Album Rating: 4.0

Mattel is my favorite here, yeah. Don't know about best, but I definitely come back to it the most.

Album Rating: 3.5

this is bizarre so far gotta say, but I like it for the most part. Wish Matt didn't sound bad but I guess that's just his thing now

Album Rating: 4.0

Is what it is, yeah. I don't think he sounds bad, but certainly not as good as during his peak.

Album Rating: 5.0

Thing is tho, idk if this record would sound right if Matt were at his peak.



I dunno maybe I’m drowning in the kool aid but I think his voice is perfect for what they’re going for here

Album Rating: 5.0

in an interview i watched last night (i've watched a lot of them, i know) shadows said he wanted to make it a point that he didn't want his vocals to sound like anything resembling "the dude from nightmare" lol (also said syn had a very similar mindset and straight up didn't pick up a guitar for a very long amount of time, seemed to write quite a lot of this album on a piano)



that coupled with him sounding like his normal self live pretty much confirms he's not exactly washed but is sounding the way he sounds here purely by choice

Album Rating: 3.0 | Sound Off

I've never been a fan of this band. I've never really liked the music and I really didn't like the vocals. I tried to like the one with Mike Portnoy on it, but couldn't. Having said that, the music on this one is pretty good but I still don't like the vocals (although they sound better here than before).

Album Rating: 5.0

a take I can respect even if I disagree with.



They really went to for broke with this record

Album Rating: 3.0 | Sound Off

I'm probably late to this discussion since I didn't go through the first 36 pages of comments, but.... Listen to 0:47 - 1:08 of "Them Bones" by Alice in Chains and then 0:15 - 0:36 of "Beautiful Morning" on this album. Definitely an inspiration?



Also, Beautiful Morning is probably my favorite from this. It's Alice in Chains meets Angel Dust era Faith No More.



Edit: I was wrong, it's not Angel Dust-era Faith No More, the end of Beautiful Morning is the half-speed version of the end of Superhero. Start of 4:50 of Beautiful Morning, and start at 3:50 on Superhero by Faith No More.

Album Rating: 2.0

This album is just a melting pot of all their influences, I can respect changing your sound and taking risks, but a lot of these ideas were done better by other artists.

Album Rating: 5.0

Ya I mentioned it earlier, or in a different thread idk, Beautiful Morning is literally a thrasher version of some 90’s Alice track and I fucking love it.

Album Rating: 5.0

If I made a top 10 A7X list at least five of these tracks would be on it.

Album Rating: 3.0 | Sound Off

Did you catch that the end of Beautiful Morning is a slowed version of the end of Faith No More's "Superhero" -- Start of 4:50 of Beautiful Morning, and start at 3:50 on Superhero by Faith No More. It's not as blatant as the Alice in Chains verse, but I hear it.

I could see this growing on me after a few more listens, which is the first time I've said that about Avenged Sevenfold.

Album Rating: 5.0

No didn’t but admittedly I don’t listen to as much Faith No More as I should, even tho I love Mr Bungle



I’ll check it out

Album Rating: 3.0 | Sound Off

I'm only really a fan of The Real Thing and Angel Dust. When they lost their original guitarist they kind of strayed too far for me. I still enjoy the occasional song from those other albums, but they're not my go-to.

Album Rating: 4.1

The middle of Beautiful Morning also has some serious Bungle vibes. I'm thinking something like Sweet Charity or Merry Go Bye Bye

Album Rating: 3.0 | Sound Off

Damn, you're right. No wonder Beautiful Morning is my current favorite.

"Kind of feel the same way about this that I did The Killer’s Pressure Machine, where I think it’s comfortably one of the best things the band has done but feel like everyone is overhyping it because it was actually a competent and enjoyable release in a long line of dogshit releases"
lol yes i feel this very hard

Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Off

when have a7x made a dogshit ablum

Album Rating: 5.0

As someone that loves the band, Hail to the King fucking sucks

Album Rating: 5.0

yeah i agree these guys have never made an actually bad album



hail to the king is a perfectly fine album, feel like most of the hate for it either comes from a) a feeling that they are capable of so much more or b) it being a bit of a lightning rod for people who already disliked them to yell "see these guys were unoriginal posers all along i told you"