Weight of the World

Background

Lee stated that Evanescence would begin writing material for the second album in March 2004, after finishing the 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.

Writing and recording

The Open Door was written in 18 months. Lee composed nine songs with guitarist Terry Balsamo, "All That I'm Living For" with guitarist John LeCompt, and was the sole composer of "Like You", "Lithium" and "Good Enough".

Lee confessed that after former guitarist Ben Moody's departure, she was not restrained in the writing process and Balsamo was open minded; the two collaborated and he encouraged her to do something she would not have done with Moody. Lee was "finally creating in the same room with someone" when working with Balsamo, as previously she and Moody wrote separately as they "could never really sit in the same room and create" and had major creative differences. After his exit, she felt she reclaimed a creative freedom, and found it "liberating not to have someone standing over me constantly shooting my ideas down". "I was really looking forward to being able to trust", she said. Deeming writing a vulnerable process, Lee only wrote music by herself in the past, and this album was the first time she wrote music with another person. She had free rein and could try anything "without being judged", and the studio was a "free place where we could just be musicians and see what came out". Lee called her and Balsamo's musical partnership healthy and productive, stating that there was "no pressure of wanting to rule the world" and they were "having fun with it for a change".

Lee went through a spectrum of emotions throughout her experiences before and during the creation of The Open Door. She said that the making of the album was "really intense" and she came out "feeling purified". 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. Lee wrote her musical parts and Balsamo made "beautiful guitar weavings around what I was doing". The two would also "sit in a room and jam". They approached the songs in various way; aside from programming and keyboard melodies, some songs would begin with a bassline, guitar line, or vocal melody. Lee engineered demos for the songs and she and Balsamo worked with Pro Tools to be in control of what went on the album. As she had full control of the process this time around, she could do a lot more things than before "as a singer, as a music writer, even as an engineer". 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."

Music and lyrics

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Lee called the album "a complete spectrum of darkness and scary stuff and emotion". She told The Washington Post:

"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. ... 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."

Lee said that she pushed herself and implemented things she didn't have the courage to do in Fallen. She also said her goal was to make a record that she loved even more than Fallen, rather than to copy the formula which made the previous record successful. Lee incorporated her classical influences and new elements in the music, including home-made sounds. 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." She said she was "sick of hiding behind metaphors" in everything she had written before. The lyrics on the album are a lot more confessional than she had written previously, and she chose to not censor herself as she felt she "really needed to get out of the whole space of negativity". "I could just have shut up and stayed stuck in a lot of negative situations and not done anything, and on the outside it would have looked like everything was fine for me", she stated. "I had to actually purge something out of myself and write a whole lot of music. This album is very special to me because I do open myself up a lot more." Part of her inspiration for the album was her experience as a lone female and "hard adjustment" with the fame the Fallen era brought, as well as her perceiving a "cartoon version of yourself, the album cover version, the interview version. How can you feel like everyone knows me, but nobody knows me"?

Songs

Album opener "Sweet Sacrifice" contains "rumbling guitars", a string section, and a "layer of programming" alongside Lee's "trademark haunting vocals and dark lyrics", according to IGN. The main theme of the song is recovery from an abusive relationship that was the source of Lee's writing on Fallen, coming from a "much stronger standpoint" on this album. Lee said the song is also "almost sarcastic" to herself as she "needs to stop being that sweet sacrifice". Entertainment Weekly described it as a "bruising breakup lament that turns into an anthem of freedom".

"Call Me When You're Sober" is a rock song that starts as a piano ballad and mixes elements of several genres including symphonic rock, soul, electropop, hard rock, R&B, and nu metal. 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. She also said that it is about "more than the most obvious thing", deeming it "empowering" for herself as it represents "leaving a whole world behind that was really hurting me", and "getting to the place with yourself where you're finally willing to stand up for yourself. Put your foot down when you know you need to." 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.

"Weight of the World" is a "relentless rocker with Eastern motifs and distorted vocals". Lee's inspiration for the song was the pressures of fame, including the pressure she felt from fans "who feel I can solve their problems". She said she wants "to be there for people and tell them what I think" but she is "not a therapist" and doesn't "have all the answers", noting that she understands that sometimes "the only thing that seems to really help is that someone else who has felt that low expressing those feelings to you". In the song, Lee used a music box and toy piano that she had kept since childhood.

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. Lee originally wrote its chorus on guitar when she was 16 years old, but later changed it to piano when she wrote the verses. The Sydney Morning Herald described the song as "sweeping, churning", with its "refrain of 'I want to stay in love with my sorrow / Oh God but I want to let it go'" getting "to the heart of Lee's life story so far." Entertainment Weekly described it as a "tortured Queensrÿche-style pain strummer". Sam Law of Kerrang! said "Lithium" showcases Lee's "classical powerhouse, built around a tinkling piano" and her "wide-ranging vocals", with "crashes of metallic instrumentation". "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. When asked if the song was about Moody, Lee said, "If I answer that, then I'm not hiding anything anymore. But I just sort of answered it, didn't I?" She later deemed it "one of those personal, hard moments, when beauty is born out of pain".

Release and promotion

The Open Door was first released in Poland on September 25, 2006, then Japan on September 27, Ireland and Germany on September 29, Australia on September 30, and North America on October 3. The digital version of the album was made available for pre-order on August 15, 2006, on iTunes. If purchased before October 3, 2006, the pre-order included an interview with 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 July 17, 2006, a clip of "Lacrymosa" was used in a video teaser for The Open Door. "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. For the week ending September 9, 2006, the song peaked at number 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100, 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. The song was first released in Germany on May 25, 2007. It charted in Germany, Turkey, and on Billboard's 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, and the song was later recorded for The Open Door as a B-side. It was made available as a free digital download on January 22, 2010, to benefit the United Nations Foundation for their recovery efforts following the Haiti earthquake. 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." On February 23, 2010, "Together Again" was released as a digital download by online retailers. It peaked at number 86 on the Canadian Hot 100.

Tour

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. "So much of his heart went into this record, and I don't think it would be right to go without him", she added. "We hadn't played together since the stroke, and a few weeks ago [before October 2006] we had our first rehearsal and it was an amazing feeling." Lee said Balsamo was still recovering but he and guitarist John LeCompt "worked it out as to who's going to play what and what's going to be the best for [Balsamo]." In October 2006, Balsamo stated that he was only about 60 percent recovered and still had paralysis in his left arm. A month after touring began, Balsamo said that he still had paralysis in his left arm and hand. "I'm like at enough where I can get by on tour. Basically this tour is like therapy right now for me. I'm hoping it will 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."

The first leg of The Open Door Tour began on October 5, 2006, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 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. The leg of the tour continued on January 5, 2007, and consisted of appearances in Canada, Japan and Australia. 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".

Critical reception

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, The Open Door received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 61 out of 100 from 12 critic scores. IGN music reviewer Ed Thompson rated the album 7.9 out 10, writing that The Open Door "is everything that you could ever want in a follow-up album—and more", and Lee and Balsamo "seem to have a better understanding of each other than Lee and Moody ever did. The tracks are less radio-friendly ... but they are all the more complete". Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone said the best songs on it "are the creepiest. Lee has got a touch of the magnetic and destructive herself. But that's what makes the breakup songs feel mighty real." Jon Dolan of Entertainment Weekly felt that the record is "more personal and, by accessing a deeper emotional palette, maybe even more universal". Lee "isn't just drawn to melodrama; she thrives on it", Blender wrote, and the album is "denser and more scuzzed-up" than Fallen while "amp[ing] everything up to gloriously epic, over-the-top proportions".

Gary Graff of Billboard said The Open Door shows that Lee "was as much a part of Fallen as Moody", and she translates her "heartache into another successful set of melodramatic goth/industrial anthems with touches of prog and even classical". Spin's Mellisa Maerz regarded it a "post-dysfunctional kiss-off that builds from ethereal Sunday-mass uplift into full-eff-you guitar dirges, revealing an angrier, more self-assured Lee who waxes sardonic but still misses the comfort in being sad". Eric Danton of Hartford Courant said a "new, stronger Lee" is evident, "one who scarcely sounds like the uncertain performer from 2003. She is clearly in command on her band's sophomore effort". Reviewing for The New York Times, Kelefa Sanneh wrote that it is "no surprise" that after Moody's departure "Evanescence sounds gloomier and thornier than the old one", with Lee "finally free to be as bombastic as she wants to be", although the album is "less fun". Sarah Rodman of The Boston Globe found the final track "Good Enough" to be the "lone glimmer in the gloom", adding that "if [the album] featured more open-throated crooning and less teeth-gritting anger it would be a much more interesting record". St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Sara Berry opined that while the record is "overwhelmingly dark", the band "manages to escape the 'sophomore slump'", complimenting the music and deeming it "an ideal soundtrack for life's moodier moments." Nick Catucci of New York magazine remarked that the album "bristles with righteous anger" alongside "meticulously produced arrangements" that echoes Scandinavian art-metal while Lee "whispers and wails with a pain and ambivalence closer in spirit to the blues".

Commercial performance

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. On the US Billboard 200, The Open Door debuted at number one, selling over 447,000 copies in its first week. 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. The Open Door became the 38th best-selling album of 2006 in the U.S.; it was the 52nd best-selling album for 2007. 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.

On the UK Albums Chart, The Open Door debuted and peaked at number two on October 14, 2006. In Canada, the album debuted at number two, 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 one and two, respectively. It was later certified double-platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) and platinum by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ). By October 2011, the album had sold six million copies worldwide.

Track listing

Notes

Lee confirmed three planned B-sides for the album: "The Last Song I'm Wasting on You", which served as a B-side to "Lithium", "If You Don't Mind", and "Together Again".

The two-disc Japanese limited edition was released on September 27, 2006, and includes the music video for "Call Me When You're Sober" and behind-the-scenes footage. The CD also contains a bonus track.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of The Open Door.

Evanescence

Amy Lee – vocals, piano, choral arrangements, additional programming, organ

Terry Balsamo – guitar

John LeCompt – guitar; additional programming (tracks 2, 12)

Will Boyd – bass

Rocky Gray – drums

Additional musicians

David Campbell – orchestral arrangements

Seattlemusic – strings

Simon James – concertmaster

David Sabee – strings contractor

Millennium Choir – choir performance: Susan Youngblood, Talaya Trigueros, Mary Gaffney, Alyssa Campbell, Bebe Gordon, Melanie Bruno, Dwight Stone, Eric Castro, Darryl Phinnessee, Tamara Berard, Kevin Dalbey, Marcella Carmona, Tania Themmen, Joanne Paratore, Lisa Wall-Urgero

DJ Lethal – programming

Bon Harris – additional programming (track 12)

Carrie Lee – background vocals (track 2)

Lori Lee – background vocals (track 2)

Technical

Dave Fortman – production, mixing

Jeremy Parker – engineering