Maps of Music

Nightmare (2010)

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

The cover shows a tombstone reading 'FOREVER' with emphasis on 'REV', a tribute to drummer Jimmy 'The Rev' Sullivan, who died in December 2009 while the album was in progress.

Key places

Recorded at The Pass (2010)

Recording site Motown Recording Studios — The album credits list The Pass as a recording location. The point marks Los Angeles city center, not the studio building itself. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at Phantom Studios (2010)

Recording site i85 (Westlake Village) — The album credits list Phantom Studios as a recording location. The point marks Westlake Village city center, not the studio building itself. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Nightmare: fifth studio album by American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold
• Released July 23, 2010 through Warner Bros. Records
• Produced by Mike Elizondo, mixed by Andy Wallace in New York City, mastered by Ted Jensen
• First Avenged Sevenfold album recorded without drummer Jimmy 'The Rev' Sullivan, who died in December 2009
• Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater played the drum tracks after The Rev's death and toured with the band through the end of 2010
• The Rev's vocal takes remain on the album as a tribute

Background

• Work began in 2009 during the tour for the self-titled album
• The Rev contributed far more to songwriting than on the first three albums, including City of Evil (2005)
• The band described the record as its most personal and epic work
• The Rev died from an overdose on December 28, 2009
• The band suspended work and even considered breaking up
• They resumed after encouragement from Sullivan's parents
• The band decided not to hire a permanent replacement for the time being

Recording

• Recorded at The Pass in Los Angeles and at Phantom Studios in Westlake Village, California
• Mixed at Soundtrack Studios in New York City; mastered at Sterling Sound
• On April 17, 2010, a message from Zacky Vengeance announced that tracking was complete
• Every song had writing contributions from The Rev; the band said over 60% of the album was written by him
• The album contains elements of New wave of British heavy metal and hair metal

Cover

• The cover is a tribute to Sullivan
• The tombstone reads 'FOREVER' with emphasis on 'REV'
• Between May 27 and June 14, 2010, the band revealed the cover piece by piece like a jigsaw puzzle

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 score 62 based on 7 professional reviews, indicating generally favorable reviews
• Metal Hammer (August 2010 issue): Terry Beezer rated it 8 out of 10 and called it the ultimate tribute to a fallen friend
• 411 Mania: 9.0 out of 10, calling it a must-have for fans of the band
• Kerrang!: 4 K's out of 5, saying the album marked the point where the band put away childish things and became men
• Sputnikmusic: 3 out of 5, praising the second half and criticizing the first half and its singles except So Far Away

Records

• Debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 in the United States
• Certified Gold by the BPI and RMNZ, and Platinum by the RIAA and Music Canada
• Sold 964,000 copies in the United States by December 2016 and over one million by April 15, 2021

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The song Fiction was originally titled Death, and Fiction was a nickname The Rev gave himself
• Fiction was the last song The Rev wrote for the album, and he died three days after handing it in
• The limited edition pre-order included a lithograph entitled Death Bat Anatomy
• The iTunes digital version added the bonus track Lost It All and behind-the-scenes footage, sketches and notes
• The Welcome to the Family music video used Call of Duty: Black Ops gameplay and was later deleted
• The Buried Alive Facebook post was briefly taken down after loading problems caused by heavy traffic

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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