Avenged Sevenfold (album)

Last updated

Avenged Sevenfold
Avenged Sevenfold cover 2007.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 30, 2007
RecordedMid 2007 [1]
Studio
Genre Heavy metal [2]
Length53:07
Label
Producer Avenged Sevenfold
Avenged Sevenfold chronology
City of Evil
(2005)
Avenged Sevenfold
(2007)
Live in the LBC & Diamonds in the Rough
(2008)
Singles from Avenged Sevenfold
  1. "Critical Acclaim"
    Released: August 17, 2007
  2. "Almost Easy"
    Released: September 18, 2007
  3. "Afterlife"
    Released: January 29, 2008
  4. "Dear God"
    Released: June 15, 2008
  5. "Scream"
    Released: October 28, 2008 [3]

Avenged Sevenfold (also known as The White Album) [4] [5] [6] is the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold, released on October 30, 2007, through Warner Bros. and Hopeless Records. Recorded in the middle of 2007, it is the band's first studio album to be solely self-produced. It is also their final studio album to feature The Rev performing on drums before his death during production of their follow-up album, Nightmare (2010). Originally slated for an October 16 release, it was delayed by two weeks in order to provide more time to complete bonus material and production for the record.

Contents

Although critical reception to the album was mixed compared to previous releases, Avenged Sevenfold was a commercial success, debuting at number 4 on the Billboard 200, [7] and has been a popular album amongst fans. Additionally, it won the Kerrang! Award for Best Album in 2008 and was later included in Kerrang! 's "666 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die". [8] As of 2014, it has sold over 960,161 copies in the United States and 152,123 copies in the United Kingdom; [9] it has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in the United States and gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in the United Kingdom. The band supported the album with a tour, beginning a day before the release of the album and ending in August 2009. [10]

Background

Avenged Sevenfold revealed the track listing for the album on their YouTube profile on August 9, 2007, as well as their text messaging service, A7X Mobile. The band also posted a teaser on a recent YouTube blog featuring an excerpt of vocalist M. Shadows screaming in the studio.

"Critical Acclaim" was the first single from the album. A 2-minute and 15-seconds teaser was posted on the band's MySpace to tide fans over until the iTunes release date, but on August 20, 2007, Avenged Sevenfold uploaded the full version on their MySpace. The full song was released on iTunes on August 28, 2007. [11]

In the weeks leading up to the album's release, a series of ten video clips, called "webisodes", were recorded featuring "Wolfie the Fox". The first webisode was released on August 24, 2007; a 3:41 clip that was posted on the band's YouTube channel. The clip consists of a pre-recorded phone message from "Wolfie the Fox" and a few scenes of their process of making "Critical Acclaim". Each of the subsequent webisodes was similar in content. The clips featured a short mock-interview between M. Shadows and Wolfie the Fox, various band members during the making of various tracks for Avenged Sevenfold, and other background videos. About eleven days before the album's release, the Wolfie Trailer was posted on YouTube. In it, Wolfie sings "Critical Acclaim" and talks about the MVI version of the new album. The webisodes can all be viewed on the band's Myspace and YouTube pages.

By September 9, 2007, news leaked of the completion of a music video for the song "Almost Easy". It was directed by P.R. Brown, known for his collaborations with Mötley Crüe and Marilyn Manson, among many others. [12] On September 12, 2007, the release date of the single "Almost Easy" was announced and was released six days later on September 18 to purchase via digital download.

The month of October was a busy one for the upcoming album. On October 3, Kerrang! released an article in which M. Shadows and Synyster Gates were interviewed about the new album. This day also saw the release of a live performance of "Almost Easy" at the Warped Tour 2007. Originally the band intended to release this footage if viewers watched the official music video for the track on YouTube 150,000 times. Though the goal fell short at 120,000 the band still released the footage. Another live video, featuring the third track "Scream" performed in Liverpool, England, was posted on YouTube on October 11. The song was also heard during a commercial for the Scream Awards on Spike TV. M. Shadows can clearly be heard singing, "You know I make you wanna scream," which is an excerpt from the chorus. "Scream" was performed live at the 2007 Spike TV Scream Awards on October 23. Also, LoveLine played the radio premiere of "Afterlife" and "Almost Easy", which was guest hosted by M. Shadows and The Rev. Three days before, the Keyclub revealed an animated music video for "A Little Piece of Heaven".

To promote their new album, Avenged Sevenfold started their US tour on October 29, headlining in Los Angeles at The Wiltern. Their opening acts were Black Tide and Operator.

On October 30, 2007, Avenged Sevenfold was released in stores worldwide.

On October 31, 2008, Avenged Sevenfold mentioned that fans of the band were eligible to make their own music video for the song "Scream". The video had to be submitted to YouTube before November 30, 2008. The winner and five runners-up of the contest were announced on December 15, 2008. The winner received a new MacBook Air computer that came with Avenged Sevenfold videos, music, and other items from the band. The winning video was also featured on the Avenged Sevenfold website, MySpace page, YouTube account, and Facebook account. The five runners-up in this contest received a copy of the DVD and CD Live in the LBC & Diamonds in the Rough , signed by the members of the band; in addition, a merchandise pack was also rewarded to these runners-up. [13]

Songs

"Critical Acclaim" was the first song written for the album, and was also released as the lead single. The song is about people in the United States who criticize each other, but never do anything to make a change. [14] It also features lyrics about people not appreciating what soldiers do for them. [15] The song received negative attention due to the perceived political nature of the lyrics, [16] [17] [18] though bassist Johnny Christ explained that it was "more of a human thing", and not a criticism of one group of people. [14]

"Almost Easy" was released as the second single from the album. The song was written by drummer The Rev. [19] [20] It was originally supposed to appear in the 2007 Transformers film, but it wasn't finished in time. [20] It was later featured in the film's sequel, Revenge of the Fallen. [21] The song has been certified platinum by the RIAA. [22] The USC Trojans Marching Band performed the song "Almost Easy" at the Rose Bowl halftime show on January 1, 2009. [23]

"Scream" is the third song on the record, and was released as the fifth and final single from the album in October 2008. [3] The song opens with a scream by Valary Sanders, who is singer M. Shadows' wife (and Synyster Gates' sister-in-law. [24]

"Afterlife" is about a man who dies suddenly, and finds himself in heaven. Although he enjoys the peace, he decides he needs to escape, because he isn't ready to die. [25] The song didn't do as well on charts as "Almost Easy", [25] but, although it hasn't been certified by the RIAA, the song has beaten all others from the album in terms of digital streams. [26]

"Gunslinger" is about a soldier missing his family and home during a war. [27] The song moves from a country ballad into a more regular hard rock song. [28]

"Unbound (The Wild Ride)" is the sixth track on the album. It features a children's choir singing the outro. [24] The song is singer M. Shadows least favorite Avenged Sevenfold song. [29] [30]

"Dear God" was the fourth single and a notable deviation from the band's usual heavy metal style, taking on more of a country feel. Johnny Christ has stated that the inspiration for the song came from the band's friendship with country act Big & Rich. Their influence can be heard in the background vocals of MuzikMafia member Shanna Crooks. [31]

Musical style

The album represents a further move away from the metalcore of the band's early work, and closer to traditional heavy metal, as opposed to the faster tempos of City of Evil . The album also delves into other genres, including hard rock, symphonic rock, [32] country music [32] and experimental music. [33] The band worked with brass and string sections on "A Little Piece of Heaven", an avant-garde metal song, in which horns and orchestral strings replaced the band's lead and rhythm guitars. [34] The album features The Rev doing co-lead vocals on the songs "Critical Acclaim", "Scream", "Afterlife", "Lost", and "A Little Piece of Heaven". He also provides vocals on "Almost Easy" and "Brompton Cocktail", as well as the bonus track "Crossroads" (which was later included on Diamonds in the Rough , a compilation of this album's outtakes).

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 56/100 [35]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]
The A.V. Club B [36]
Blender Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [37]
Entertainment Weekly B [38]
IGN 7.9/10 [39]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [40]
Sputnikmusic1.0/5 [41]

Upon release, Avenged Sevenfold was met with mixed reviews. Metacritic accumulated an average score of 56 out of 100 based on thirteen reviews on the website. [35]

Jason Lymangrover of AllMusic had given the album a rating of three stars out of five and wrote "While their willingness to experiment is admirable, despite the fact that they've gone overboard with their overdubs, the overabundance of studio polish leaves one to wonder if it's not because the songs just aren't as strong this time around". [2] A more positive review came from Andrew Earles of The A.V. Club who commented "The catchy Stone Temple Pilots vibe of 'Scream' is enough to put the band back on the charts, but that could happen with more than half of this album...And it probably will". He graded the album a B. [42]

The album wasn't without its more hostile responses. A much more negative review came from Dave de Sylvia of Sputnikmusic summarising "Avenged Sevenfold resemble a poor man's Hardcore Superstar" and rated the album one out of five. [41] Andrew Blackie of PopMatters rated the album two out of ten and dismissed it as being "Unoriginal, overlong even at a ten track setlist, and riddled with banality..." He even went far enough to add "...the disc is even being released the day before Halloween, could it get more corny?" [43]

Despite the mixed reaction, the album won a Kerrang! Award for Best Album in 2008. [44] In a fan poll conducted by Revolver , the album was ranked as the best album in Avenged Sevenfold's discography. [6]

Accolades

YearNominated workAwardResult
2008Avenged SevenfoldKerrang! Awards: Album of the Year [45] Won

Track listing

All songs credited to Avenged Sevenfold. Actual songwriters listed below. [19] [46]

Standard Edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Critical Acclaim"
5:16
2."Almost Easy"Sullivan3:55
3."Scream"
  • Sanders
  • Haner
  • Baker
  • Sullivan
4:49
4."Afterlife"Sullivan5:53
5."Gunslinger"
  • Sanders
  • Haner
4:12
6."Unbound (The Wild Ride)"
  • Sanders
  • Haner
  • Baker
5:12
7."Brompton Cocktail"
  • Sullivan
  • Sanders
4:13
8."Lost"
  • Haner
  • Sanders
5:02
9."A Little Piece of Heaven"Sullivan8:01
10."Dear God"
  • Sanders
  • Haner
  • Seward
6:34
Total length:53:07
Japanese edition bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Almost Easy" (Live from Warped Tour 2007)
  • Sullivan
4:23
Total length:57:21
iTunes edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Almost Easy" (Jam-along Version)
  • Sullivan
3:55
12."Bat Country" (Live at Hammerstein Ballroom)
  • Sanders
  • Haner
  • Sullivan
6:04
13."Crossroads" (B-side; MVI exclusive) 4:30
Total length:67:28

Personnel

All credits adapted from the album's liner notes. [24]

Avenged Sevenfold

Session musicians

Production

Charts

Singles

YearTitleChart positions
US
[58]
US Mainstream Rock
[58]
US Modern Rock
[58]
UK
[59]
UK Rock
[60]
2007"Critical Acclaim"
"Almost Easy"10636671
2008"Afterlife"11201971
"Dear God"3
"Scream"926

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [61] Gold100,000^
United States (RIAA) [62] Platinum1,000,000

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

Metalcore is a fusion genre combining elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk, that originated in the late 1980s. Metalcore is noted for its use of breakdowns, which are slow, intense passages conducive to moshing, while other defining instrumentation includes heavy guitar riffs often utilizing percussive pedal tones and double bass drumming. Vocalists in the genre typically perform screaming, more popular bands often combine this with the use of standard singing, usually during the bridge or chorus of a song. However, the death growl is also a popular technique within the genre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avenged Sevenfold</span> American heavy metal band

Avenged Sevenfold is an American heavy metal band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1999. The band's current lineup consists of vocalist M. Shadows, rhythm guitarist Zacky Vengeance, lead guitarist Synyster Gates, bassist Johnny Christ, and drummer Brooks Wackerman.

<i>City of Evil</i> 2005 studio album by Avenged Sevenfold

City of Evil is the third studio album by American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold, released on June 6, 2005, through Warner Bros. and Hopeless Records. Co-produced by Andrew Murdock, City of Evil contains a more traditional heavy metal and hard rock sound than Avenged Sevenfold's previous two albums, which showcased a predominantly metalcore sound. The album title is derived from a lyric in the song, "Beast and the Harlot". The album is notable for the absence of fry vocals. M. Shadows worked for months before the album's release with vocal coach Ron Anderson, whose clients have included Axl Rose and Chris Cornell, to achieve a sound that had "grit while still having the tone". In order to increase stamina and strength on the pedals, The Rev would sit for hours practicing until he could get up to 210 beats per minute.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M. Shadows</span> American heavy metal singer

Matthew Charles Sanders, known by his stage name M. Shadows, is an American singer and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist and a founding member of heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold. In 2017, Shadows was voted third in the list of Top 25 Greatest Modern Frontmen by Ultimate Guitar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Rev</span> American musician (1981–2009)

James Owen Sullivan, also known by his stage name The Rev, was an American musician, best known as a founding member of the heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold, where he played drums, piano and provided backing and co-lead vocals. He was also the lead vocalist/pianist in the avant-garde metal band Pinkly Smooth and drummer for the ska punk band Suburban Legends from 1998 to 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avenged Sevenfold discography</span>

American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold has released eight studio albums, one soundtrack album, one live album, two compilation albums, 24 singles, two video albums and 29 music videos. Formed in Huntington Beach, California in 1999, the band originally featured vocalist M. Shadows, guitarist Zacky Vengeance, bassist Matt Wendt and drummer The Rev. Synyster Gates joined as lead guitarist in 2001, just after the group released their debut album Sounding the Seventh Trumpet on Good Life Recordings, which was later reissued on Hopeless Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bat Country</span> 2005 Avenged Sevenfold song

"Bat Country" is a song by American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold, released in August 2005 as the second single from their third album, City of Evil. Avenged Sevenfold won 'Best New Artist Video' at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards for "Bat Country" and on May 4, 2021, the single was certified platinum by the RIAA. For these reasons, "Bat Country" is often believed to be the band's most commercially successful song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seize the Day (song)</span> 2005 Avenged Sevenfold song

"Seize the Day" is a power ballad by American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold. It was released on July 11, 2006, as a promotional single for their third studio album, City of Evil. Additionally, the song was released on 27 July 2010, as a downloadable track for the video game Rock Band 2, along with "Nightmare" and "Scream".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Almost Easy</span> 2007 single by Avenged Sevenfold

"Almost Easy" is a song by American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold. It is the second song as well as lead single from their self-titled fourth album. The song is one of the band's most popular tracks, and has been certified Platinum by the RIAA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Afterlife (Avenged Sevenfold song)</span> 2008 single by Avenged Sevenfold

"Afterlife" is a song by American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold. The song is released as the third single from their self-titled album. The song itself features a string orchestra and was written by the band's drummer, The Rev. The single and music video were released in early 2008. The song is one of the band's most performed live, and is a fan favorite. The song was included in the second Track Pack DLC released for Rock Band.

<i>Live in the LBC & Diamonds in the Rough</i> 2008 live album by Avenged Sevenfold

Live in the LBC & Diamonds in the Rough is the first live DVD and compilation album by American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold, released on September 16, 2008 by Warner Bros. Records. The live DVD features the band's April 10, 2008 show at Long Beach Arena headlining the Rockstar Taste of Chaos tour, while the CD contains previously unreleased B-sides that were recorded during the making of the band's self-titled 2007 album, plus covers, and other never-before-heard material.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scream (Avenged Sevenfold song)</span> 2008 single by Avenged Sevenfold

"Scream" is a song by American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold. It was released as the fifth and final single from their self-titled fourth studio album. The song reached number nine on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart and number 26 on the U.S. Alternative chart.

<i>Nightmare</i> (Avenged Sevenfold album) 2010 studio album by Avenged Sevenfold

Nightmare is the fifth studio album by American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold, released on July 23, 2010, through Warner Bros. Records. It was produced by Mike Elizondo, mixed in New York City by audio engineer Andy Wallace, and mastered by Ted Jensen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nightmare (Avenged Sevenfold song)</span> 2010 single by Avenged Sevenfold

"Nightmare" is a song by American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold. It was released on May 18, 2010, as the lead single for their fifth studio album, Nightmare.

The Avenged Sevenfold Tour was a concert tour by American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold between 2007 and 2009, promoting their album Avenged Sevenfold. It was the band's last tour with the drummer Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan who died on December 28, 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Welcome to the Family (song)</span> 2010 single by Avenged Sevenfold

"Welcome to the Family" is a song by American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold. It was released on October 19, 2010, as the second single from their studio album Nightmare. It is the band's second single released without former drummer The Rev, who died on December 28, 2009. In Avenged Sevenfold's "making of" series on YouTube, In the Studio, lead singer M. Shadows and bassist Johnny Christ say that The Rev wrote most of the song and Shadows finished it when they started to record the album. The song is available as DLC in the video game Rock Band 3.

"A Little Piece of Heaven" is a song by American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold. It is the ninth song from their self-titled fourth album. Though not released as a single, the song is one of the band's most popular. In December 2007, the song received an animated music video. The song was written by the band's drummer, Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan, and features him on dueling lead vocals with M. Shadows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carry On (Avenged Sevenfold song)</span> 2012 single by Avenged Sevenfold

"Carry On" is a song by American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold. The song was released on iTunes on September 24, 2012.

<i>Hail to the King</i> (Avenged Sevenfold album) 2013 studio album by Avenged Sevenfold

Hail to the King is the sixth studio album by American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold, released on August 23, 2013, through Warner Bros. Records. The album was produced by Mike Elizondo. Hail to the King is the only Avenged Sevenfold album to feature drummer Arin Ilejay, prior to his departure in July 2015. It is also the first Avenged Sevenfold album without musical contributions from Ilejay's late predecessor, Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan; the bonus track, "St. James", was written in his memory.

<i>The Stage</i> (album) 2016 studio album by Avenged Sevenfold

The Stage is the seventh studio album by American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold. It was released on October 28, 2016, through Capitol Records, their only release through the label. It is the first Avenged Sevenfold album to feature drummer Brooks Wackerman, who joined the band in late 2014 but was not revealed as Arin Ilejay's official replacement until Ilejay's departure in 2015, because the band wanted to "make sure that it was a correct fit".

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