Don't cry to me, but feel free to cry about the cruel and unceasing passage of time.
That's a dramatic way of saying that Evanescence's The Open Door celebrates its 15th anniversary this Sunday. Released in North America on October 3, 2006, The Open Door had the unenviable task of following Amy Lee and company's breakout 2003 debut, Fallen.
"The Open Door was a big moment for me personally," Lee tells ABC Audio. "[Fallen] was an incredible thing that happened to us, and at so young, but there was just still so much anxiety and uncertainty."
A lot of that uncertainty came from various lineup changes between Fallen and The Open Door, including the departure of co-founder and co-writer Ben Moody. As a result, The Open Door felt almost like a second debut, with Lee facing a lot of outside pressure and doubt.
"I knew that it was everybody looking at me going, 'Can she do that? Is that real? Are you just saying it? Was it really all somebody else?'" Lee shares. "It was a big moment for me, I knew, to prove myself and to know that I still wanted it."
Still, Lee felt a "freedom" to "really take some chances" on a second Evanescence album due to the success of Fallen. The result was The Open Door, which has been certified double-Platinum by the RIAA, and spawned the hit single "Call Me When You're Sober."
"How well it was received was a big deal for me," Lee says. "I'm so proud of that album."
Evanescence followed The Open Door with 2011's self-titled release this year's The Bitter Truth. They launch a tour in support of The Bitter Truth with Halestorm in November.