Avenged Sevenfold hit the big time with their 2005 release, City of Evil. The band’s hard-edged, post-metal sound stood apart from the waning nu-metal schlock that still infests the airwaves. While their previous efforts have been solid, the new self-titled CD is an uneven effort, full of promise but ultimately unsatisfying. The songs contain elements of traditional metal, metalcore, and sleaze-rock, all with an alternative flair.

The band starts off with a smack to the head, both musically and lyrically, with “Critical Acclaim”, an unabashed pro-war song that kicks things into high gear. It’s very rock and roll to show support for the troops, against the generally perceived anti-war slant of rock. It’s also one of the stronger songs on the CD. It’s followed up by another good rocker, “Almost Easy”. But from there things seem to hit cruise control. The songs aren’t bad, but they are not particularly memorable. The band does get props for stretching out their music style. The bland ballad “Lost” is followed by “A Little Piece of Heaven”, a proggy Queen-inspired song, clocking in at eight minutes. The evocative song has a lot of promise, but gets bogged down too easily.

The packaging on the CD is well done, but the production is not the best. Some flaws are somewhat evident, as The Rev’s exceptional drumming is sometimes lost in the mix. That might have contributed to the melancholy sense of pacing.

But even with one misstep, Avenged Sevenfold is one of the more accomplished young metal bands on the scene. They play with a focused abandon, and the Rev is simply one of the best young drummers around, even drawing praise of Neil Peart. If Avenged Sevenfold can put this one behind them, they’ll have a long career of great music ahead of them.