Avenged Sevenfold - City of Evil
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Free Music Notes for City of Evil
Free Music Review: Take a tour through City of Evil
Hit: 5 Stars
As time goes by, a small village builds upon itself, changes, and eventually becomes a bustling city. This city, Avenged Sevenfold's "City of Evil" is one that I'd like to stop at, visit, tour, and talk about for the rest of my life.
I had only begun listening to Avenged Sevenfold when the news of "City of Evil" reached me. I was a fan of the early "Sounding the Seventh Trumpet" and especially "Waking the Fallen." Its sound, loaded with epic guitars and screamy vocals, was something I really got into. I was disappointed to hear that M. Shadows' vocals would be limited to singing, but "City of Evil" showed me that it isn't fair to turn your back on a band that has more talent than I had ever imagined.
The pulse-pounding introduction of "Beast and the Harlot" sent adrenaline pumping through me and almost cooled me off before the second song, "Burn it Down," injected me with yet another burst of energy. Before I knew it, "Blinded in Chains" kept going where "Burn it Down" left off. "Bat Country" is arguably the most catchy song on the album, and follows "Blinded in Chains" but takes on a completely different sound. "Trashed and Scattered" is the next song, and puts a little anger into the mix. "Seize the Day" slows things down and fills the now-traditional "Avenged Sevenfold slow song track."
The second half of the album is a little harder to get into at first. "Sidewinder," a song about snakes, was pretty difficult to get into until I really started listening to it. The flamenco ending is something I never expected, but after time, "Sidewinder" was my favorite song on the album. "The Wicked End" follows the snake song and completely mixes punk, rock, and metal together for a tasty treat. Following this song is "Strength of the World," which was my least favorite song on the album in terms of vocals but still sounds amazing. "Betrayed" is the tenth song on the album and sounds great as well. It is probably the song I've listened to the least, but of the few times I've heard it, I recognize that it has a certain something that makes me enjoy it more and more each time. Last of all, "MIA" is a great finisher and delivers the most political charge out of any of the songs.
In conclusion, I can't even see where metalheads and Avenged Sevenfold purists are coming from when they complain about "City of Evil." Maybe it's just me, but this album shows more signs of 1980's metal than anything. There's the occasional punk or rock fusion, but that's what A7X has been doing since their beginning. If I were stranded on an island and could only choose three albums to listen to for the rest of my life, alongside "Waking the Fallen," this would be my second choice.
Free Music Review: what the hell is up with these negative reviews? i just dont understand...
Hit: 5 Stars
how are people hearing this album, then saying its not good because shadows cant do his chuck schuldinger-vocal anymore? how are people picking it up then dissing the musicmanship? just proves how some people are so skewed...
this being said from a modern metal fanatic. i adore a7x, along with shadows fall, fear factory, trivium, god forbid, chimaira, and even some lamb of god. but i also listen to metallica, opeth, nile, even mayhem, emperor, and angelcorpse, so one could possibly say i have a little knowledge of metal, right?
then trust me, just trust me, that if you open your mind when you listen to city of evil, you will find one of the most original and amazing metal albums released this millenium! (and one of the best of the year...and this year we have had an unprecedented explosion of commercially viable yet completely non-sellout metal- from ghost reveries to constitution of treason)
first thing that you'll notice- m. shadows can no longer do his death vox-but heres why- he had throat surgery. its not as if it was a consious decision to drop them, people. i'm going to say this in capitals, so all can see this:
THEY ARE NOT SELLING OUT BY NO LONGER DOING DEATH
that being said, the album is amazing. beast and the harlot simply grinds then gets much faster...but forget a track by track analysis-to put it simply, you will not be dissapointed by a single one of the 11 tracks here. i personally love the first 5 tracks and the wicked end more...but thats just personal preference.
oh and if you didnt take this from earlier tour de forces like eternal rest from waking the fallen (which is a must hear, especially if you think this album isnt heavy enough), ZACKY VENGEANCE IS AMAZING. his leads here are EVEN BETTER than the leads from waking the fallen! his amazing precision and above all INSANITY-INDUCING melodical mastery are what really put this album on a higher plain. just check out the riffs- my personal favorite is the lead 10 seconds into burn it down... good christ...
knocks against the album- the lyrics leave something to be desired, i really liked the lyrics on waking the fallen...here they seem to more generally teenage angsty...sidewinder simply gets off to a slow start...and the ballads dont really break the amazing new ground that the thrashers do.
simply put, this is an AMAZING hybrid of disparate styles...skater punk, thrash metal, early wave of british heavy metal...so fans of not only metallica but green day, guns n' roses, iron maiden or even trivium will LOVE THIS. not just a must buy for a metalhead- a must buy for most any fan of modern rock. enjoy.
Free Music Review: Amazing
Hit: 5 Stars
Avenged Sevenfold have once again topped the standards they had once established. Like most fans, I didn't think they could make an album better than Waking The Fallen which was in my opinion phenomenal. A7X are back with a very metal sounding album with punk, hardcore, and even latino influences. Could this get any better? I do miss Shadows' screams, but this album truly shows his talent as a singer. 1. The Beast and the Harlot: Great opener. The drumming couldn't get any better and the main guitar riff is awesome. Very catchy chorus, great drum and guitar solo. 10/10
2. Burn it Down: Great vocals on this one. I love the way the drum beats are always different but somehow all fit together. The intro melody is great too. 10/10
3. Blinded in Chains: Another awesome song. Reminds me of Waking the Fallen. Great chorus. Amazing mini drum solo at 2:50. 9/10
4. Bat Country: Surely the easiest song from the album to put on air. Very catchy chorus, great harmonies in the middle of the song. It is a bit pop-sounding but will make a great first single. 8/10
5. Trashed and Scattered: Very punk-influenced. Great vocal harmonies in the end. 9/10
6. Seize the Day: I was hoping for another ballad from A7X. And this is it. We feel the passion in Shadows voice again in this song. The guitar solo says it all...10/10
7. Sidewinder: I never thought we could turn from metal to latino in just one song. But A7X did it and it couldn't sound any better. The outro is simply amazing. 10/10
8. The Wicked End: This is about the only time on the album where we can actually hear and feel the bass guitar. Another awesomely built song. The bridge with the choir is unbelievable. The imagery of the lyrics; awesome. Such passion. This is the wicked end, for sure. 10/10
9. Strength of the World: Amazing intro. Reminds me of Wherever I May Roam by Metallica. Such a great build-up. The rest of the song is a bit disappoingting though. But then again...the outro is so powerful...7/10
10. Betrayed: Great all-around song. Amazing intro riff. 10/10
11. M.I.A.: This is probably the song that was the hardest to get used to. It has become one of my favorite song now. There are many ways to interpret this song but the most obvious theme is war. "To challenge me you must be strong" Shadows shouts. Great guitar solos and lyrics. The outro is powerful. Such a shattered but proud voice. 10/10
As I said many times, incredible album. Avenged Sevenfold have once again surpassed the capabilities. Their musicianship has incredibly improved. Sadly the bass guitar seems to be left out on this album. But even then, a very worthy buy.
Free Music Review: "Voice your prophecy, shed us some light, feel soorow for mankind's chance to survive..."
Hit: 5 Stars
Pretty new to this genre, the first time I came across A7X being hearing Bat Country on TRL. When I first accounted other metal bands, I found the rhythm rather repititive and just screaming through the song a little putting-off. Bat Country however was really different, the lines sung were really catchy and the riffs were really good, especially the solo somewhere in the middle. So I got the other songs on their album and some earlier releases like Chapter Four and Unholy Confessions. They're sound has really changed a lot now, more melodious, M. Shadows having recieved vocal training from the guy who trained Axl Rose. The occasional screaming sounds nice and not overdone, especially at the opening for Beast and The Harlot. A7X really stands out because of their unique sound, they don't sound like anyone out there.
01 Beast and The Harlot: 10/10. Awesome opening and really catchy chorus, not to mention the solo from Syn pretty early into the song.
02 Burn It Down: 8/10. Great drumming at the start by the Rev. Still took a while for this song to grow on me.
03 Blinded In Chains: 8/10. Political song. Nicely done, because you can really hear Johnny Christ's bass on this song.
04 Bat Country: 10/10. Verses on this song are so catchy, nice opening with the quote taken from Dr. Johnson, and a great solo, rather long too over a miniute, but thats a plus.
05 Trashed and Scattered 8/10. This track is heavier than the other songs on this album, reminiscent of their previous releases perhaps?
06 Seize The Day 9/10. Soft, melodic, opening with accoustic guitars. Great solo that really fits into the feel of this song.
07 Sidewinder 10/10. This song is just so unque. Opening sounds kinda like wind blowing in a desert. Then a guitar begins to play softly, increasing in volume, until the rest of the band join in. A7X show their versatality, as the song abruptly changes (did I hear bongo drums?) with the flamenco ending, and fantastic spanish guitar at the end from Papa Gates.
08 The Wicked End 9/10. Really nice opening. Has a choir with a Danny Elfman feel to it, with yet another great solo. Nice repeating line before each chorus ("...in my life on misery").
09 Strength Of The World 7/10. Long sombre opening without any vocals.
10 Betrayed 7/10. Dedicated to "Dimebag Darrell".
11 M.I.A 10/10. Really meaningful song, written after M. Shadows spoke to friends fighting in Iraq.
Best metal/hard rock/metalcore/heavy metal/etc. etc. album I've heard this year. Really unique.
Free Music Review: Great Nu - Metal
Hit: 5 Stars
Hey for all you haters our there, just shut up! i mean seriously. no one wants to hear ur negative reviews. so just shut up! i'm a guy who's never listened to Avenged Sevenfold, or haven't even heard their name since last august. i've heard some stories about these guys but never really payed any attention. During that time I was more interested in the 80's. Iron Maiden, Judas priest, Metallica, Megadeth, testament, Black Sabbath and Slayer somehow always found there way into my Cd player at least once a week. Those Cd's were my favorite line up. my friend told me that avenged sevenfold released a CD a few monthes ago. So i thought, what have i got to lose. if these guys have been getting praised as the new metallica or something of the like, what the hell am i waiting for? so i went to a near by underground CD shop, and picked up a few cd's. They were "countdown to extinction" "Dark side of the moon" and "City of Evil". Since my friend was bugging me all week, about Avenged Sevenfold (or simply known as A7X), i popped this CD in first. I looked at my CD player and it said that this album was roughly 73 minutes long! thats even a bit longer than the new iron maiden CD "a matter of life and death". and thats pretty extreme. The first track "the beast and the harlot" is a great tune. the verses sound like an emo wanna be metal, band but when the chorus comes around, you realize that this band is capable of making some heavy riffs, solos, basslines, drum fills, drum solos, and truly great melodic music. Through out the album i was perplexed by this new band. At the end of M.I.A. i was in tears (metaphorical) from listening to this beauty. Sure they wear some make up, and have a touch of emo in the songs. But hey, its better than disturbed, New found glory, Korn, Deftones, Linkin park, limp bizkit, current metallica, Mudvayne, or any other stupid wanna be rock stars who's dream is to get on MTV. screw that. A7X knows how its really done. This CD is a great album with even greater songs. Can you imagine Linkin park playing a 9 minute epic? do you think New found glory can play a complex duel lead/ solo system in each of their songs? i don't think so. So if you have doubts about this band, just listen to their music instead of labeling them as "nu - metal suckers" right when you look at their pix. I can safely say that this is one of my favorite CD's right now, and is in my favorite Cd line up.
But hey thats just me