Maps of Music

Life Is But a Dream... (2023)

Where the lyrics of Life Is But a Dream... take you, and where it was really made.

The album was launched through a fake hacking story: the band's accounts supposedly got hacked, and the clues led to a Reddit user and a hidden message at a San Jose venue.

Key places

Henson Recording Studios, Los Angeles (2023)

Recording site Motown Recording Studios — The album was recorded at Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles. The point is set at city-centre level, so it may not match the studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Joe Barresi's House of Compression, Pasadena (2023)

Recording site Becker Mastering — Producer Joe Barresi's studio House of Compression in Pasadena was used for recording the album. The point is set at city-centre level. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Costa Mesa Recording Studios (2023)

Recording site Costa Mesa Studios — Costa Mesa Recording Studios in Costa Mesa, California, is named as one of the album's recording places. The point is set at city-centre level. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Sony Scoring Stage, Culver City (2023)

Recording site Cocoa-Butt — The band recorded the orchestral parts with a 78-piece symphony orchestra at the Sony Scoring Stage in Culver City. The point is set at city-centre level. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Surprise concert at Area15, Las Vegas (2023)

Live show Area15 — The band announced on May 11 a surprise concert at Area15 in Las Vegas for the next day, their first in five years. The point is set at city-centre level. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Life Is But a Dream...: eighth studio album by American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold
• Released June 2, 2023 through Warner Records, in digital and physical formats
• Came nearly seven years after predecessor The Stage (2016), the band's longest gap between studio albums
• First album to feature late drummer Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan since Nightmare (2010)
• Produced by the band with Joe Barresi, as with The Stage
• Marks the band's return to Warner after a legal dispute with Warner Music in the mid-2010s

Background

• Writing and recording began in 2018 and was completed in 2022
• The band had finished much of the material by the end of 2020; the COVID-19 pandemic prolonged recording, mainly over travel concerns
• The band was dissatisfied with releasing the album without a tour to promote it
• Lead vocalist M. Shadows said the album was 70 percent complete in February 2021
• Lyrics inspired by Albert Camus; existentialism and absurdism are two major themes
• Camus' 1942 novella The Stranger was especially influential on the lyrics of "Nobody"
• M. Shadows said the music was greatly inspired by electronic music and hip hop

Recording

• Recorded at Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles, Joe Barresi's House of Compression in Pasadena, and Costa Mesa Recording Studios in Costa Mesa
• Band recorded with a 78-piece San Bernardino Symphony orchestra at the Sony Scoring Stage in Culver City
• Orchestral sections completed in February 2022; drummer Brooks Wackerman said the album was 90 percent complete
• Andy Wallace, the band's longtime mixer, finished mixing in September 2022

Cover

• Cover art designed by Wes Lang, who also led the art direction
• Cover and release details revealed on March 14, 2023, the same day as the lead single "Nobody"

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

• Received critical acclaim from music critics for its themes, experimental approach, and blend of influences and genres
• Metacritic: average score 87 based on four reviews from mainstream publications
• Kerrang!: Sam Law praised the diversity of styles and musical elements and the album's adventurous nature
• Classic Rock: Merlin Alderslade wrote that the band had transcended its metal peers and created its definitive artistic statement, calling it bloody fantastic
• Sputnikmusic: Simon K. praised the album for being very different from mainstream rock and metal and a bold departure from the band's usual style
• Alternative Press: included it in its unranked June 2023 list of the top 25 albums of the year to date, describing it as an experimental record

Records

• Peaked at number 13 on the Billboard 200, the band's lowest chart position since City of Evil (2005)
• Released through Warner Records, the band's first Warner studio album since Hail to the King (2013)
• Vinyl issued in 11 color variations, most of them exclusive to individual retailers
• Released in both digital and physical formats

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Before the reveal, a scavenger hunt began with the band's social media accounts supposedly hacked, centered on a Reddit user named "Libad5343" and a blog with articles written with ChatGPT and images generated by DALL-E 2
• A clue led to The Ritz in San Jose, California, whose signage read "Libad5343 Presents Nobody", with a hidden phrase telling people to meet there at midnight on March 6, 2023
• The painting titled "Nobody" by Wes Lang inspired the demo for the song; Lang later led the art direction and created the cover art
• The band announced a surprise concert at Area15 in Las Vegas for the day after May 11, their first in 5 years, featuring the live debut of the two singles and the opener "Game Over"
• The closing instrumental, played entirely on piano by Synyster Gates, had earlier been dedicated to his son River at birth

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · it.wikipedia.org

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