First of all dont b slandering avenged sevenfold. unlike u other ppl can find the message through their songs. fyi scream is an excellent song and it doesnt use words thats unnecissary words u didnt get to hear. avenged sevenfold is diff fr ur heavy metal band. [Personal attack deleted by Comments Editor]. Just cuz their music was diff fr their last album. u want to hear the same shit over and over. get over urself. besides they make more money then wat u get. let it b known. up to this day kids still tlk about their first demo n album. i never heard of u. [Personal attack deleted by Comments Editor] i hate ppl like u who down other bands cuz their music their taste. i hate marilyn manson but i dont slander his name iight. okay.thank u n have a nice day.

its like y would u do that? like really.

Thank you for your response. It was a little hard to read with all the typos, but I get the gist that you disagree with my assessment. I guess it's a good thing I didn't outright hate the album....

"Just cuz their music was diff fr their last album. u want to hear the same shit over and over."
That is so not what I said. This album is a lot like the last album to the point of showing now growth in their style, playing it a bit too safe.

You also ask me who I am? Allow me to ask who are you?

hey chris...good review. my wife got this and from what I heard so far, it sound like a nice leap from what they did on City of Evil. Lots of risk for sure but check out the DVD and see the writing process. That made me what to really sit down and listen to the record. Unfortunately, my copy hasnt arrived in the mail yet and my wife isnt letting go of hers.

and to you megan, easy to talk shit from behind a computer. Why don't you leave your house and get some fresh air and maybe take an English lesson or two and come up with a better response. This isn't a cell phone so text speak only makes your sound ignorant. Just an FYI or should I said for your information.

what a spazz.

Spot on review. I have an almost identical experience (starting late with A7X by getting city of evil, anticipating this one like crazy..) although I must admit to liking this album a bit more than you did. But it is an absolutely precise view on it.

Chris, there is a few points I would like to make about your review. First I am going to state that I am a die hard fan and thats basically why I wanted to post a comment. Though I am not going to be like Megan from above and through a pissy fit because you do not have the same taste in music as I do. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and here is mine.

The new album is nothing like what A7X has done before. First of all it is self titled, meaning that it was self produced. And generally when a band goes from a big time record producing company such as "Warner Brother" they are going to change their style of music some. To the people hat do not listen to much A7X they might not get the full affect of this change. But since I have listened to them Since the album "Sounding The Seventh Trumpet" they have changed alot to me. Alot of the change is in the vocals because it goes from M. Shadows screaming his head off to more of a mellow singing, since he went through throat surgery. They also brought in alot of outside sources such as: a woman in the country music business, i do not know what her name is because I hate country, a conductor as well as the orchestra, and even more back up singers. Plus their song "A Little Piece of Heaven" this sounds like a song that would be in a "Tim Burton" cartoon.

So the biggest argument I have is that this CD is not a sequel to "City of Evil", it may have a few songs such as "Almost Easy" that followed the style of their later CD. But other than that they have completely changed their style.

P.S. I did not like this album the first time I listened to it but after the third through it is my favorite CD by them on the market. So give them another chance. Plus I mean it should catch your attention from just Gates shredding on the guitar because he is a GUITAR GOD.

Shane

Best review i have read

I think i liked this cd more than you seem to, and i do agree that it is more about particular moments that, if properly exploited, could have made for a much better experience. specifically, the solos in gunslinger and brompton cocktail...you just want them to take off into a typical syn gates rollercoaster, and they end before they really get started. all in all i liked th growth, i think they do need to get a little heavier next time around, but this album is unlike anything out there right not, and i applaud there efforts.

Ok look, I really disagree with the review. I guess the problem is that you are in love with City of Evil. Don't get me wrong City of Evil was a great album, but Waking the Fallen is really what Avenged Sevenfold is all about, because it wasn't meant to be a mainstream album, whereas City of Evil was all about being mainstream. You really liked the songs Seize the Day, Bat Country, and Beast and the Harlot. Those where the most commercial songs on the album. The real musical talent showed through in MIA, Strength of the World and Sidewinder, which are all non-commercial songs. That is how most of this album is.

Critical Acclaim is not the best song. I understand thats your opinion, but I just totally disagree. What made this CD great is the diversity and musical talent they showed. I guess I just don't see how you can say that they didn't show any life or creativity. I really think you need to really listen to the album again, because creativity is what this CD was about. The song Dear God is a country song. The fact that a band that came from songs like Remenissions, Unholy Confessions, Second Heartbeat, Turn the Other Way and plenty of other hardcore, screaming, metal band can go and create a hard rock country hybrid song or the western style of Gunslinger is simply astonishing. You are absolutely right, Little Piece of Heaven came out of nowhere. It is like a dark version of a Queen song. I can't say I like the song, I like parts of it, but overall I don't like the song. That doesn't mean I can't respect it. Its pretty safe to say that there is not another song like it. They also did a lot of other things to mix it up. In Critical Acclaim, Little Piece of Heaven and I believe a couple of others, but I may be mistaken, The Reverend did vocals that exceeds anything he has done in the past. The band brought back the double bass drumming style in parts of the new album that they used in Waking the Fallen and Sounding the Seventh Trumpet with the added twist of more modern hard rock drumming that was used in City of Evil. The song Afterlife has a spectacular guitar solo in it that can just make your hair stand on end. The solo in Gunslinger is very simple but has just a stunning impression. Also in Gunslinger, the vocals are very strong just before the solo. Lyrically the songs Dear God and Lost are two of the best songs that they have put out in the last two albums. The lyrics are simply powerful. The soloing at the end of the song Lost is a perfect climactic ending to the song. I still do not believe that this CD tops Waking the fallen, but as far as creativity, it was a masterpiece and I think they did a great job putting out a quality album. They did an amazing job of combining what City of Evil fans love and what old-time Ax7 fans love, while adding some experimental aspects to the album. On one final note, I do not think that Dear God is in any way a country remake of Seize the Day. Their only similarity is that they are the slow songs off the album. The comparison just can't be made. That is like saying that Warmness on the Soul is a piano version of Seize the Day.

I guess I can see where your coming from as a City of Evil fan, but I like both of their styles and I can respect what they did on the album, because I am open to the changing of their style. They say that they never want to make the same album twice, and it seems like you were looking for City of Evil part 2. Regardless, good review, from the heart... I just don't agree.

first of all, i agree strongly with shawn johnson, while you had a very good outlook on the album in your review its easy to see that you picked it up late and are a diehard city of evil fan, for those of us who have been on avenged sevenfold since sounding the seventh trumpet this cd follows along perfectly, M. Shadows stated several years ago that he wanted a pretty intense screamo style album(sounding the seventh trumpet, waking the fallen)next was a mix of scream and singing(city of evil) and then he wanted to put out a more mellow album containing more singing than anything(avenged sevenfold) and i believe that he did just that. the lyrical content and creativity in this album is rivaled by no other i have ever heard. a little piece of heaven is one true piece of art, probably explaining the reason it is my favorite off the album. this album really shows how much talent is in avenged sevenfold and exactly what they are all about from the first to the last second of it. they are easily one of the most talented and influential bands of all time and will be remembered forever, they are the #1 reason i started listening to any kind of screaming.

all in all im not hating on your opinions about this album but before you start posting comments on the web about them try picking up all their albums and listen from start to finish several times. i have no doubts that your thoughts of them as a band will be swayed. and sometimes change is good as they have shown in their life as a band

I have to say I agree with Shane, although I do find the lyrics to the song "A Little Piece Of Heaven" a bit disturbing.

I disagree completely on the fact that you say they played it too safe on this album. Listen to the songs Gunslinger, Dear God, and A Little Piece of Heaven. Those are songs styles I cant say I have ever heard from them and for that type of band, it seems to be a big risk for them to take.

This is a great review!
I'm a big fan of A7X and guess what? I live in CUBA.
Back in the 2001 a friend of mine borrow me a cassette recording of Sounding... we really love it. Then I have to wait another 5 years to listen another album of these guys. This time was City... and it rocks! It's a hell of an album. A7X were the indie sound of metalcore, doing those barroque melodies filled with entires days with headphones in there ears. In 2006 I got Waking the fallen and in my opinion is the band best effort. The manage there to combine the two phases or their carrer: screaming-youth and singing.
That's why two moths ago, when I listened 2007 self-titled: just couldn't believe it. All songs are like pushed-into, it seems like they were doing this under a lot or preassure or something. Come on people: Critical Aclaim is a bad song; Almost easy is a Beast and the Harlot II; Dear God is even more Guns'n'roses likeful than Seyze the Day.
Ok, you can find the message and all that. The argument of their talents is pointless, come on! many musicians have it it's not nwe that someone knows how to play hard solos
The fact reamins: Mainstream kills rock-bands: it turns them into rock-stars.

[Sorry about my english. I could say more, but...]

i LOVE the lyrics to " a little piece of heaven" i mean the message behind the song is " i gave you my heart (and/or love) and u took it and laughed in my face....... " COME HERE YOU FUCKING BITCH!"

wow that megan girls dumb. Anywayz, I completly agree with this review. Waking The Fallen was deffiatly there best album. Dont get me wrong, i love all of their albums, but i was a little let down with this recent one. It seems with every album their getting less "hardcore." I dont really understand what they were doing in "dear god." I HATE country music and i cant really listen to this track. Call me shallow, i dont care. A little piece of heaven is distrubing the first time you listen, but the more i listen to it the more i like it. Its a masterpiece and people dont understand. The lyrics are freaky, yes, but all in all, a good track. I really hope they do better on their next album, but regaurdless, i love A7X and they are my favorite band ever.

Well to start out this band dresses totally tacky... they could be so fabulous but they dress like the backstreet boys... wtf? this so is such a downer too mostly cause its about a girl but that's not my place to decide...



with love... peace bitch

what is wrong with these ppl?!