Scott Weber
11/21/05, 04:49 PM
Avenged Sevenfold – City of Evil
Release Date: June 7, 2005
Record Label: Warner Brothers
I’ll be honest. I’ve always hated this band. I’ve hated their image, their sound, etc. But City of Evil is a different direction for the band. With no screaming at all, Shadows’ voice is thrust into the limelight. This is not particularly a good thing. It’s fairly evident that years and years of touring has taken its toll upon his voice, and the result is raspy, heavily auto-tuned, and nasally. Could there be anything more metal? While the vocals may turn some people away from this album right off the bat, I encourage you to give it a fair shot. Without the screaming, City of Evil is a completely over the top metal album, complete with lyrics about sex, drugs, and rock & roll – seriously. Full of coarse language and guitar neck-licking solos, City of Evil is actually one of the stronger metal albums to be released this year.
City of Evil is completely overdone – know that before you start listening. The lyrics are cliché, the artwork resembles an Iron Maiden record, and the songs are all extremely long. Take it or leave it, but I say take it. I find City of Evil to be a completely epic metal album, and after a few listens, the vocals didn’t bother me at all. Strangely enough, I found myself actually enjoying the constricted wails of Shadows as he attempts to belt out notes that used to come with ease. In an album full of everything from harmonizing riffs to Spanish guitar solos, Avenged Sevenfold proves that music is not all about the vocals. In actuality, A7X are insanely talented musicians. The music itself is simply jaw dropping at times, as A7X has some of the most skilled guitar players around. The timing and intricacy of guitar solos and the steady and fast drumming make A7X stand out from the pack. Clocking in at well over 70 minutes, City of Evil proves to be an album of epic proportions, hitting on all cylinders before sinking off into the night.
The first track introduces the listener to A7X’s sound – fast, driving, and melodic. Despite the strained vocals, the songwriting is awesome and the choruses are memorable. Immediately following the chorus, A7X first demonstrates their first solo, and it’s mind-boggling. An example of much to come, the band manages to transition perfectly from solos to verse/chorus. Even if you don’t dig on the vocals, show some respect to the music itself, because it’s out of control. “Blinded in Chains” is a more melodic song, with driving verses leading into a soaring chorus with progressively higher chords. At times, A7X’s music stirs around comparisons to Metallica, but the vocals are just so much weaker.
“Bat Country” is an awesome song that starts with the only semi-scream on the album. Essentially a song straight from the 80’s, the lyrics are pretty self-explanatory – “…Too many doses and I’m starting to get an attraction.” Sex. Drugs. Rock & Roll. Normally, lyrics like these would make me cringe, but because this album is so over-the-top, they’re just laughable. It made me smile and continue rocking out to the music. Over time, the album gets progressively more experimental, as “Seize the Day” is the classic metal ballad, while “Sidewinder” dabbles into all sorts of styles before settling into a Spanish guitar solo at the end. The solo is amazing, and all Carlos Santana jokes aside, you’ll be impressed at what these guys can do. “The Wicked Road” brings back the metal with staggered mini-licks to break up verses. I love the licks in this song, but lyrics here are just terrible… “We've grown into the numbers six hundred sixty six…” Cliché? Check. Metal? Check. Say what you will, but this is the way metal has always been, and this album is really no exception. As the final 3 tracks become a bit too much (“Strength of the World” has a 1 minute intro that combines western rattles, violins, and steel and acoustic guitars into some sort of dramatic song introduction) the album fades off into the distance. Proving that 11 songs and 70 some minutes is a bit much, A7X just lost my interest after track 9.
Overall, Avenged Sevenfold’s City of Evil is an awesome album that has gotten many plays from my CD player. The music is entertaining, and for every minute you find yourself hating on Shadows’ burnt out voice, you’ll find yourself forgiving the band for the face-shredding solo that follows. City of Evil is a great metal record that is a fun flashback to the days of hair metal. Before you listen to the record, know that A7X seems to revel in the fact that the album is a bit much. The artwork, lyrics, and music all suggest that this record is meant to be exactly what it is – so take it with a grain of salt. Avenged Sevenfold has released one of the better metal records to come out this year, so throw your biases out the window, stomach the voice (which really isn’t THAT bad), and bust out your air guitar, because it’s time to shred.
Release Date: June 7, 2005
Record Label: Warner Brothers
I’ll be honest. I’ve always hated this band. I’ve hated their image, their sound, etc. But City of Evil is a different direction for the band. With no screaming at all, Shadows’ voice is thrust into the limelight. This is not particularly a good thing. It’s fairly evident that years and years of touring has taken its toll upon his voice, and the result is raspy, heavily auto-tuned, and nasally. Could there be anything more metal? While the vocals may turn some people away from this album right off the bat, I encourage you to give it a fair shot. Without the screaming, City of Evil is a completely over the top metal album, complete with lyrics about sex, drugs, and rock & roll – seriously. Full of coarse language and guitar neck-licking solos, City of Evil is actually one of the stronger metal albums to be released this year.
City of Evil is completely overdone – know that before you start listening. The lyrics are cliché, the artwork resembles an Iron Maiden record, and the songs are all extremely long. Take it or leave it, but I say take it. I find City of Evil to be a completely epic metal album, and after a few listens, the vocals didn’t bother me at all. Strangely enough, I found myself actually enjoying the constricted wails of Shadows as he attempts to belt out notes that used to come with ease. In an album full of everything from harmonizing riffs to Spanish guitar solos, Avenged Sevenfold proves that music is not all about the vocals. In actuality, A7X are insanely talented musicians. The music itself is simply jaw dropping at times, as A7X has some of the most skilled guitar players around. The timing and intricacy of guitar solos and the steady and fast drumming make A7X stand out from the pack. Clocking in at well over 70 minutes, City of Evil proves to be an album of epic proportions, hitting on all cylinders before sinking off into the night.
The first track introduces the listener to A7X’s sound – fast, driving, and melodic. Despite the strained vocals, the songwriting is awesome and the choruses are memorable. Immediately following the chorus, A7X first demonstrates their first solo, and it’s mind-boggling. An example of much to come, the band manages to transition perfectly from solos to verse/chorus. Even if you don’t dig on the vocals, show some respect to the music itself, because it’s out of control. “Blinded in Chains” is a more melodic song, with driving verses leading into a soaring chorus with progressively higher chords. At times, A7X’s music stirs around comparisons to Metallica, but the vocals are just so much weaker.
“Bat Country” is an awesome song that starts with the only semi-scream on the album. Essentially a song straight from the 80’s, the lyrics are pretty self-explanatory – “…Too many doses and I’m starting to get an attraction.” Sex. Drugs. Rock & Roll. Normally, lyrics like these would make me cringe, but because this album is so over-the-top, they’re just laughable. It made me smile and continue rocking out to the music. Over time, the album gets progressively more experimental, as “Seize the Day” is the classic metal ballad, while “Sidewinder” dabbles into all sorts of styles before settling into a Spanish guitar solo at the end. The solo is amazing, and all Carlos Santana jokes aside, you’ll be impressed at what these guys can do. “The Wicked Road” brings back the metal with staggered mini-licks to break up verses. I love the licks in this song, but lyrics here are just terrible… “We've grown into the numbers six hundred sixty six…” Cliché? Check. Metal? Check. Say what you will, but this is the way metal has always been, and this album is really no exception. As the final 3 tracks become a bit too much (“Strength of the World” has a 1 minute intro that combines western rattles, violins, and steel and acoustic guitars into some sort of dramatic song introduction) the album fades off into the distance. Proving that 11 songs and 70 some minutes is a bit much, A7X just lost my interest after track 9.
Overall, Avenged Sevenfold’s City of Evil is an awesome album that has gotten many plays from my CD player. The music is entertaining, and for every minute you find yourself hating on Shadows’ burnt out voice, you’ll find yourself forgiving the band for the face-shredding solo that follows. City of Evil is a great metal record that is a fun flashback to the days of hair metal. Before you listen to the record, know that A7X seems to revel in the fact that the album is a bit much. The artwork, lyrics, and music all suggest that this record is meant to be exactly what it is – so take it with a grain of salt. Avenged Sevenfold has released one of the better metal records to come out this year, so throw your biases out the window, stomach the voice (which really isn’t THAT bad), and bust out your air guitar, because it’s time to shred.