Avenged Sevenfold “Nightmare” Review
To say that a lot has happened since the release of Avenged Sevenfold‘s self-titled 2007 album would be doing the band a great disservice. On the shoulders of the album’s five singles, Avenged Sevenfold went gold and was later honored as the “Album of the Year” by Kerrang! magazine. In 2008 the band hit the road as one of the headlining acts on the Taste of Chaos tour alongside such acts as Atreyu and Bullet For My Valentine. The following year vocalist Matthew “M. Shadows” Sanders joined Slash in recording vocals for a track that would be featured on the legendary guitarist’s 2010 solo debut, and the band collected themselves and began the process of writing songs for what would later become Nightmare. But none of this would impact the band relative to the life-shattering tragedy that would come later that year, as on December 28 drummer James “The Rev” Sullivan would be found dead in his home. In a statement released in days following Sullivan’s death, the band expressed their utter devastation, “…Jimmy was not only one of the world’s best drummers, but more importantly he was our best friend and brother… Jimmy you are forever in our hearts. We love you.” In the coming months the band’s remaining members were faced with a number of decisions: should they continue as a band… do they continue under the same name… do they continue with the album that Sullivan had such a heavy hand in writing? In short, the answer to all of the above was yes. But the issue remained, could the band move ahead and retain the same level of craftsmanship as displayed on their past albums despite losing not only a key songwriter and one of the world’s most acclaimed drummers, but a brother. Moments into Nightmare‘s title track, which subsequently leads the album, that question is also answered with an emphatic response. Yes.
After a menacing guitar introduction, “Nightmare” summons the heavy metal gods with a brooding riff, a scorching solo, and M. Shadows’ fist-pumping call and response chant. Shadows recently explained in an interview with Las Vegas’ X107.5 how the song wasn’t originally meant to make the album, but to honor how much The Rev loved the song’s lyrics, the band went ahead with it. “Welcome to the Family” follows, opening with a rhythmic bounce before returning to an aggressive pace while Shadows’ lyrics lean heavy on the feeling of defeat, “We all have emptiness in side, we all have answers to find, but you can’t win this fight.” “Danger Line” introduces a wartime narrative, following a soldier’s thoughts as he embarks on battle, “My 16, locked and loaded/All fear has been avoided/You say the words and my weapon is drawn.” A rumbling guitar line breaks restraint for the chorus, but the song fails to lose focus on the theme, eventually finding the soldier desperate and on his deathbed, “Now I find myself in my own blood/The damage done is far beyond repair/I never put my faith in up above/But now I’m hoping someone’s there.” A drum beat and trumpet offer a salute as a blazing solo takes over in the later stages of the track, only to fade out with the faint cry of Shadows whistling.
The quiet lead-in of “Buried Alive,” combining a stadium-sized beat with a solo, sounds too familiar to that of classic Metallica to not make the comparison; later the similarities continue through the song’s chugging guitar line and another solo. As with the rest of the album though, the band’s energy overpowers any comparisons: the result being a comfortable blend between the past and present. “Natural Born Killer” continues with guitars and a double kick-drum blazing at a hellish speed. Not to discredit any songs to this point, but with this track it becomes quite clear as to how difficult it was to replace The Rev, and furthermore how important it was to find someone as talented as Dream Theater‘s Mike Portnoy to stand in on the album. Even with good intentions in mind, without someone of Portnoy’s caliber filling in, Nightmare would be an entirely lesser album.
An acoustic guitar introduces “So Far Away,” before Shadows’ poignant lyrics hit: “How do I live without the ones I love/Time still turns the pages of the book it’s burned/Place and time always on my mind/I have so much to say but you’re so far away.” Brian “Synyster Gates” Haner takes the lead in the later stages of the song, further lending his skills to the solo-rich album. Described by Shadows as being a Far Beyond Driven-era Pantera-sounding track, “God Hates Us” continues as the most confrontational song on Nightmare. As with the previous two tracks, “Victim” follows by opening with soft guitar. This time, however, a soulful wail floats over the instruments before the song returns to a similarly morose theme as “So Far Away.” While the statement of “We’re all just victims of a crime” is repeated throughout, in following “God Hates Us” the lyrics almost suggest that the band feels as though they’ve played victim to crimes committed by God; regardless of the intention, the songs following one another is an interesting juxtaposition. Returning to the voice that opened the track, “Victim” eerily fades away with Shadows repeating “I’m Missing You.”
The acoustics return for “Tonight the World Dies” before the album sinks into the rolling piano of “Fiction,” a track originally called “Death” when written by The Rev. The title was changed to honor the band’s fallen brother and to reflect his belief that his life was like a book of fiction; it would be the final song he ever wrote. The album closes with “Save Me” which finds Shadows adding a lyrical exclamation point to the 11 minute track by singing “Tonight we all die young” as the album comes to a close.
While performing for his most recent DVD, Stark Raving Black, comedian Lewis Black explained how he’d been tapped to perform at an animal rescue benefit, where he was to follow a performance by country musician Vince Gill. Through his long-winded anecdote about how mesmerized both he and the audience became by Gill’s set, he explained, “And then, Vince began to talk about his father. His dead father.” Black continued, “As his father got sicker and sicker, he pulled Vince aside and told him that he had an idea for a song that he always wanted Vince to write. And Vince couldn’t get it written before his father died, but after he died he found the inspiration to write that song. And now, he was going to sing it.” Standing in defeat, Black slumped and continued, “Who’s not going to like that song?” Admittedly, there’s something similar going on here. If you take the time to listen to the band reflect on their love for James Sullivan, how much he meant to them, and how difficult it was to even approach creating music again: who’s not going to like this album? Concluding the story, Lewis Black explained, “And it was a great song: it was sad, and—son of a bitch—it was funny. It was really funny.” That’s what made the difference between that song being something special and being spectacular, and that’s what makes the difference here. If Nightmare ended up being a hot mess of emotion that failed to stand up to the musical pedigree exhibited by the band on past releases, Avenged Sevenfold would still deserve props for making an effort to honor Sullivan’s legacy. But as with Lewis Black’s story, what puts the album over the top is that it was not only created with heart-wrenching purpose, but that it’s good. And when you combine those factors, a good album and purpose, you’ve got a recipe for something that will touch the hearts of fans and non-fans alike; and something that is ultimately going to define how people remember the band for years, if not decades, to come.
Impressive review, sir. I especially liked your comment about one section of song placement on the album. Other reviews just look at the opener and closer without noting anything of interest in between. As a long-time fan, I can’t wait to get the full disc on Tuesday because – as you said – it’s good (and I believe it still would be even without a purpose).
Great review. Thanks very much – and I have to agree with most everything you said. I really enjoyed the album all the way through. And that’s saying a lot. Often I need to hear and album at least a couple times through for it to grow on me. RIP Rev. \m/
This album is beyond amazing. Not since Disturbed’s “Indestructible” in 2008 have I thoughrouly loved and album all the way through on the first listen. Amazing Album. We love you Jimmy. –foREver–
Jeez, I just listened to fiction, and I burst out into tears, even though I allways had synyster as my hero, because I play guitar, I allways felt closest to the rev and as he sings in fiction, ‘there’s peace on the other side’ well, I hope your right
man
R.I.P jimmy ‘the rev’ Sullivan
great review there man – first one ive read that has gone deep into the songs and their meanings..bravo!
i absolutely love this album, and from beginning to end i did not say a word, and just listened to the amazingness of the album in its entirety!
RIP Jimmy, gone but not forgotten :/
I read that the song So Far Away was actually written by Syn Gates, not M Shadows
I just loved the album, it’s their usual fast-paced songs that are always wonderful to listen to and then there’s the slower songs which show all the emotion in the band all through the making.
I thought it was just so incredible how the last song the Rev wrote was fiction, and it connects so well to his death. It’s just such a beautiful song. He was such a talented artist, and we’ll all miss him very much. Seeing the band live will still be amazing, but not the same without him.
Awesome review, too, good job.
Avenged Sevenfold did lose the best drummer to ever come to earth but more importantly Avenged Sevenfold lost their brother. I am still going to remain a fan of them forever.
R.I.P. Jimmy the Rev
Great review. I have to FICTION is my new favoritist avenged song. Hands down. As soon as I heard Jimmy, the tears came like they did the day I heard of his death. I LOVE YOU, JIMMY. ROCK.IN.PEACE!
I would like to first say that this review is the best one I have read, so true in all aspects. The album is by far the best, and deepest yet. Though the circumstances surrounding it are so horrible, it’s beyond words, the album is going to show the world how much Jimmy meant not only to Avenged, but to the fans as well. I also want to note that, upon listening to the album for the first time, (while driving) I began crying, and still tear up while hearing Fiction. It was almost like he knew, and maybe he did, but I am thankful that they put out this album, because it brings closure to fans, and I’m sure the members of the band as well. R.I.P. James Sullivan (Forever Young And Free)
Sorry, I have to be the dissenter. As a fan of Metal/Punk since the mid-70′s, I think this CD is A7x’s “Swan Song”. Over the years, I have noted a very typical pattern to all great bands “career arc”: the 4th Album is where the band loses creative energy, you can only hold “lightning in a bottle” for so long. It is very evident, after the somewhat controversial 4th A7x CD, that this 5th Album is a “post-peak” classic case. When you combine the bands loss of the Rev, I can only see a slow downward spiral from here on out. The Album is amazingly “technically proficient” as always, but it feels commercially over-polished to the point where it is more suited be the soundtrack for the next “Twilight” movie – rather than a standalone Album. Flame rebuttals coming my way in 3…2…1…
While i agree the 4th a7x album cannot compare to waking, and city of evil, I disagree with your INSANE point that this should be a soundtrack for that shit, honestly i know you are exaggerating but seriously wtf? First I believe this album is better than their self titled 4th by leaps and bounds. I havent listened to it enough yet ( prob 10 times but still not enough ) to know if it ranks with city of evil (its not as good as waking the fallen, but waking is unreal one of the best albums ever IMO) but seriously its a damn good album and you are just being a jerk tbh.
Have to agree to some extent with WalkWithMeInHell on this one. This album just didn’t do it for me. Don’t get me wrong – I didn’t dislike it. It’s a decent album by a great band. It just doesn’t compare to their previous efforts. I think the main problem with this album is that it lacks in its storytelling ability. Previous Avenged albums had good stories in each song explained through a couple of good verses and a terse chorus. The songs on Nightmare seem to suffer from the problem that “the chorus is a verse”. They’re trying to force the story on us and it just doesn’t stick. That said, I disagree on the theme of his comment. I personally thought A7X’s self-titled album was their best effort to date and showed a lot of maturity in their musical abilities. I liked Waking the Fallen and City of Evil as well; however, the self-titled just demonstrated more musical versatility. Assuming the band pushes through the Rev’s death in upcoming albums, their future seems pretty bright.
Excellent review except for one thing: the lyrics for “So Far Away” were not written by M. Shadows, they were written by Synyster Gates, as well as most of the song.
Great album from my standpoint. I must say I have not stopped listening to these album for days now. Having not listened to Avenged Sevenfold before, I can’t make any comparisons with the bands previous works. I do need to state however that I’m stunned with the duders technical proficiency and song writing abilities. Having MP on the album is surely important and does make a difference in filling Rev’s shoes (which is a difficult task indeed).
Having seen the band live in Dublin, IRE in 2006 as a support act to the ever mighty Metallica, I must admit I was blown away by the robot-like movement of drummer Rev and his amazing playing altogether!
Rest In Peace brother. May you always be remembered as a fallen metal brother.
I liked this album. I dislike metalcore with all my heart (I’m not judging those who like that genre) so I can’t stand the scream singing in the first two albums. I had heard of them before City Of Evil, and just thought of them as “another metalcore band”. And I -did- give Sounding The Seventh Trumpet and Waking The Fallen a chance, heard them over and over, especially the latter. Yet still, I would always rather switch to Guns and Roses or Deep Purple-style bands.
However, when City of Evil came about, I really dug their Hard, Hard Rock style (not metal in my opinion, but I love rock equally). Shadows’ raspy voice and Synyster’s solos and riffs made the album great and got me hooked up as an A7X fan.
The self titled was indeed “poppier”, let alone I liked it for following the same style as its predecesor, albeit softer. However when I heard the new one, I liked it right away. The album “Nightmare” packs good riffs, good solos, catchy choruses and the lyrics are pretty good, especially the aggression of them in the title track.
Not as good as City of Evil(amazing record), but definitely better than the self titled. And, in my opinion, those three records are one thousand times better than the first two.
PS: RIP The Rev. He was a good drummer. Nowhere near the “best of the world”, and definitely less talented than Portnoy (who is, by definition, an excellent drummer), but good nonetheless. Just clearing this up for all the A7X fans who say that he’s not as good as the Rev. He was his idol for a reason.
The Rev could possibly be the best drummer ever. Not based on drumming skills though. He wrote like 60% of their material from what it sounds like. Wrote lyrics, some guitar, sung, controlled Synysters pedals and of course drummed. He brought a special feeling into the band. They described his as full of energy and they’d never known anyone that compares to his energy and enthusiasm. Anyways, I think all of their albums are good at the least. In my opinion.. #1 Nightmare #2 City of Evil #3 Waking The Fallen #4 Avenged Sevenfold #5 Sounding the Seventh Trumpet. The self titled album just lacked good songs. Half of the album was good, Afterlife, Scream, Lost were great. City of Evil and Nightmare are almost all perfect songs. Waking the Fallen has the harder style I love. Sounding the Seventh Trumpet.. Just the start lmao. Great band with loads of future potential. They’re grown more mature and technical. We’ll see what comes next. RIP Rev. Keep rockin’ Sevenfold.
First of all, great review in all aspects and i loved the album.
I dont think A7X were even worrying about good reviews with this album, i suspect the songs they did decide to throw on the record were solely for them, Jimmy, and the fans.
I had to say when i saw Jimmy’s name under former band members, it almost made me tear up R.I.P we’ll miss your creativity and musical talent
Good review, RIP THE REV
fiction was originally written for the revs other band…pinkly smooth…he finished it for a7x three days before he died and so far away was writen by gates….compare the lyrics from both…so far away is 100% about the rev and a response to fiction
WalkWithMeInHell is NOT a ‘jerk’
Dont attack him personally simply for analysing A7X critically, clearly with much more insight and experience than the average new A7X fan.
The fact is, he is exactly right. STST was an extremely creative album, and very good yet unpolished and poorly produced. WTF was their peak of creativity and musical mastery. City of Evil was also a very good album, especially Strength of the World and Seize the Day. Avenged Sevenfold was acceptable, but didnt compare to their older albums. Diamonds in the Rough was about the same, with a few covers etc so it wasnt really one of their main albums.
Nightmare, on the other hand, is a turd sandwich. You think you’re about to hear an exceptionally well-made metalcore track with very technical yet emotional dual guitar harmonies and thrilling drum beats. You would think their heightened emotions would enhance their music, yet as you bite in to it, you realize it’s just a piece of shit, with almost every song starting out fairly good instrumentally, but then you hear their awkward and horrible vocal melodies and often slow-paced or monotonous drumbeats and guitar riffs
well martin, u are a jerk….
There are major points i’ve been noticing about the album. Most songs seem like a dream. God Hates Us I can see it most in. As i see it, the beginning is someone just falling asleep, the song is the dream about A7X’s past, and the outro is the person waking up from a nightmare. It’s a really creepy album. Throughout the whole album, something makes me believe that Jimmy is STILL alive. Fiction, meaning of course fake, has lyrics that are amazing. But what if the lyrics themselves are fiction???? Think about it!!! Feel free to collaborate. These are all speculations, and i highly doubt they’re true…
Oh, and i almost forgot: A7X for Life!!!! foREVer!!!
Excellent review… I feel you gave a fair comparison in most of your article. I agree with many of your points, even though I wasn’t fond of your Lewis Black correlation .. anyway this is the most awesome album Avenged has written, probably on of the best I have ever heard.. From anyone… A long time Avenged fan, the tracks of this album are undeniably deep and heart wrenching… Even more so for us who loved Jimmy. At Uproar fest I recently saw, Avenged played afterlife, and feel that would be a difficult song to play in addition to this albums’ songs.
ILOVEYOU.
ya, so far away was written by synyster gates as a good bye to the rev..the rev also wrote save me, fiction, and welcome to the family..
rip rev rip fiction we will never forget you