Review Summary: An overabundance of new ideas along with average musicianship take a lot away from what is otherwise a fairly decent effort.
The decision to make an album self-titled is one of great significance. Normally, a group’s eponymous album is also its first. However, when it is not, it often showcases a band’s attempt to find a new sound. For instance, take Metallica’s Black Album – the beginning of the quartet’s move away from the thrash style they helped to pioneer. Or the 2009 release by Killswitch Engage – a band that had already released an album called “Killswitch Engage” in 2000, but chose to use the name a second time to show the fact that their music was being reinvented.
Avenged Sevenfold, with their fourth album, have taken a similar path. Straying almost entirely from the fast-paced and technical style they adopted in “City of Evil” (which was in itself very different from the metalcore sound of the previous two albums), “Avenged Sevenfold” presents not one, but several new styles. Most of them are decent attempts, but the fact is that there are simply too many of them for any to really be effective. That, more than anything else, is the album’s greatest flaw.
In 2007, Avenged Sevenfold is:*
Matthew Sanders – vocals
Brian Haner, Jr. – lead guitar
Zachary Baker – rhythm guitar
Jonathan Seward – bass
James Sullivan – drums
*Real names used, instead of stage names.
Many critics of this album base their negative view on the fact that the songs stray too far from previous material. This statement would certainly be accurate, but by itself it’s not really a problem. After all, countless bands before Avenged Sevenfold have chosen to abandon their old styles; sometimes it’s for the better, sometimes for the worse. What really matters here is the fact that a consistent and generally well-received style has been abandoned in favor of pure experimentation. Avenged Sevenfold took a huge gamble by doing so; the album’s perception would be based on how well the experimentation worked, and because they made such a huge transformation, they weren’t really sure what that perception would be.
In truth, a lot of the experimentation does work, to some extent; however, the effect isn’t quite as strong as it was intended to be. For instance, take album opener “Critical Acclaim.” Listening for a minute or two, one gets the impression that the song is supposed to evoke a feeling of anger. However, a lot of music has been made that produces this feeling much more effectively: Slayer, At the Gates, and even Trivium’s older material get the job done very well. Closing track “Dear God” is a love song that draws a lot of influence from country music. It’s an okay song, but it doesn’t really bring any strong feelings to mind at all (although this may simply indicate that the whole “separated from a loved one” theme has already been pushed far beyond its limits). The entire album is full of moments like this; too often, listeners will find sections that are fairly decent but could have been done much better.
In terms of individual band members, the only one showcasing any improvement is the vocalist, Matthew Sanders. Besides some of his low-pitched vocals, which sound whiny and annoying, Sanders manages to display a strong and confident voice that differs greatly from the softer style he used in “City of Evil.” However, with a few exceptions such as the guitar solo in “Afterlife,” the other members of the Avenged Sevenfold never prove what they’re really capable of. Drummer James Sullivan regresses to a few simple patterns that a second-year percussion student might feel comfortable with. Guitarists Brian Haner, Jr., and Zachary Baker stick largely to uncomplicated riffs, abandoning the dual lead style of “City of Evil” almost entirely. Jonathan Seward’s bass playing is barely even heard and usually just follows the rhythm guitar.
To be fair, this album does have some very good ideas. But, for the most part, that’s all it is – a collection of ideas. Sadly, almost none of them are developed to the extent that they could be, perhaps simply because there are too many of them. If you’re a person who enjoys experimentation, go ahead and pick this one up. Otherwise, stay away from this album.
Recommended Tracks: “Brompton Cocktail,” “Lost”
FINAL VERDICT: 2/5
