The Avenged Sevenfold Thread (merged)

[me7]

Ascendancy is a top 50 album for me.  That was direction of music I was getting into at that time so makes sense why I didn't really gravitate towards Avenged Sevenfold.

Got through a few songs on Nightmare today.  This is much more my thing.  How good is the title track?  Not sure why I didn't give this one a chance at least.

Did you skip the Self-Titled album? Why?

[twosuitsluke]

Pretty sure Wolfy said he was going to spin the albums he had on CD, which didn’t include the self titled.

[Jamesman42]

Cosmic is stuck in my head. Fantastic song.

Mattel is fun.

[hefdaddy42]

So, I have not traditionally been a fan of this band, but this new album is fantastic. 

[nobloodyname]

Yup, same. Although I really liked Nightmare. And City of Evil and the self-titled aren't bad. But this new one... wow. And yet it appears to have taken a total panning in some quarters.

[cramx3]

Yup, same. Although I really liked Nightmare. And City of Evil and the self-titled aren't bad. But this new one... wow. And yet it appears to have taken a total panning in some quarters.

No surprise for the beating though.  Avenged are too mainstream for this album to go over well.  It's just not something the average music fan is going to easily enjoy.  Now us prog fans over here at DTF... this is like our bread and butter. 

But honestly, for a prog album, this album was much easier for me to digest for some reason say compared to Haken's Fauna (which I did enjoy).  I feel like I loved this album on first listen and that's just not normal for me when it comes to prog.

[wolfking]

Ascendancy is a top 50 album for me.  That was direction of music I was getting into at that time so makes sense why I didn't really gravitate towards Avenged Sevenfold.

Got through a few songs on Nightmare today.  This is much more my thing.  How good is the title track?  Not sure why I didn't give this one a chance at least.

Did you skip the Self-Titled album? Why?

I own City of Evil, Nightmare and Hail to the King on CD mate, so those are on rotation in the car.  I'll get to the rest after those.

[ProfessorPeart]

Have to say I am struggling with this one. Got a few listens in and I am just not getting it yet. I love City, Nightmare and The Stage.

Some of my thoughts are this - Brooks' snare sound is not very good. Too muted and not enough snap to it. Many of the songs, to me, feel like almost fragments. I know someone said this would be a hard one to have a track come on shuffle instead of listening as a whole. I'm listening as a whole and am struggling. I don't hate it, I'm not just feeling it yet, if I ever. I don't fault the guys for following their heart. I just might not end up really liking it too much.

[wolfking]

Running through Nightmare, this is pretty good stuff.  The title track, Welcome to the Family, Natural Born Killer, Buried Alive, Save Me, all good stuff.  The vocals are a lot more palatable on this one too.  Really strong actually.  I'll be replaying this one.  Not sure why I didn't dive into it back in the day.

[twosuitsluke]

Maybe you were inconsolable over Portnoy’s decision 

[Awaken]

Maybe you were inconsolable over Portnoy’s decision 

He did a phenomenal job on that album, loved his work.  Also love the new one, spun it during my workout this am and couldn't wait to start it again.

[wolfking]

Maybe you were inconsolable over Portnoy’s decision 

The funny thing is that I remember the whole debacle that happened over this quite vividly.  The whole dumping DT and thinking he could join Avenged when that wasn't their intentions at all haha.

On another note, I ran through Hail today and this is a great album.  Sounds wonderful and some absolutely ripping solos.  Love the straight ahead metal approach here.  Will spin it again tomorrow.  There's one song that blatantly rips of Sad But True but really enjoyed this one.

[cramx3]

Actually surprised you are enjoying Hail to the King.  It seems generally regarded as their worst.  Personally, I really liked it.  It is a bit basic, but it's still good to me. 

[ZKX-2099]

HTTK coming after Nightmare was a big let down. But a decade later I think I go back to that more than Nightmare.

[me7]

HTTK ist great for two songs, any two songs, but then it gets too samey.

[Jamesman42]

There are a lot of crescendo-like effects on this album. It also is all over the place. I admit to not knowing a lot of the band's middle catalog of albums, but this is very different from what I know, and that's not a bad thing. Enjoying it a lot.

[Deathless]

I wasn't surprised to see Matt wearing a Daft Punk shirt recently after I heard (O)rdinary. A straight lift from DP! It's still a fun song.

Overall I'm enjoying the album across the board. You definitely have to try and listen to it front-to-back.

[wolfking]

Actually surprised you are enjoying Hail to the King.  It seems generally regarded as their worst.  Personally, I really liked it.  It is a bit basic, but it's still good to me.

Wow.  No complaints here.  Best guitar playing of the three albums IMO.  Production too.  I can imagine the more straight ahead approach may not have been everyones cup of tea from what the band seemed to have cemented themselves as, but I like it a lot.

[SchecterShredder]

Actually surprised you are enjoying Hail to the King.  It seems generally regarded as their worst.  Personally, I really liked it.  It is a bit basic, but it's still good to me.

Sounding the Seventh Trumpet.

There's very little to like on that record. Makes HTTK look like Mozart

[Jamesman42]

Warmness on the Soul is an amazing ballad, though. Dat piano

[SchecterShredder]

On the subject of HTTK, i think it's pretty good.  I probably like it better than The Stage in terms of overall track quality. I like a good 5 songs from HTTK. 6 songs if you count the bonus track,  St. James. Icky thing The Stage has going for itself is The Stage;  which is their top song, in my opinion.

[SchecterShredder]

Warmness on the Soul is an amazing ballad, though. Dat piano

I'll give you that one.  I have Warmness on a couple playlists

[wolfking]

On the subject of HTTK, i think it's pretty good.  I probably like it better than The Stage in terms of overall track quality. I like a good 5 songs from HTTK. 6 songs if you count the bonus track,  St. James. Icky thing The Stage has going for itself is The Stage;  which is their top song, in my opinion.

I'll check this out.  I ran through this album again today, I really really liked it.  Some very tasty solos on here.

[wolfking]

The solos on Shepherd of Fire, the title track, Heretic, Crimson Day and Coming Home are all very very impressive.  Always never thought much of Gates and I don't know why.  Super tasteful guitar player.

[cramx3]

Actually surprised you are enjoying Hail to the King.  It seems generally regarded as their worst.  Personally, I really liked it.  It is a bit basic, but it's still good to me.

Sounding the Seventh Trumpet.

There's very little to like on that record. Makes HTTK look like Mozart

Fair enough, I guess a lot of people seem to like the first two albums quite a bit, but I even actually forgot about Seventh Trumpet.  Haven't listened to it in forever, but I remember thinking it was decent. 

On the subject of HTTK, i think it's pretty good.  I probably like it better than The Stage in terms of overall track quality. I like a good 5 songs from HTTK. 6 songs if you count the bonus track,  St. James. Icky thing The Stage has going for itself is The Stage;  which is their top song, in my opinion.

The Stage (the song) is incredible.  Not sure my favorite of theirs, but it's up there for sure. 

The solos on Shepherd of Fire, the title track, Heretic, Crimson Day and Coming Home are all very very impressive.  Always never thought much of Gates and I don't know why.  Super tasteful guitar player.

I discovered the band because a friend of mine in college gave me the City of Evil CD saying "you'll like this" and after the first guitar solo on Beast and the Harlot I was sold.  I feel like Gates is underated because too many people think the band are butt rock which makes no sense to me.

[wolfking]

I've gone back to the new album and I'm still confused but this is really something different, unique and intriguing. 

I haven't looked into the story but this must be a Truman Show kind of concept?  The whole 'good afternoon, good evening and goodnight' thing is the giveaway but I haven't listened closely to a lot of the lyrics.

[Jamesman42]

Maybe. I could be wrong but Cosmic feels like it's based on the movie Interstellar.

[twosuitsluke]

Maybe. I could be wrong but Cosmic feels like it's based on the movie Interstellar.

I’ve not seen Interstellar but this is my take on Cosmic. It’s from the perspective of someone you have lost, letting you know they are everywhere, in everything, as part of the universe, as we always have been and always will be. If you believe in the theory that all time and space is basically happening simultaneously then the person has returned to the universe, as it were.

They are in every moment, that has been or will be. You’ll find them there, and that’s a comfort. Just as we will return to the universe when we pass. It’s kind of linked to reincarnation. Just my interpretation though.

[wolfking]

That solo though, my goodness.

[cramx3]

Maybe. I could be wrong but Cosmic feels like it's based on the movie Interstellar.

I’ve not seen Interstellar but this is my take on Cosmic. It’s from the perspective of someone you have lost, letting you know they are everywhere, in everything, as part of the universe, as we always have been and always will be. If you believe in the theory that all time and space is basically happening simultaneously then the person has returned to the universes, as it were.

They are in every moment, that has been or will be. You’ll find them there, and that’s a comfort. Just as we will return to the universe when we pass. It’s kind of linked to reincarnation. Just my interpretation though.

I haven't looked at the lyrics or read anything from the band to know what the song is actually about.  But musically, every single time I listen to it I feel like I'm in a shuttle lifting off at that 4:50 mark and then when it calms is when you break the horizon and see earth far below but also the stars and universe ahead of you.  I may have listened to this song too much under the influence of marijuana. But I can't shake that feeling and it's incredible.

[Awaken]

Life is but a dream has been on steady rotation the past couple days, there's so much clicking w me on this album now.  Cosmic may be my favorite A7X song ever.  Every member's performance is awesome here, I need to dive into the lyrics soon and get the whole picture.  Just a great album.

[Jamesman42]

While I am probably wrong on it being related to Interstellar, I think there's enough connections to it. I love Interstellar so I am especially fond of this song and forcing it to fit

One of the lyrics says "into that good night." This is what sparked my attention to a possible connection, because Michael Caine's character quotes this poem to Cooper as he is aboard the spaceship. Of course, it's a famous poem, so that doesn't mean the song and movie are completely connected.

The "there you'll find me" section gives me vibes from when Cooper lands in the 4th dimension and communicates to his daughter by moving books around. This is time travel, which the lyrics kind of allude to. I am being loose with the connections here, but it does give me those vibes.

"Rings of dust and ice
Weightless in the night
There you'll find me"

They have to travel through a wormhole near Saturn, who has rings of dust and ice.

"From all that was before
We shut another door
But not a last goodbye...
I found a way back in (gone)
Until we meet again"

Cooper eventually reunites with his daughter, who has grown of old age while he remained relatively the same age due to his interstellar flight. He is able to give a last goodbye.

Even musically, I get the Interstellar vibe and some of what cram said about the shuttle. Cosmic is such a great name for this amazing song. Even the digitized voice could be Cooper in the 4th dimension bringing everything full circle.

Thank you for reading my rambling of a song I am adoring.

[twosuitsluke]

I get it dude, I always end up finding media relating to The Wheel of Time (all time favourite series of books) in my own head canon.

Speaking of which, Cosmic could actually relate to The Wheel of Time, since reincarnation is a big part of the overall theme of the series. This could be written from the point of view of [redacted for spoilers] when he dies/becomes one with the pattern.

[cramx3]

Tonight! I'm very excited for this one, a solid couple opening acts too 



I'll be on that street corner at 5:30  before the show

[Awaken]

Tonight! I'm very excited for this one, a solid couple opening acts too 



I'll be on that street corner at 5:30  before the show

Will there be video of the show?!  Enjoy - I was going to try to get down there tonight myself but couldn't get out of some commitments.