Maps of Music

The Open Door (2006)

Where the lyrics of The Open Door take you, and where it was really made.

Guitarist Terry Balsamo suffered a stroke while the album was being recorded, yet the record debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200.

Key places

Where the album was recorded (2006)

Recording site Record Plant (Los Angeles) — The Open Door was recorded from September 2005 to March 2006 at Record Plant Studios in Los Angeles, California. The stroke suffered by Balsamo happened during this recording period. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Choral arrangements recorded here (2006)

Recording site Capitol Studios — The choral arrangements made by Amy Lee were recorded at Capitol Studios in California, according to the album article. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Concertmaster part recorded at Bastyr University (2006)

Recording site Bastyr University — The concertmaster part for the album was recorded at Bastyr University in Kenmore, Washington, according to the Discogs release notes. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• The Open Door: second studio album by American rock band Evanescence
• Released 25 September 2006 by Wind-up Records
• Singer Amy Lee had full creative control of the record
• Most songs co-composed by Lee and guitarist Terry Balsamo
• Production handled by Dave Fortman
• Mixes new elements into the band's earlier style: classical influences, homemade sounds, industrial rock, symphonic metal, progressive rock, electronica and choirs

Background

• Lee stated that Evanescence would begin writing material for the second album in March 2004, after finishing the tour for Fallen (2003)
• Lee said writing on tour was impossible
• The writing took 18 months
• The album cover, designed by Lee, was posted on the official website on 4 August 2006

Recording

• Recorded from September 2005 to March 2006 at Record Plant Studios in Los Angeles, California
• Dave Fortman produced and mixed the record at Ocean Way Studios
• Ted Jensen mastered the record at Sterling Sound, New York
• Choral arrangements by Lee, recorded at Capitol Studios in California
• Choir and strings recorded in an old chapel near Seattle, Washington
• DJ Lethal programmed every song on the album
• Balsamo suffered a stroke in October 2005 while in the studio, and the left side of his body was paralyzed
• Recording was delayed as a result of the stroke
• Lee called his recovery a huge miracle and called the stroke the most difficult part of the album process

Cover

• Album cover designed by Amy Lee

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Formed in 1994 in Little Rock, Arkansas by singer and keyboardist Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody.
• Started as a duo that released independent EPs and a demo CD, Origin (2000).
• Signed to Wind-up Records in 2001.

Members

• Current lineup: Amy Lee (lead vocals, piano, keyboards, harp), Troy McLawhorn (guitar), Tim McCord (guitar; bass before 2022), Emma Anzai (bass), Will Hunt (drums).
• Lee has been the main songwriter since the band's start.

Career

• Debut album Fallen (2003) sold more than four million copies in the US by January 2004 and won two Grammy Awards.
• The Open Door (2006) followed, and the self-titled album Evanescence (2011) debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
• Went on hiatus after 2011, then returned in 2015 and released the orchestral Synthesis (2017).
• The Bitter Truth (2021) reached the top five of several Billboard charts.
• Sixth album Sanctuary was announced for June 2026.
• Total album sales are about 31.9 million.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Metacritic: generally favorable reviews, weighted average score of 61 out of 100 from 12 critic scores
• The album received generally positive reviews from music critics
• IGN music reviewer Ed Thompson rated the album 7.9 out of 10
• AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine said that much of The Open Door is a muddle of affections
• Nick Ruskell of Kerrang! wrote that the album well and truly outdoes Fallen
• The Grammy nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance went to Sweet Sacrifice, at the 50th Grammy Awards

Reappraisal

• In a 2021 retrospective, Metal Hammer ranked The Open Door as Evanescence's best album

Records

• Debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling more than 447,000 copies in its first week
• Peaked at number two on the UK Albums Chart on October 14, 2006
• Debuted at number two in Canada, selling over 43,000 copies in its first week
• Certified platinum by the RIAA just over a month after release
• Certified double platinum later
• Sold more than six million copies worldwide as of 2011
• Became the 38th best-selling album of 2006 in the US

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Lee composed nine songs with guitarist Terry Balsamo, while the song All That I'm Living For was co-written with guitarist John LeCompt
• Lee originally wrote the chorus of Lithium on guitar when she was 16 years old, and later changed it to piano when she wrote the verses
• Snow White Queen was the first song Lee wrote for the album, inspired by her experiences with stalkers
• Lacrymosa incorporates the Lacrimosa sequence of Mozart's Requiem (1791), which is Lee's favorite piece of music
• Good Enough is the last song Lee wrote for the album, and Lee placed it at the end to symbolize a new beginning

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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