CD Review: Avenged Sevenfold

By Nicole Langlois | gargoyle@flagler.edu

The rock band, Avenged Sevenfold (A7X) released their self titled album on Oct. 30, making it the fourth of their discography. The album was self-produced with record label Warner Brothers and Hopeless Records. Albums before have set a high standard that include brillant guitar rifts, musical rants, and unforgettable lyrics.

Their last album, The City of Evil, was released in 2005, beginning the start of a breakthrough for the band. The new album takes a new emotional approach that seems unfitting for the band. The song “Afterlife,” as stated by lead singer M. Shadows, “addresses the notion of…or the need to remember that death may intervene before we have reconciled differences with friends or loved ones.”

The new album and certain guest appearances by the band seem to be a more mainstream image. Shadows’ and guitarist Synyster Gates’ recent appearance on Good Charolotte’s single “The River” is an example of their change. The single is catchy and the sound M. Shadows adds to the song is one-of-a-kind, but a total cross in music genres. The band may have crossed the line with this new emotional album, it does not relate to their original sound. The recent single, “Almost Easy,” is a great push for the album, it is with deepest sympathy that I suggest not buying the whole album and only purchasing singles.