The Open Door

If Evanesence’s mega platinum success a few years ago proved anything, it was the importance of a memorable song at the right place and right time. If you’re a bunch of less than attractive metal blokes, it doesn’t hurt to have a striking female singer either. Much has changed in the Evanesence camp since their debut (band members, management, personal circumstances), but they’ve certainly chosen not to mess with the important things – the lavish booklet that accompanies this features a lot of shots of Amy Lee, less of the lads. It’s hard to argue though, that in a world of identikit hairy males, Lee brings a welcome element of the mysterious. A shame then that her band are so damn dull. Every one of the 13 tracks on The Open Door employs the same format, bit of piano, a touch of dramatic goth warbling and then an all conquering, crunching metal riff to bludgeon everything else into submission. If the aim was to create something otherworldly and unsettling they’re not far wrong – it conjures up images of Limp Bizkit covering All About Eve. For all their grandeur, Evanesence have produced an album that is listless, uninspiring and – for a band that profess to be so spiritually aware – shockingly soulless.