Avenged Sevenfold

[DrewJD82]

Here’s a good controversial band to start a thread about!

I’ve been into these guys since ‘03 or so when the singer in a former band introduced me to them. It was before City Of Evil came out, they were a metalcore band doing metalcore stuff. I was just getting into screaming vocals at the time and heard they had a new album out, so I went and grabbed City Of Evil thinking it’d be more metalcore stuff…..I thought I had the band’s name confused for someone else when I listened, because all I was hearing was crazy ass shred guitars, no screaming, outstanding musicianship and song structures not really present in popular music.

Then the 4th album came out and they went further into the proggier stuff, while also tapping into the more commercial stuff at the same time. Really interesting juxtaposition I found myself enjoying because they were blowing up at the time and self-producing their own material when this would have been an opportune time for a label to put a stranglehold on them. This has only continued through the years.

I don’t love all their songs, but I’ve always felt they had a lot more to offer than what we’ve heard to date. One thing was clear to me from the start and this is probably the most controversial take; they do not give a f*ck what people want or expect from them. They seem to catch a lot of flack for how they dress, that never registered to me because of the musicianship, even if I didn’t dig every song.

Then their last album came out, entirely out of the blue one day. Zero press leading up to it, no one even knew they were working on an album. I don’t think that worked in their favor for album sales, but again, they don’t give a f*ck. It’s a total prog album and in the press they were commenting on how they very intentionally didn’t allow the album to be brickwalled, having Joe Baressi produce and Andy Wallace mix it.

It’s been a few years since their last album, but this just got released about 45 minutes ago and again, they’re demonstrating how much they just want to do what they do. I can’t even put this in a genre, but I can’t wait to hear the rest of this album.

 

[TubeStack]

Aren't they the “mistress” that broke up Dream Theatre?

 

[sleewell]

i moved to socal around about 2005. they were pretty big at the time. i like their earlier stuff more than the newer but they are def great musicians.

 

[JiveTurkey]

The video is killer. His voice sounds strange. Little strained sounding? The shred over the electronic drums is a cool juxtaposition. The solo is killer.

This is my fave song of theirs. Not an obscure choice by any stretch but catchy af and I dig the groove.

 

[DrewJD82]

Aren't they the “mistress” that broke up Dream Theatre?

Yes and no.

Portnoy really jumped the gun on that one and the band hasn’t really held back on stating as much. I think it’s more akin to a recently divorced dude meeting a recent widow, falling in love and expecting her to be ready for a commitment right away. I caught them on that tour and it was a blast seeing him up there with them, he killed it at those shows, but he was ready to jump right into the band and leave DT behind, clearly A7X wasn’t ready for that.

 

[DrewJD82]

The video is killer. His voice sounds strange. Little strained sounding? The shred over the electronic drums is a cool juxtaposition. The solo is killer.

This is my fave song of theirs. Not an obscure choice by any stretch but catchy af and I dig the groove.

Yeah, his voice catches a lot of flack and people have been saying he blew his throat out back when he stopped screaming in ‘05. That’s just the dude’s voice, they’ve cancelled very few shows in their years and that dude does not have an easy job by any means.

I love “Almost Easy” just because the double-ride part on the drums. I think that’s the dichotomy of them I dig the most; they can write these crazy Danny Elfman/Mr. Bungle-esque prog songs then bang out a 3.5 minute commercially viable tune.

 

[JiveTurkey]

Yeah, his voice catches a lot of flack and people have been saying he blew his throat out back when he stopped screaming in ‘05. That’s just the dude’s voice, they’ve cancelled very few shows in their years and that dude does not have an easy job by any means.

I love “Almost Easy” just because the double-ride part on the drums. I think that’s the dichotomy of them I dig the most; they can write these crazy Danny Elfman/Mr. Bungle-esque prog songs then bang out a 3.5 minute commercially viable tune.

Their ambition never really caught my ear. I know they had the "let's do our Black Album" thing and that was a recipe for me to keep not catching my ear. I don't hate on them though.

 

[JiveTurkey]

i moved to socal around about 2005. they were pretty big at the time. i like their earlier stuff more than the newer but they are def great musicians.

This is the first song I heard. I want to say this is the one with the cool early 2000's breakdown at the end?

 

[Mongillo19]

I was a huge fan back in the day. Part of me wishes they would go back to their metalcore roots similar to Waking the Fallen and then City of Evil. I think those days are long gone though and I definitely see this as a continuation of The Stage. I'm happy they are proceeding how they want to but I still don't know how I feel about the newest single.

 

[DrewJD82]

Their ambition never really caught my ear. I know they had the "let's do our Black Album" thing and that was a recipe for me to keep not catching my ear. I don't hate on them though.

That’s the only album of theirs I never made it all the way through. I give ‘em a pass for that one as it was the first one they did without The Rev, who was a primary songwriter. Just way too on the nose for me to get into.

This is the first song I heard. I want to say this is the one with the cool early 2000's breakdown at the end?

Yep, that was the first one I heard that got me into them. Even with that terrible pinch harmonic in there.

 

[DrewJD82]

I was a huge fan back in the day. Part of me wishes they would go back to their metalcore roots similar to Waking the Fallen and then City of Evil. I think those days are long gone though and I definitely see this as a continuation of The Stage. I'm happy they are proceeding how they want to but I still don't know how I feel about the newest single.

Hahahahah that’s what I love the most about the new single, I have no clue what to think of it. That’s not a single you‘d normally release if you want maximum impact after several years of not releasing anything.

 

[Mongillo19]

Hahahahah that’s what I love the most about the new single, I have no clue what to think of it. That’s not a single you‘d normally release if you want maximum impact after several years of not releasing anything.

Lol for sure! I think I like it after giving it another listen? I love the album cover so there's that.

I met them in person in 2017 or so. Super cool guys from my limited interactions with them.

 

[DrewJD82]

Lol for sure! I think I like it after giving it another listen? I love the album cover so there's that.

I met them in person in 2017 or so. Super cool guys from my limited interactions with them.

The only prog album I loved right away was Scenes From A Memory or Devin Townsend stuff (and certainly not all of it!), the rest has had to grow on me, which I think just comes with the territory with some abstract prog stuff.

I very briefly met the two guitarists at NAMM, right before they had one of the longest lines the whole weekend for signings at the Schecter booth. Just a handshake and they were whisked off by security. Hahahah they were pissing off security by allowing the fans to take pictures while there were signs everywhere saying "No photos!" because they needed that line moving. It practically split the whole floor in two sections.

 

[Mongillo19]

The only prog album I loved right away was Scenes From A Memory or Devin Townsend stuff (and certainly not all of it!), the rest has had to grow on me, which I think just comes with the territory with some abstract prog stuff.

I very briefly met the two guitarists at NAMM, right before they had one of the longest lines the whole weekend for signings at the Schecter booth. Just a handshake and they were whisked off by security. Hahahah they were pissing off security by allowing the fans to take pictures while there were signs everywhere saying "No photos!" because they needed that line moving. It practically split the whole floor in two sections.

And this is certainly a conceptual prog album it seems. From their description it's about existential crisis and anxiety in regards to the ever looming presence of death. May sound cheesy but heck I think a lot of us feel that in some sense.

Anyway, I hope they release one more single because at the very least it has made me very curious

 

[SubApathy]

I like a handful of Avenged Sevenfold songs but they have been hit and miss.

Years ago, I caught some heat stating that the song "Fiction" (previous working title was "Death") was Jimmy's suicide note. I love that song. It's bittersweet and much like Chester Bennington, lyrical content can be fully understood 20/20 hindsight.

I'll have to take a listen to what A7X has been up to lately.

 

[DrewJD82]

I like a handful of Avenged Sevenfold songs but they have been hit and miss.

Years ago, I caught some heat stating that the song "Fiction" (previous working title was "Death") was Jimmy's suicide note. I love that song. It's bittersweet and much like Chester Bennington, lyrical content can be fully understood 20/20 hindsight.

I'll have to take a listen to what A7X has been up to lately.

Yeah, “Fiction” is an eery one, for sure. Especially how they lifted his vocals off the demo in the state he was in when he recorded it. We really lost someone unique with that dude.

And certainly hit or miss; I don’t think there’s one album they’ve put out where I love every song but I very much respect the lack of limits they put on themselves and just go for it. I’ll take that over formulaic rinse and repeat stuff any day of the week!

 

[la szum]

Yes and no.

Portnoy really jumped the gun on that one and the band hasn’t really held back on stating as much. I think it’s more akin to a recently divorced dude meeting a recent widow, falling in love and expecting her to be ready for a commitment right away. I caught them on that tour and it was a blast seeing him up there with them, he killed it at those shows, but he was ready to jump right into the band and leave DT behind, clearly A7X wasn’t ready for that.

Quite the generation/age gap. That can make for a tough fit long-term.

 

[la szum]

That’s the only album of theirs I never made it all the way through. I give ‘em a pass for that one as it was the first one they did without The Rev, who was a primary songwriter. Just way too on the nose for me to get into.


Yep, that was the first one I heard that got me into them. Even with that terrible pinch harmonic in there.

So there can be a poorly timed and misplaced pinch harmonic after all.


Hmmm......

 

[DrewJD82]

So there can be a poorly timed and misplaced pinch harmonic after all.


Hmmm......

Hahahah it came in at a great time but the execution wasn’t the best, like someone going for a Wylde squealie but doesn’t have the vibrato down quite yet.

 

[la szum]

Not a conventional guitar tone in that new song--apart from the solo. I don't know wtf to
think of it. Isn't blowing my mind.


Kind of down-tempo and a little plodding. Is this what middle-aged A7X sounds like??