the offences of the 'nameless' intended. Perhaps taken out of an album context, these songs could be amazing (as individual singles), but strung together as they are in one wrenching rendition of heartbreak and sorrow after another, the album is not one that can be listened to without a great deal of annoyance or pain. Hopefully, Amy Lee will wake up and realize that an entire album dedicated to a crappy breakup will NOT keep her fans happy for very long, and her next attempt at an album (if there is one) will not be so self-centered, or dull.
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