Avenged Sevenfold - Nightmare (Album Review)

A

Avenged Sevenfold-Nightmare (Album Review)

     The new Avenged Sevenfold album dropped recently and fans and skeptics alike have no doubt been wondering how it would sound given the death of A7X's drummer, The Rev, late last year. Well the album's out now so here we go.
      First off, the record is a tribute to the Rev, even the album art pays him a little homage. The biggest question though, is whether or not the record stands up. The answer is a resounding yes! The sound is an evolution, or rather, an expansion of the sound that the band explored on their last record, the self-titled "Avenged Sevenfold".
     Many people can chart the evolution of A7X from their hardcore origins to the more melodic current incarnation. It's left some fans divided, and truthfully, this album won't do anything to change that. What I mean is, if you hated the last A7X album, you'll hate this one. If you loved it, stop reading, go out and get the album now (just kidding, stick around till the end of the review).
      The record consists of eleven tracks and runs just a little over an hour of playtime. This isn't unusual for A7X, their records haven't ever been short affairs. For the listener who sticks around till the end of this one though, you'll be rewarded; it's a journey through metal, classical and even avant-garde constructs by some of the best guides of this generation.
      The biggest question is probably whether or not the album suffers from The Rev's absence. The short answer is no, his presence is actually felt throughout the entire record. In fact, one would be hard pressed to notice the difference between the tracks where The Rev drummed and there was a stand-in. Also, he shows up on vocals on a couple tracks, the most notable being "Fiction". There's been a lot of talk around the net about that particular track being his "baby" on the album and it shows. His vocals are featured predominantly, and the lyrics in that track seem oddly prophetic. The track itself is engaging and very, very epic.
      How does the rest of the album fare, though? To be honest, in terms of songwriting, A7X will probably never match the radio friendliness of "Bat Country" again. That's not a bad thing though. The band isn't the same band they were during the "City Of Evil" era; they've evolved and their focus now is on arrangements and creating musical landscapes that blend all of their influences rather than creating radio-ready tunes.
       The title track, "Nightmare" is very epic, featuring a chugging verse and a catchy chorus that opens up and gives the song some room to breathe. Other notable efforts include "Welcome To The Family", "Danger Line", "Buried Alive" and the aforementioned "Fiction". The album closer, "Save Me" is awesome, it's a ten minute construct that ends the album well. To be honest I can't say I have any gripes with the album. There's just one; the track "God Hates Us". I can see how it's a good song, but this one comes down to a matter of personal opinion as I was one of the fans that prefer the melodic A7X to the harder edged one. The fans who liked the more screamy A7X will no doubt be spinning that song a lot though.

Bottom Line: What can I say about this album in closing? It's a triumph. For a band that's dealing with the death of their bandmate and childhood friend, which, mere months ago was unsure about whether or not they would even release this album, they've done amazingly. They've not only released what I consider to be the best and most expansive album of their career, but they've created more fitting a tribute to The Rev than would have been possible any other way. A definite purchase.

Album Rating: 5/5