Maps of Music

Avenged Sevenfold (2007)

Where the lyrics of Avenged Sevenfold take you, and where it was really made.

This self-titled album was the last one drummer The Rev played on: he died while the band was making the next record, Nightmare.

Key places

Sunset Sound session (2007)

Recording site Sunset Sound — The album was recorded in the middle of 2007, and this studio is among those credited for recording. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Eldorado recording (2007)

Recording site Eldorado Recording Studios — The album was recorded in the middle of 2007, and this Burbank studio is among those credited for recording. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Capitol Studios recording (2007)

Recording site Capitol Studios — The album was recorded in the middle of 2007, and this Hollywood studio is among those credited for recording. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Tour opener at The Wiltern (2007)

Live show The Wiltern — The band started its US tour to promote the album on 29 October 2007, headlining at The Wiltern in Los Angeles. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Avenged Sevenfold: fourth studio album by the American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold
• Released 30 October 2007 through Warner Bros. and Hopeless Records
• Originally slated for 16 October; delayed two weeks to give more time for bonus material and production
• The band's first studio album to be solely self-produced
• The last studio album to feature The Rev on drums
• The last album to involve Hopeless Records

Background

• Tempo is drastically slower than the speed metal and power metal of the previous album, City of Evil
• M. Shadows said the change came from seeing slower bands sound better in live settings
• On the Ozzfest and Metallica tours, the band found its fast material was lost in big venues
• Songs such as Critical Acclaim, Scream and Afterlife are mid-tempo, with big riffs that leave a lot of space
• The band described the record as a reaction to all the touring
• The Rev died during production of the follow-up album Nightmare (2010)

Recording

• Recorded in the middle of 2007
• Mixed by Andy Wallace; mastered by Brian Gardner
• Session musicians add strings, brass, piano and choir on several tracks
• Studios credited for recording include Sunset Sound, Eldorado Recording Studios and Capitol Studios; mixing is credited to Soundtrack Studios in New York City

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Formed in 1999 in Huntington Beach, California, by Matt Sanders, James Sullivan, Zachary Baker and Matt Wendt.
• Name taken from the phrase 'avenged sevenfold' in Genesis 4:24, referencing the story of Cain and Abel.
• Debut album Sounding the Seventh Trumpet was released in July 2001 on Good Life Recordings.

Members

• Current lineup: vocalist M. Shadows, guitarists Zacky Vengeance and Synyster Gates, bassist Johnny Christ, drummer Brooks Wackerman.
• Drummer James 'The Rev' Sullivan died in December 2009; Arin Ilejay later joined and left before Brooks Wackerman became drummer in 2015.

Career

• Shifted from metalcore on early albums toward hard rock, heavy metal and progressive metal.
• City of Evil (2005) was the major label debut and broke them internationally; the self-titled album followed in 2007.
• Nightmare (2010) debuted at number one on the Billboard 200; Hail to the King (2013) also reached number one.
• The Stage (2016) was a conceptual progressive metal album; Life Is But a Dream... (2023) is their eighth studio album.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Metacritic average of 56 out of 100, based on thirteen reviews
• AllMusic (Jason Lymangrover): three stars out of five; praises the willingness to experiment, but the heavy studio polish and overdubs leave doubt about whether the songs are as strong
• The A.V. Club (Andrew Earles): grade B; the catchy Stone Temple Pilots-like feel of Scream is said to be enough to put the band back on the charts
• Sputnikmusic (Dave de Sylvia): one out of five; described as a poor man's Hardcore Superstar
• PopMatters (Andrew Blackie): two out of ten; called unoriginal, overlong and riddled with banality
• Overall reception was mixed compared with earlier releases

Reappraisal

• Popular among fans
• Later included by Kerrang! in its '666 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die' list

Records

• Debuted at number 4 on the Billboard 200
• Sold over 960,161 copies in the United States and 152,123 in the United Kingdom, as of 2014
• Certified platinum by the RIAA in the United States
• Certified gold by the BPI in the United Kingdom
• Won the Kerrang! Award for Best Album in 2008

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Scream opens with a scream by Valary Sanders, the wife of singer M. Shadows and sister-in-law of Synyster Gates.
• Almost Easy was originally meant for the 2007 Transformers film but was not finished in time; it was later featured in the sequel Revenge of the Fallen.
• Unbound (The Wild Ride) ends with a children's choir and is M. Shadows' least favorite Avenged Sevenfold song.
• Dear God takes on a country feel, inspired by the band's friendship with Big & Rich.
• Some sources also call the album The White Album because of its cover.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org

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