FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE NEW AVENGED SEVENFOLD RECORD

Boy is there a lot on this record — thick production, strings, slide guitar, vocal harmonies, awesome riffs, scorching solos… and it’s a lot to digest. But your uncles Vince and Axl got together last night for the first “official” listen — that is to say with bong in one hand and lighter in the other, speakers cranked — and good lord. Avenged Sevenfold is easily a candidate for best record of the year — it’s definitely in the Top 5. “Scream,” “Afterlife,” and “Brompton Cocktail ” are absolute facemelters, while “Dear God” is nearly a country ballad. No it’s not their heaviest, and no they haven’t sold out — but it is by far the most creative A7X record to date. This record is going to be good for many, many, many spins.

Dame To Kill For has a detailed song-by-song review of the record. It’s a fan-girl point of view, but for a description of what’s physically happening on each track it’s spot on.

-VN