Review Summary: Definitely not one of their best...
(Ratings are from 1 to 100)
Hail to the King had all the potential to be a great metal album and a throwback to the style of the old. However, the album as a whole definitely fell short. Eleven songs, maybe five of which could hold a candle to anything on Avenged Sevenfold’s previous records. What we get as a final product is a very safe, “okay” album.
Shepherd of Fire: 68
Not a terrible opener, but for a band known for bombastic and awe-inspiring openers such as “Beast and the Harlot”, “Nightmare”, and “Critical Acclaim”, it is a real letdown. A decent chorus and solo might be the only thing worth mentioning here.
Hail to the King: 94
When I first heard this song, I was very excited for the new album. It was one of those tracks that is extremely catchy upon the first note. One of Gates’ best solos on the album is here, as is arguably their best chorus on the album as well. A lot of groove and spark make this an album highlight and an instant A7X classic.
Doing Time: 35
Ugh. An extremely forgettable and weak attempt to create a fast-paced number, this is easily one of the weakest songs. I think I honestly skipped over it.
This Means War: 50
While this song is basically a rip-off of Metallica’s “Sad but True”, it does have a few things going for it, such as an alright chorus and beat. But it ultimately fails to really go anywhere, and the six-minute run-time is unwelcome for a song like this.
Requiem: 82
That Latin-chanting was certainly different, and leads into a pounding and heavy drum riff with a killer verse. What ultimately kills this song’s momentum, however, is an extremely forgettable chorus. If the chorus wasn’t so bland this would probably be one of the better songs on the record.
Crimson Day: 93
Ah, nothing like a ballad to slow everything down, huh? Well for a band that knows its way around a ballad, this is definitely one of the album’s best songs, and has become my honest favorite. An acoustic guitar reminiscent of Metallica’s “One” opens the track before Shadows comes in, singing a soothing verse before one of the best choruses on the record. A brief (for Synyster Gates) solo after the second chorus is also welcome addition.
Heretic: 70
Honestly nothing particularly new on this track, but the highlight on this one is a terrific solo by Gates toward the end of the song.
Coming Home: 95
Many things were done right on this song. The song has focus, and focus is a wonderful thing. Extremely catchy riffs, verses, and chorus make for one of the album’s best songs and one with decent replay value. Synyster Gates leaves his name all over the track with ferocious lead work and a furious solo. A standout song on the record.
Planets: 38
Yuck. After a string of good songs, The record takes a huge plunge into almost cringe-inducing melodies from the band, and excruciating vocals by Shadows. A really lame and terrible song that definitely should have been left on the cutting room floor.
Acid Rain: 97
As a closer, this song delivers. After a terrible song like “Planets”, I did not know what to expect from the ending. I should have seen a ballad coming. Whether you like the band or not, there’s no denying M. Shadows has a powerful voice. This song is a perfect showcase for his vocal range. Apocalyptic lyrics over a tender piano melody drive the first half of this epic before the awe-inspiring bridge that is definitely the high-point of the record. A breathtaking and beautiful Gates solo leads into the final chorus that ends the album on a high note. An example of A7X’s brilliance and one of their best ballads.
St. James (Bonus Track): 96
Isn’t that funny that the bonus track is better than most of the songs on the album? Despite his unimpressive drumming throughout the whole album, Arin Ilejay makes it known he has talent with some great technical work on this moving tribute to the band’s late drummer The Rev. While previous songs about him have all been deep ballads, this song is a fast, up-tempo song celebrating his life.
As a whole, the album is really lacking in anything extremely memorable, although the bright spots are very bright. I would advise listening to the better songs and skipping over the forgettable ones.
Overall Rating: 65/100
