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[MUSIC] THE SAVAGE ANIMAL
"First Impression of Avenged Sevenfold" |
05.09.12 |
BY MIKEY MIGO
I’ve really started looking forward to this. About once a month or so I sit down and listen to a band’s entire studio album discography. I pick bands I’ve missed out on, avoided, or in some cases barely heard of. Even the biggest of music lover can’t hear EVERYTHING. Sometimes we miss out on a band that the rest of the world loves, a band that’s considered iconic, and a band that’s way cooler than you’d want to give credit to. I aim for bands with four to six albums. Anything more would take up too much of my time and anything less wouldn’t be all that interesting.
It’s been cool to learn about and take in bands like Simon and Garfunkle, Pink, The Pixies, Ministry, The Black Keys, and other artists I’m crazy to have missed out on. At the same time, I gave an honest listen to bands like Kings of Leon, Portishead, and Wallflowers and hated the experience. I’ll admit to prejudgments, but in all truth I don’t want to spend such an extended amount of time not enjoying myself. Regardless, I share my first impressions as I take in a band’s evolution.
Why Avenged Sevenfold?
Why not Avenged Sevenfold? I’ve heard a few of their songs. I can distinctly remember “Bat Country”, “Seize The Day”, and I’d probably know a few other tracks if I heard them. I lumped them in the same emo-rock movement that was coming out as they were breaking through. To me, they looked like hair-emo-metal in their appearance and I can admit to judging them based on that too. It’s easy to just dispose of a band like that. To be fair though, it’s not like these stereotypes don’t ever have merit. In 9 out of 10 cases like this, you’re going to be pretty right in your assessment of a “scene” band like this.
There is still that 1 out 10 times. That’s what I’m hoping for. I didn’t hate “Bat Country” or anything, but I don’t know how five albums of this band will be. Let’s hope for the best…
Sounding the Seventh Trumpet
(2001 – 52 minutes) - The album slowly starts off with "To End the Rapture". It has a really epic guitar solo that instantly reminds me of hair metal. The vocals come in and ruin it. I don’t want to get this in my head on the FIRST song, but I can’t help but think about “punk/emo Sammy Hagar”. "Turn the Other Way" kicks in with some great music and goes directly into growl vocals. I didn’t expect that. I like the melody and music here. I’ve heard a lot of growl vocals in my time and have hated 99% of them. I can’t say I hate this. It works mainly because of the music being so damn good. My mood changes when the vocals go from growl to whiney harmonizing. I HATE that shit. It never sounds good and the “soulful harmonizing” portions always sound forced. It’s a big reason I could never get into bands like Killswitch. "Darkness Surrounding" starts off almost punk-like. It goes right in and goes at it. There is an oddly cool background harmonizing part that compliments the chaos and breaks up the aggression. "The Art of Subconscious Illusion" sounds more like a punk song at start and then BAM! The return of the growls. At about forty seconds in, the vocals are comprehensible. I appreciate this song. It’s not my thing, but the variety of tone and style and overall confidence is cool. "We Come Out at Night" is an intense track. I can easily imagine a mosh pit of chaos to this track. At this point, I’m starting to absorb their style more and head bang a little. Sadly, the “soulful harmonizing” shtick comes into play and takes me out of it. "Lips of Deceit" opens up with a really cool guitar melody. It slowly builds up to the break. It’s a more genuinely sung track with some genuine harmony. I was tricked because about a minute twenty in it breaks again. There are those growls. I am listening on headphones and trying to decipher words, but I can’t at all. The vocals just make this bad. The opening piano on "Warmness on the Soul" is really soothing. The vocals come in and holy shit… this is a ballad? Wow. I love the piano and music on the song, but the singing sucks. The vocals sound NOTHING like what I heard on their later, more popular singles. Hard feedback starts off "An Epic of Time Wasted" until it breaks into an impressive guitar melody. The growl-vocals kick in. It’s not bad. For what it is, I’d probably have to say this is the best overall track I’ve heard so far. "Breaking Their Hold" is a little over a minute long. They cram in as much energy into this track as possible. I hate to say it, but I still looked up to see how long was left 40 seconds in. "Forgotten Faces" opens with a bad ass riff and builds to guttural scream and growl stuff. "Thick and Thin" sounds more on par with what I imagined I’d be hearing more of. It’s a worthy blend of aggressive punk and modern metal. It’s definitely harder than their more popular stuff, but still has a cleaner and tighter structure. "Streets" is a punk song. It’s poppier than anything else on the album and stands out like a sore thumb. It’s not listed a single, but I’m surprised it wasn’t. The album closes out with "Shattered by Broken Dreams". A somber acoustic opening pulls us along toward really well done down tempo track. They sneak in a break or two, but overall it’s a really solid closer for this album. It lifted my impression a little even. The music portion of this album was really good. There are some guitar riffs and melodies on this album that just flat out rock. My main problem is the vocals. I’ve just never got into the scream/growl/breakdown with a “soulful harmony” type of stuff. I guess that’s “metalcore”. I know it was really popular for a while so I can only hope the bands evolves into a different direction going forward into the albums…
Waking the Fallen
(2003 – 69 minutes) - The band’s sophomore album starts off with "Waking the Fallen". It’s a haunting and slow brooding build to a really airy and trippy mash up of vocals and what sounds like ghosts or wind. "Unholy Confessions" kicks in with a hostile guitar build. The vocals kick into well sung vocals. There are some screams in there, but it’s much more polished. This is less “metalcore” and just really decent harder rock. It’s better than everything on the first album already. The music reminds me of good Metallica. That’s a compliment for those who still haven’t gotten over them cutting their hair or the Napster thing. "Chapter Four" actually sucked me. For a good minute I just got taken up by the composition of the music. The vocals hit and woke me up a little. The vocals are solid on it, even for the more metalcore portions. "Remenissions" is like three songs in one. There are some cool aspects of it, but over six minutes for this song is just a tad much. There isn’t THAT much going on for them to stretch it just for “epic” sake. "Desecrate Through Reverence" opens up really dirty and cool. It has a villainous swagger to it that’s hard to describe. It breaks into a harmonious thing that I’ve heard a few times on both albums so far. It’s close to five minutes so it feels like it’s another attempt at making a big epic track. "Eternal Rest" doesn’t screw around. The opening is an insane guitar riff that leads into an all-out metal assault. The guitar breaks down like a bad ass about 40 seconds in. I’ve made it bluntly clear I’m not a “metalcore” guy, but I can’t deny that this is an awesome tune. The first single of the album was "Second Heartbeat". It does nothing for me. The melody feels rushed and the vocals are non-descript screamo stuff. The chorus disrupts in really weirdly. For seven minutes, it’s as underwhelming as possible. "Radiant Eclipse" has an off-putting and eerie opening. You wait for it to blast you. The drums build and build more and more. Then finally… standard fare. Damn you, Sevenfold! You tricked me again! Next is the nearly NINE MINUTE track "I Won't See You Tonight (Part 1)". This sounds like what I imagined the band would sound like based on the singles I recall hearing. The guitar work is epic and the song builds up and pulls you along. The vocals are more precisely sung and it really works in their favor. Growls would work with harder metal, but this band is too talented to not dish out the harmonies and melodies they’re capable of. For an example of this, listen for the piano break down a little more than half way in. It’s really good stuff. "I Won't See You Tonight (Part 2)" comes in with more aggressive screaming and a harder edge. The like the breakdown melody, but I don’t feel a real musical connection between the two “Parts”. "Clairvoyant Disease" is most notable to me because it might be the best display of the vocalist’s range and skill. He is already proven to be a growl and screamer, but on this one he’s really spreading himself out and sounds pretty damn good. The album wraps up with "And All Things Will End". It’s over seven and a half minutes. Yeesh. Nothing too cool, but I like the chopped up and slowed down fade out at the end. It makes it sound like the player is running out of juice. Cool effect. It’s not like its overproduced or forced, but you can easily hear the band evolving and maturing. Nine Inch Nails is my favorite band of all time so I can handle long tracks with weird pacing, but the length of some of these songs seems really forced. There just isn’t anything really groundbreaking or amazing enough to merit a track over six minutes. I did like “Part 1” of the “I Won’t See You Tonight” tracks, but that should have been the only “long track” on the album. It would have only made it feel more unique and special. Still, I like the progress here. I’d not be against listening to this album again in the future.
City of Evil
(2005 – 73 minutes) - The band’s third and big break out album starts off with "Beast and the Harlot". It sounds familiar. It has a much more produced sound to it. The vocals are much cleaner and more prominent. The breakdown reminds me of GNR, but overall the band has a much more accessible sound just based off one track. "Burn It Down" has some thick drums at the start, but the noise pulls you into a franticly sung track. There is a lot of layers and interesting stuff going on. "Blinded in Chains" starts off with hard drumming and a smooth 80’s style electric guitar riff. It all builds up like something off a Megadeth import. The vocals break in and you can’t help but nod a long to it. The vocals again remind me of GNR. Of course I know "Bat Country". It’s not a bad song at all. I always enjoyed the video. What else is there to say? “Trashed and Scattered" is another song that has a weird vocal break down that reminds me of GNR. It’s a little obvious here what the intentions and influences are. I remember "Seize the Day" too. I didn’t remember it sound this whiney. It always felt this song was a blatant rip off of “November Rain”. The vocal style, the wailing guitars, the dramatic solo, and the whole tone of it just felt a bit preconceived. It was like they said “we need a November Rain on this tribute album… let’s try that Seize the Day song!” It’s well done, but being a long time GNR fan I can’t help but think this. "Sidewinder" starts off with a bad ass guitar solo and break. It’s a pretty interesting song. It has a polished sound like the singles, but it still have a genuine grit to it that makes it cool. It might even be my favorite track thus far. The chaotic plucking and playing to open "The Wicked End" is rocktastic. I’m surprised this wasn’t a single. It’s poppy, it’s cool, and I could imagine the video themes would make for an interesting clip. "Strength of the World" has a dirty western acoustic opening to it. The music composition is stellar on this. It almost doesn’t feel like it should be on this album. About a minute and twenty in, it breaks down with some feedback and intense build. Coming in at OVER NINE MINUTES long, the band puts a lot into this one. On their earlier albums I’d gripe about the longer tracks. I think it works here. The song structure is spread out just right to make the full listen a worthwhile experience. "Betrayed" is weak sauce. The vocals are crappy until it really breaks down. His voice is solid in that part, but there is a slight gravel in the whine that makes me want to punch something. "M.I.A." starts at a crooner, but a song that’s close to nine minutes is going to have that big explosion break in it, right? About a minute it, it breaks. These songs are all starting to start alike. It breaks down at the end and the vocals sound ridiculous. This was a bad close to a fairly decent album. On the notes I’ve seen on this album, this is where it all changes for the band. Vocalist M. Shadows took vocal lessons from Ron Anderson, a dude who worked with such icons as Axl Rose and Chris Cornell. I always thought there was a lot of “GNR” influence on some of the bigger tracks I’ve heard. I guess that could explain part of it. The band also signed by Warner Brothers for this album, which saw them open up all sorts of doors. The stars aligned for the guys on this one.
Avenged Sevenfold
(2007 – 53 minutes) - The band’s fourth album begins with "Critical Acclaim". Church organs are played. It drones on and eventually breaks into some wailing guitars and a big dramatic build up. The guitars are great. I already like this. The vocals are more distinguishable and less like other people we all know and love already. There is a more aggressive and violent approach here. "Almost Easy" is a really tight hard rock song. You have no choice but to head band along with it. I vaguely remember the chorus to this from radio. Either it’s better than I remember or I’ve broken my ears. I’ll let you know when I know. Next up is "Scream”, another big single. I don’t remember it all. This had to be a bigger hit for them. It’s catchy and I can see just about any bar playing this from dirty hell hole to city bar. It’s not bad at all. They go with a broader and full musical accompaniment on "Afterlife". It breaks down into interesting and good jam. Again with the western cowboy sound on "Gunslinger". It sounds like something that would be on a Young Guns III soundtrack if it existed. It’s a really nice sounding down tempo acoustic track until it breaks down about a minute and a half in. It doesn’t go too far in tone from the acoustic style, but it just adds layers of noise and melody. I can’t get into "Unbound (The Wild Ride)" as much as I have the other songs. It sort of just feels like it’s there. Maybe it’s a left over from the last album or something? "Brompton Cocktail" has a weird distant build. It hits with the break at 30 seconds. This song has a lot of cool effects and things going on. I could live without some of the vocals, but I like the plethora of organized noise going on here. What I’m saying is that I love the music. "Lost" starts off with wailing guitars that I’ll admit sound pretty damn epic. Vocals and normal things you’d hear in a song occur, but the real story here is those damn guitars. Amazing guitar work, guys. "A Little Piece of Heaven" is cool shit. It’s written and sung by “The Rev”. It’s an avant-garde metal song inspired by Danny Elfman music. I don’t know how anyone can hate on this song. It’s experimental and different, sure… but it’s really well done. The album ends with "Dear God". Musically it sounds like a country song at start. I can’t get behind that at all. It’s just not for me. The vocals sound almost folky. It sounds good for what it is, but I’d rather not. Some things on this album just really clicked with me. It was by far my favorite album of the four I’ve listened to so far. It’s harder edged than their commercially successful third album, but not as growly as the first two albums. There is a solid balance. I can still hear certain influences in here, but it sounds like their own thing. I will listen to this album again. For sure.
Nightmare
(2010 – 67 minutes) - The band’s most recent release kicks off with the title track, "Nightmare". I remember this song. It’s pretty good. I like the calm opening that just bitch slaps you with a hard break. I never really gave this a fair shot when it was on the radio a lot. I like the structure and music on this one a lot. I will say, the no-music/ “Nightmare” shout thing reminds me of Metallica. Apparently "Welcome to the Family" was a single, but I don’t think I ever heard it. I don’t hate it. I am head banging along to it. It’s not my favorite song of theirs, but it doesn’t feel like filler or anything. The opening drums of "Danger Line" make me want to run for cover. It’s a hard open that breaks into a slower tempo vocal track. It’s got a swanky swagger to it until it breaks to the typical sounding Avenged Sevenfold chorus. I was hoping for something different. "Buried Alive" has a distant and slow melodious guitar open. It’s soulful and really easy to get lost in. I was worried it was going to break into something upbeat, but it just adds layers of music to the fray. I’d be lying if I didn’t expect the vocals to be jarring, but it’s a really good ballad-like tune. I love the Ice Cube/Dr. Dre song "Natural Born Killer". This is not the same song. It’s an aggressive as hell rock track. I got too caught up in the song to critique it. That’s a good sign. "So Far Away" is a down tempo track. I would normally want to shit on a song like this, but this doesn’t sound like its being forced down our throats. At this point in the album, I think this track is needed. It’s nothing like anything else the band put out for sure. It reminds me of “My Friends” by Red Hot Chili Peppers, respectfully. "God Hates Us" starts off slow, but by 45 seconds in it goes into full on audio assault. The drums come down and the intensity builds. The primal screams in this are spine shattering. On the metalcore tracks, I never felt the screams and cries as much as I do in this. Yet, it sounds really good. I’ve not smoked a cigarette in almost two years, but I crave one after experiencing that song. Whew. "Victim" is just as enthralling. The soulful backing vocals lead into a really depth filled tune. Sometimes you just know when someone is really meaning what they’re singing. This is one of those cases. It’s not a song that I’ll seek out in the future, but it’s one that I can fully get behind. It hits those same chords as an “Angels Son” by Sevendust. The bad ass drones of "Tonight the World Dies" build up with an eerie swagger. This would have made for a really good closer to the album. The tone and harmonizing is haunting. The piano on "Fiction" is the shit. I love how this song opens up and builds its wall of noise. I feel like I’ve over used the word “epic” in reviewing these albums. Still, there is no other way to describe this song. Why wasn’t THAT the closer? Wowzers. We actually finish up with "Save Me". The music build up, the layers, the overflowing melody… I can’t say enough about it. I’m pretty much blown away by it. This album closed out a champion. By far, this is CLEARLY the band’s best work. I can’t think of many modern hard rock albums that touch this. I know it came from a painful place as “The Rev” would pass away during the making of this album. With their brother in constant memory, the band carries on...
THE VERDICT
(1999 – present) - I’m not going to lie. I went into this sorta dreading the process. I had this preconception that they’d be more in lines of the emo-pop rock stuff I’ve heard. I thought all of their bigger songs would sound like GNR and other hair metal rip offs. I expected something between the lines of a Fall Out Boy and a Buckcherry. It just seems like that’s the demographic. Yeah, I know. I was obviously wrong. VERY wrong. The first two albums are solid for “metalcore”, but “metalcore” isn’t my cup of tea. The band evolves with each project and continue to get better. Their third album was the big commercial success, their forth brought back the balls and edge, and then the fifth album is just their magnum opus. I didn’t expect myself to have enjoyed this so much. There are points I’m not too into it. I’m honest about that and maybe a little dickish in my approach, but why hold back? What good does that do anyone? I think it’s a cooler story that a dickish guy with unfair preconceptions sat down with five albums and walked out of it totally impressed. Seriously, I’m one of those dicks who have made fun of this band in the past. It was never anything hateful. I just didn’t give them a fair chance. That’s what these “First impression” pieces are all about. The vocals grow in depth, substance, and clarity. The music and song writing skills are there from Jump Street, but the vocals do catch up before too long. I’d probably get shit from some of my friends for being into this band, but I can honestly say it’s because they’ve not given them a REAL fair chance. If you’ve ever listened to this band’s singles and felt like they weren’t all that impressive… sit down with the albums. Your opinion will change. I dare say, I’m now a “fan” Avenged Sevenfold.
I didn’t expect I’d type THAT this time last week…
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