AVENGED SEVENFOLD — Avenged Sevenfold (review)

AVENGED SEVENFOLD — Avenged Sevenfold album cover Album · 2007 · Alternative Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
Time Signature
Critical acclaim...

Genre: so-called metalcore / thrash metal / power metal

Avenged Sevenfold, or AX7, have reached a certain level of mainstream popularity and a level of unpopularity in heavy metal circles, whose most purist members consider AX7 and most other metalcore bands to play false, or untrue, metal.

I say, f*ck the idea of true metal. There is no such thing as true metal. Since its inception back in the 1960s, heavy metal music has always been a hybrid sort of bastard music based on influences from a lot of different genres. An metalcore bands, like AX7 and Killswitch Engage and others, who draw on hardcore punk and pop rock in addition to subgenres of heavy metal, are just as true metal as your death metal, black metal, trad. metal, nu metal, death metal, grindcore, progressive metal or whatever metal band.

This release certainly is hardrocking and contains a lot of elements from thrash metal and groove metal, and the guitar work involves several guitar harmonies, shredding and virtuosic, at times, almost neoclassical melodies and solos, and tracks like "Afterlife", "Critical Acclaim", "Scream", and "Lost" ... are almost phenomenal tracks (well, "Afterlife" and "Lost" are f*cking brilliant).

It's true that there are melodic elements and choruses with a certain pop-sensibility to them, and that may be too much for some metalheads. I think the melodies work most of the time, although I must admit to being put off a couple of times myself when I think things get too cheesy; but on the whole I think the melodies work extremely well; and, I do appreciate choruses that I can sing along to. And, once you've been exposed to Dead By April's terrible pop-rape of the Gothemburg sound, like I have, then you're hardened enough to withstand even the poppiest moments on this album by AX7, such as "Gunslinger" - an alternative metal ballad -, the silly "Unborn (the Wild Ride)" which reminds me of a very cheesy power metal track (although it does contain some very impressive progressive neoclassical parts in the bridge), and "Dear God".

Recommended to fans of true true metal.
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