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AVENGED SEVENFOLD :
WAKING THE FALLEN

This is a strange band indeed. Avenged Sevenfold are a five piece hailing from the west coast epicenter of Punk, Orange County, California. This is full-length number two for the group, the first being 2002's "Sounding The Seventh Trumpet". I always listen to a CD first, form my own opinions, and then look at the press release and bio last. It's amazing how often I'm in sync, but there are always some differences as well. My first thought while listening to this long (68 min.) platter, is that these guys are musically all over the freakin' map. Let's do a little comparing shall we? First off, let me tell you what they say about their influences; they include Metallica, Iron Maiden, Bad Religion, Dream Theater, Mr. Bungle, NOFX, Pantera, The Misfits, and Guns n' Roses. That's a pretty messed up list, ...to my ears, I agree with Metallica, Iron Maiden, and Pantera that's for sure, but there is also a heavy dose of Nu-Metal (the heavy variety) as well as what sounds like dollops of European Melodic Death or Thrash Metal. As far as Guns n' Roses or The Misfits, musically, I don't hear it. They also claim to be both a Punk and a Metal band, incorporating Hardcore and Gothic elements as well. The only thing that's really close to Punk is the band's appearance. They got the black cloths, the black short hair, (one of them is even growing a Misfits devilock just like Davey Havok did) the black nail polish, and the black mascara. The Hardcore part I can vouch for, you can definitely here that in some of the songs. When it comes to Goth, well you have the blacker than black wardrobe, and the CD art is all skulls, bats, and zombies, but sound wise, this is not what 99% of people would consider gothic. However, AFI are now generally thought of as Goth-Punks, so I could see how some might want to lump Avenged Sevenfold (or A7X) into the same group. What you'll experience as you spin this disc are schizophrenic songs with multiple personalities. They like to be everything at once. You get clean vocals over galloping guitars that come straight out of the Maiden repertoire, but they only ever last for a moment, and things switch in the blink of an eye to Hardcore-styled screaming layered over intense Pantera-esque riffs. At other times a song will sound like something from In Flames, but then it gets demolished by spastic Nu-Metal start-stop guitar work, and the crazy vocals from "M. Shadows" that sound reminiscent of Hatebreed's of Jamey Jasta. Along for the ride we have Zacky Vengeance - guitar, Synyster Gates - lead guitar, The Reverend - drums, and Johny Christ (no, not the famous Danzig guitarist) - bass, rounding out the band. As I type this, I realized it sort of sounds like I'm ripping on the guys a bit. That however is really not my intention. This is a good disc, however even though they're on the Warped Tour this summer, I still think this has more to offer the Metal community than it does the Punk. But hey, if they can walk the crossover line, more power to 'em. Being a US band, they're best bet for making some coin is to align themselves with the Punk scene, as the Nu-Metal scene is rapidly imploding. I'll say it again, these guys are strange, but they could seriously blow-up in a big way. Keep your eye on them. For more info, check the band out at avengedsevenfold.com.
RATING = 7.5 Punkish-Metal (Released 2003)

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