Evanescence — The Open Door

Hear that sound? That's an army of Hot Topic-clad teenage goth girls stampeding to the nearest music store to snap up the newest work from their heroine, Amy Lee. Just like on Evanescence's debut album, The Open Door attempts to cover up Lee's woe-is-me diary-scrawl lyrics with gnarly metal guitars. And just like the first time around, the results are mixed at best. There's no standout hit like "Bring Me To Life," yet a more dire problem rests within the writing itself. Far too often, the songwriting ends up as personal catharsis to the point that it alienates the listener, which is a definite no-no, especially when this sort of music ought to be connecting with its audience at every orchestral turn. Instead, this is mall goth, the Phantom Of The Opera, black velvet and razor-blade slashes all wrapped up in one ridiculously campy, melodramatic package. Props go to Ms. Lee's soaring vocal range, but Lacuna Coil still do all of this better.