Avenged Sevenfold’s “Unholy Confessions” Goes RIAA Platinum

Oh, to be in 2003 again. We got a lot of good shit that year, including one of the most recognizable intro riffs of the aughts. That year, Avenged Sevenfold released “Unholy Confessions,” the blistering single coming from their sophomore album Waken the Fallen that also came out that year. Earlier this week on Tuesday, November 19, “Unholy Confessions” reached new heights by becoming certified platinum with the RIAA.

For those who don’t know the RIAA (or, Recording Industry Association of America), certifies singles and albums based on how many units the sell, which has now been updated for the modern age to include streaming numbers. Now that “Unholy Confessions” is platinum, it means it’s passed 1,000,000 units.

The single went gold back in March of 2021 while Waken the Fallen itself turned platinum that month. Just as a breakdown: platinum = 1,000,000 units; gold = 500,000. Now that the certifications include streams, 150 song streams = 1 track unit, and 1,500 album streams = 1 album unit.

Now that we’ve got the nitty gritty out of the way, check out the very original cut for the “Unholy Confessions” music video below. Originally shot by director Thomas Mignone on December 7, 2003, it simply features the band performing solo in a dark and damp warehouse. Avenged Sevenfold eventually reshot the video and even included fan footage of them moshing and hardcore dancing to the single in their homes, but the OG will always hold a special, innocent place.