Review Summary: As madly inconsistent and inferior to City of Evil as it is, Avenged Sevenfold is still a uniquely produced record with plenty of experimental chemistry flowing through it.
Often are bands divided into those who will either find a formula and stick to it without changing their sound too much and those who are willing to ‘jump the shark’ simply for the sake of perusing what they are truly interested in. Avenged Sevenfold are defiantly the latter.
Having achieved mainstream success with their major label debut entitled ‘City of Evil’ back in 2005, this band of Californian rockers have done themselves the favour of gaining an army of fans who would (presumably) take a bullet for them if given the chance as well as a legion of haters who wish they had stuck to their metalcore roots which made them one of the most popular acts in the Warped tour of 2004. Well, while I initially disliked them when I first heard of them (in fact, my opinion on them is still a little mixed) I gradually came to admit that there’s no reason that a band should stick to the one sound or style because, after all, what’s stopping them? And while I wish they hadn’t strayed so far from their comfort zone this self-titled attempt still shows a lot of creativity, excellent musicianship and even some of their best songs. The results are still a bit hit-and-miss, though.
Critical Acclaim: Opens the album with a gothic style organ. The simple instrumental assault and arpeggio guitar riffs work very well, even if the tempo and pace is slower than most of their City of Evil material. The Reverend’s backing vocals are interesting as well, but being a song that advocates the U.S. involvement in Iraq the lyrics feel a bit too self-righteous and boasting for my liking. M. Shadows was once criticised as sounding like “the bastard child of Axl Rose and Phil Anselmo” so this track probably doesn’t do them much favours. – 3.5/5
Almost Easy: One of the best songs on the album. A Metallica style thrasher mixed up with the kind of guitar solos you’d expect from Slash. – 4.5/5
Scream: A very over appreciated song. It seems to be a fan-favourite and while I do like the drum and bass lines in this track I’m not particularly fond of the slightly ‘For Dummies’ book sounding guitar riffs. It’s pretty formulaic. - 2.5/5
Afterlife: Defiantly one of the best songs the band has done in their entire career. Simple rhythm combined with wicked guitar solos, bass lines and even a string orchestra. Might sound a little bit busy for some people but I find that it really displays the band’s musicianship perfectly. – 5/5
Gunslinger: Another song I’m not particularly fond of. A Cowboys from Hell sounding ballad about being separated from friends and family during a war. It’s not that I’m not one for these kind of ballads, the overall sound of the song feels messy at best. The lyrics are pretty naff for my liking too. – 2/5
Unbound (The Wild Ride): A fairly more progressive metal track which was described by the band members as something of a “magic carpet ride”, hence it’s amusing working title of ‘Disneyland Acid Trip’. The guitars are interesting and so is the choir towards the end of the song which really shows the bands ambitious nature. The child singing at the end is a little questionable, though. – 4/5
Brompton Cocktail: Starts off pretty well but halfway into the song it just seems to fall apart. The melodramatic lyrics tell an interesting story of a man wanting to die after struggling with disease and drug addiction, but the overall feel of the song is rushed-at-the-last-minute. The guitar solo is also short and bizarre. – 2.5/5
Lost: A personal favourite of mine because the speed of this song is fairly reminiscent of City of Evil despite its very poppy vibe and sound. Not too fond of the auto-tuned vocals, though. – 4/5
A Little Piece of Heaven: Written by the Reverend presumably as though he had a lapse back into what he wrote in his previous band, Pinkly Smooth. Being the longest song on the album it mixes up an orchestra with Mr. Bungle and circus antics to tell a Halloween love story. My reaction to this song is still very mixed but somehow I still liked it. Is it an experimental masterpiece in its own right or is it just plain ridiculous? You tell me. - ?/5
Dear God: Another underwhelming ballad. Nothing special. – 3/5
In conclusion, while it is inferior to City of Evil in many ways and it certainly didn’t do this band any favours when it comes to the legion of haters, Avenged Sevenfold is still a unique experimental effort with some misses but a lot of merits. I just hope their next album which is coming out in July this year will be more focused and concise with its style and direction.
Pros:
- Very unique in many ways with the band members not being afraid to take chances with different styles of rock and metal.
- Some excellent display of musicianship and instrumental work.
- Manageable length on each track for those who may not have the patience for the five-minuters from their previous albums.
- Well produced and mixed.
Cons:
- The overabundance of studio polish and overdubs can feel bothersome.
- The inconsistency between each song gives the impression of unfocused direction.
- Strays so far from their previous work it leaves one to wonder it suffers from an identity crisis.
- Nowhere near as good as (the awesome) City of Evil.
