Kev Rowland I first came across Avenged Sevenfold at the time of ‘City of Evil’ and soon went back and grabbed the earlier albums, loving their sound and approach. However, for some weird reason I lost track of what they were doing after 2010’s ‘Nightmare’ and this is the first album I have heard since then. We still have the same core quartet of M. Shadows, Johnny Christ, Synyster Gates and Zacky Vengeance along with drummer Brooks Wackerman who joined the band in time for their last album, “The Stage’, and who is probably best known for his long tenure with Bad Religion. Seven years between albums is a long time for any band, but of course there was the small matter of a worldwide pandemic which impacted everyone on the planet. This has also allowed the band to reflect and ensure they have delivered exactly what they wanted. and the result is something which is far more expansive and simply bigger than I would have ever have expected from them. We also have a nod to the past with some lyrics and a bridge included on this which were written by The Rev.

This is a modern metal album which is a long way from their roots, but somehow is also tied to them. There is a passage on “We Love You” which is pure Freddie Mercury and Queen, but it soon switches into Nine Inch Nails and some blistering riffs. I mean, they worked with the 78-piece San Bernardino Symphony orchestra, there is also acoustic guitar, but also plenty of the riffs and attacks we have come to associate with them over the years. To me this is an album where the band have massively changed yet somehow have kept tied to their roots so while the sheer breadth is quite astonishing, they have also ensured older fans will still find plenty on here to enjoy. M. Shadows is singing the best I have ever heard from him, no strain whatsoever and a wonderfully emotional performance which is perfectly suited to the arrangements behind him, although when they decide to go hard, they do just that. In some ways this is reminiscent of the latest Slipknot album in that they also have refused to be pigeonholed and only time will tell as to which will have the biggest impact in the long run. Given that the core quartet have been together since 2002, they are solid in what each of them can achieve and have grown and changed organically, growing up along the way and there is no doubt in my mind that this is their best release to date which should both satisfy old fans and gain them many new ones.

Necrotica Progressive. Theatrical. Ambitious. These are the words that immediately come to mind when describing Avenged Sevenfold’s newest release, and they’re the words that make it so unique in their discography. The Stage takes the quintet’s tried-and-true sound and offers a more complex and bombastic take on it, as well as some aggressive thrash passages that keep the intensity going in the meantime. While this isn’t the first time the band have delivered on the technical end - City of Evil and Waking the Fallen had plenty of those moments - it was never delivered with such potency or meaning. What we’re listening to is a full-fledged progressive metal experience revolving around the elements of artificial intelligence, science fiction, and the flaws of society. And when exploring each thought-provoking theme, the band sound revitalized and full of vibrancy; this is especially true when comparing the album to its dull and stripped-down predecessor Hail to the King, which seemed more interested in emulating influences rather than expanding on them. Traces of Dream Theater, Metallica, Nevermore, Rush, and Mastodon can all be detected in The Stage, but the band’s ability to make it an unmistakably Avenged Sevenfold record is what makes it all distinct. Whether it’s the elaborate orchestrations of City of Evil, the aggressive-yet-melodic metalcore stylings of Waking the Fallen, or the traditional metal anthems of Hail to the King, Avenged Sevenfold manage to incorporate these past incarnations into a fresh new synthesis. And, as someone who’s waited since City of Evil for this band to go progressive, I can’t tell you how excited I am that they’ve fully embraced this approach.

It’s not just expressed in terms of complexity or technicality, either. Perhaps the best thing about The Stage is that it provides listeners with an audio-visual approach to music, in which the lyrics and musical atmosphere match up beautifully. For instance, “Higher” is about a failed NASA test. What music accompanies it" An epic neoclassical metal tune with space rock stylings, complete with cosmic synthesizers and an elaborate choir section to top it off at the end. “Creating God” expresses religious conflict and denial, which is symbolized by the combination of major and minor chords clashing throughout the track. But maybe the strongest example is the final track “Exist,” a 16-minute song meant to be an aural representation of The Big Bang. The first section symbolizes the creation of the universe, and the second represents the creation of Earth itself. Overblown" Yes. But there’s no denying the creativity and ambition behind the concept, especially when the band gets Neil DeGrasse Tyson in for a spoken word clip to drive home the explosive finale. And as I stated before, the aggression isn’t lacking either. “God Damn” is a nice little slice of thrash, brutal but controlled in its approach. The title track is another great example, starting with a fantastic melodic buildup before giving us some heavy mid-tempo riffage to chew on throughout the majority of the song. Unfortunately, M. Shadows continues to be Avenged Sevenfold’s greatest weakness; while he doesn’t drag things down as much here as on other efforts by the band (I’m looking at you, City of Evil), I can’t help but think that a better singer could be bringing all these great lyrics to even greater heights. But really, it’s mostly in the more aggressive moments that he suffers from his limitations, as he’s often great in softer settings. His multi-octave approach in the symphonic ballad “Roman Sky” is beautiful to listen to, and it’s hard not to get goosebumps when he emotes so well in the ballad portion of “Exist.” Either way, he’s still brought up by the rest of his bandmates, who manage to do an impeccable job at their respective instruments. Special kudos go to Brooks Wackerman, who I honestly didn’t expect to be such a technical and intricate drummer. More than anything, The Stage is simply an exciting album. It’s an amazing display of what Avenged Sevenfold could eventually become with their collective talents, as well as a triumph in its own right. You did well, boys!

Nightfly Two bands in particular have surprised me in 2016. The first was Metallica who actually got me enthusiastic about them again; something I thought would never happen and released their best album in 25 years. The other was Avenged Sevenfold who after years of shrugs of nothing special from me have finally released an album that I think is really pretty good and impressed me enough to actually buy it. Whilst I couldn’t claim to be an expert on their back catalogue The Stage is the best thing I’ve heard from the band after more recent mainstream generic metal offerings.

The Stage is a much busier and heavier album than 2013’s Hail To The King’s simplistic approach. Some of it may be down to an injection of energy from new drummer and former Bad Religion member Brooks Wackerman who seems to have given them a good kick up the arse, but there’s also clearly a prog influence going on here most noticeable in the eight and a half minute title track and the fifteen minute album closer Exist. Sure they’ve done longer songs before but here the band really do nail it and get the opportunity to stretch out. The Stage in particular stands out as the best thing I’ve ever heard from them with strong hooks and a captivating arrangement with plenty of changes. Exist, if for nothing else than its length is sure to capture attention. Fortunately, it’s a winner with plenty of twists and dynamics, compelling riffs, strong melodies and instrumental work. Shorter pieces like God Damn and Creating God also pack a considerable punch and the mellower Angels sounds a bit like Soundgarden or solo Chris Cornell in more reflective mood.

There’s a few less than stellar moments like Sunny Disposition and ballad Roman Sky - pleasant enough but dull. Also the production whilst clear is a little clinical and could do with a bit more bottom end to my ears but these are minor gripes. Overall though The Stage should more than please fans of the band and most likely win them quite a few new ones too. If they keep going down this road I might even buy the next one too.

Warthur Ugh, this is awkward. You see, Jimmy "the Rev" Sullivan died whilst Avenged Sevenfold were in the process of making this one, and Mike Portnoy - then towards the end of his tenure in Dream Theater, though nobody knew it at the time - stepped into the breach to record the drum parts on the album and lend a hand with the subsequent tour. So you have this album which not only involves all the pain involved when a band member dies but also sees Portnoy doing the group a massive favour in order to get the album out.

It's a bit unfortunate, then that the album just... er... isn't very good. Avenged Sevenfold's particular style of pop-metal with the odd Rob Zombie production affectation isn't something I am particularly warm to from the start, of course, but the whole thing sounds thin and weirdly calculated and insincere, and M. Shadows vocals are flat-out weak. An album more significant for the role it played both in the band's history and Mike Portnoy's career trajectory than it is for any of its actual music, I'm afraid.

Necrotica Avenged Sevenfold are perhaps the band that I have the most "love-hate" relationship with when it comes to metal music. They have great records (Waking the Fallen, this album); they have absolute trash (self-titled, Hail to the King). Many of the band members are very skillful at their instruments, and yet they frequently choose to waste their talents on lazy songwriting and recycling musical themes from past greats like Metallica and Iron Maiden. Even vocalist M. Shadows is in the same position; sometimes his vocal performances are solid and varied, and at other times they're absolutely grating or completely boring. However, many people will say that the band's better work lies in their early releases, namely their first three. Aside from Nightmare, which was pretty solid (if inconsistent) in its own right, I can get behind that. Where does City of Evil fit into all of this?

Well, it's pretty much in the bittersweet zone between the lengthy harmony-driven metal tunes of Waking the Fallen and the uninspired and boring moments of the self-titled record. You could view it as a transitional record in that right, but admittedly that would be selling it short at the same time. Essentially, the album's quality heavily depends on which side of it is being heard. Tracks 1-6 are on the more conventional side, whereas tracks 7-11 give off a more ambitious and "epic" character. The latter is definitely the strongest of the two, clearly more inspired by classic bands like Iron Maiden and even putting some progressive metal touches here and there, most obviously displayed by the longer length of these tracks. Highlight "The Wicked End" even manages to throw in a choir around its halfway mark, leading to one of the most emotionally resonant climaxes of the band's career. "Sidewinder" experiments with classical guitar soloing courtesy of guitarist Synyster Gates' father, while "Strength of the World" uses an acoustic intro and outro that utilizes an orchestra and prominent crescendos in drummer The Rev's percussion work to create something more dynamically varied. Even while the songs have a tendency to drag due to their length and occasional lack of ideas (ESPECIALLY with "Betrayed"), the attempts to keep things fresh and varied are welcomed, particularly for a group who are generally known for their derivative nature.

The first half is definitely a more mixed bag compared to the second half, focusing more on shorter and catchier tunes. There's one particular problem with these songs that needs to be addressed now: M. Shadows needs to shut his mouth and let the musicians shine a bit. I'm not kidding; he overdubs over himself almost constantly, drowning out the exceptionally solid and enjoyable instrumental work. While it's more understandable with the album's sole ballad "Seize the Day," it would have been nice for the metal songs to focus more on the instrumentation itself. The reason this wasn't brought up with the second half of the album is because it isn't as frequent of a problem there. It would also be less of a problem if M. Shadows' vocals were better, but this happens to be his worst performance in Avenged Sevenfold's discography. He basically has two vocal settings here: nasally whining (see: the chorus of "Strength of the World") and constipated high shouting (see: many songs, but particularly the climax of "The Wicked End). It probably seems ridiculous to single out this aspect of the album so much, but it really gets distracting. However, if you can get past that, there's still plenty to enjoy from a songwriting standpoint. "Beast and the Harlot" is a strong opener with a neat guitar solo in the middle that emphasizes harmonized chromatic runs effectively, while "Bat Country" and "Burn It Down" are faster cuts that display the band's technical skills and particularly The Rev's flashy drum work. For that matter, the entire band upped their game from a technical standpoint from the previous album Waking the Fallen. Whereas that album was more cohesive and consistent, City of Evil is more technically accomplished and varied.

City of Evil is not the best Avenged Sevenfold album, but it's certainly among their best. While a bit overlong and placing too much emphasis on vocals, it's still very solid if you go in with the right mindset. If you can't get past the annoying vocal work, this probably won't do much for you; however, if you can, there's plenty of great musicianship and ambitious (particularly in the second half) songwriting to enjoy.

(Originally published on Sputnikmusic)