Music Nightmare: Beauty In It's Simplest Album
Man. What do I say about this album?
So, the drummer Jimmy, The Rev, died. This was gonna be a concept album about a kid who isolates himself and experiences horrors that criticize America, but The Rev died of overdose. Obviously, the band was fucking devastated at the loss of their best friend, and had 2 re-write a lot of the album. Nightmare is another album that holds the speed metal centric hard rock sound A7X is most known 4. But it's also beautiful, holding the title of the band's most personal album, and—emotionally—darkest album.
And it's fucking beautiful. Every song. Even the more tailor made radio/plain songs like the title track and Natural Born Killer are fucking beautiful. Even So Far Away, probably the band's softest song ever, is made more out of love and tribute than anything else. Every song is emotionally held by Jimmy's death, and you get the utmost feeling that they care a fuck ton. The emotional power is unrivaled. You legitimately cannot think about a lot of the songs on this album without thinking of Jimmy.
And I can attest 2 this. On my first listen, I thought it was boring as shit. But irony is a motherfucker. 4 months now I've not been in the best place mentally, not helped by how my cat—pretty much my best friend—died recently. After about an hour of being a stupid crybaby I turned this on, and.. I got it. It finally clicked with me. It's not that loss of some1 close 2 you makes the album entirely resonate, but as I said, it perfectly captures that kind of mindset some1 has upon grief.
It's not all sadness though, cuz when this album goes metal, it gets fucking metal alright. Shit is intense. But so is the nature of metal, so here's some flaws. While the emotional energy on here is strong, it's nature as a time capsule of the thoughts of the band in that time period is kind of conflicting, as while it marks the end of an era, we've also kind of matured and sobered up 2 Jimmy's passing. That isn't entirely bad though, as Nightmare seals its spot in the discography well, showing that the 1 lost member will never be 4gotten. I'm also not a fan of some of the softer and more commercial tracks. I like So Far Away and Fiction, but Victim and Buried Alive just aren't the best. They do what they accomplish, especially Victim, they're just not 4 me.
Overall.. Fucking beautiful. Nightmare marked the end of an era 4 the band, and they're at some of their most mature here. It also has some connections with LiBAD, but we'll get there when we get there.
Song ranking
1. Tonight the World Dies
2. Buried Alive
3. Victim
4. Nightmare
5. Fiction
6. So Far Away
7. Welcome to the Family
8. Danger Line
9. God Hates Us
10. Natural Born Killer
11. Save Me
Music Diamonds in the Rough: Aptly Named, Perhaps Underlooked
The first thing you notice upon popping Diamonds in the Rough is the crumpled production on Demons, but as you listen 2 30 seconds you 4get about that becuz the song is a god damn banger. And that's kind of every song on this album. Yeah, the production is kinda funky (Besides the CLA mix 4 Almost Easy) but that's my only gripe with it. This IS A FUCKING BANGER ALBUM. If a friend asks me 2 give them a Sevenfold album and it's their first time, I give them this. It has a quintessential sound of the self titled and Nightmare, but it's perfected 2 such a magnificent degree. It's like comparing Waking the Fallen 2 Seventh Trumpet again. Everything here is just so so much better. And the thing is, this is a fucking rarities album. If this WERE the self titled, we would be living in a better world. But it still exists, and I am happy 4 that.
This IS the big epic album City of Evil was trying 2 be. This is the best parts of the self titled, but uncommercialized. These songs fill in the hole that the self titled had. It feels so much more complete. I put this up there with Waking and StST, it's that good. I loved it 1st listen, still do. Everything here is so refined and neat, it's a god damn miracle something this good exists. Here's something I don't understand. Why are the rarities of the worst albums the best songs? Nightmare is a good album but self titled and Hail to the King are their worst imo.
Speaking of, the rarities meant 4 Hail are fucking beautiful. Hail feels like a gladiatorial arena but the rarities (St. James and Set Me Free) feel like dying and going 2 heaven. Bad analogy but I'm saying these songs are so much better than the albums they're supposed 2 be on (Besides Nightmare) and all I can do is gush and complain they're not on the albums they were going 2 be on. I dunno. Although I feel the Nightmare tracks weren't as strong as the album was. And not just becuz Nightmare is that good, it's also becuz the tracks here are kinda lacking, particularly 4:00 AM. Not in the way that self titled tracks have a hole that isn't filled, it's just that they're content being the okay, good songs they are. Very nice.
I can't think of any flaws. This is better than everything besides the first 2 albums. Even with Walk, Paranoid, and Girl I Know, this remains perhaps the best rarities album ever. I really don't know what 2 say, uh, it's really good.
Song ranking
1. Walk
2. Paranoid
3. Girl I Know
4. 4:00 AM
5. Tension
6. Until The End
7. Lost It All
8. Set Me Free
9. Dancing Dead
10. Demons
11. Flash of the Blade
12. Crossroads
13. The Fight
14. St. James
As 4 the alternate tracks, I prefer the CLA mix of Almost Easy, while Afterlife sounds 2 similar 2 the original 4 me 2 like it more.
Music Hail to the King: BOOOOOOOOOOOOORRIIIIIING
Clocking in at 53 minutes, Hail to the King is Avenged Sevenfold's 2nd shortest album, a mere minute longer than StST. But it feels so. Much. Longer.
On this album, the band is trying 2 pay tribute 2 classic metal bands. Maiden, tallica, deth, y'know. But it doesn't come off as inspired as it is the most bland metal from them yet. It feels like they're plagirizing themselves. Even Requiem is just Scream but even more meh. Shit, even fucking Planets is a weaker Shepard of Fire. It's like, c'mon. I get you wanna pay tribute 2 who inspired you and all but like, it seems 2 be nothing more than a paycheck cash in.
When I first listened 2 this album, it was the most boring thing I ever listened 2. So I relistened. Liked Shepard of Fire, nothing new there. but I get 2 This Means War, and something strange happened... I found myself enjoying (smashing my head against my desk) the music. Wha??? I was so shocked. But this song is so fucking boring! Hail to the King is the most nothing album ever!! And after that? Nope it's still boring as fuck. I'm struggling 2 write anything 4 this 1, perhaps even more so Diamonds. Uh, it goes on 4 way 2 fucking long 4 what it is. Or, I think that's just me. I'm told the stream of consciousness is a hell of a thing. Well that guy who told me that wasn't wrong. Shit, uh..
Let's talk about how Set Me Free is better version of Crimson Day. Wait no, that's just rude. Well Crimson Day is fine, I kinda like it. It's not my thing. And this is applicable 2, like, every song on here. The ONLY song I find myself coming back 2 ever is Shepard of Fire, and that's usually becuz I'm about 2 start up a lengthy game of Origins. Stuff like Doing Time, Heretic, and Planets are just a big meat-headed big of nothing.
I would say at least it's not self titled, but self titled had more than 2 songs I liked.
It had 3.
I wish I was listening 2 Nightmare still. God that album's so fucking good. This is like the least Avenged Sevenfold album there ever was. Say what you want about StST and LIBaD, but at least they aren't boring. 4tunately, now we have nowhere 2 go but up from here on out.
Song ranking
1. Heretic
2. Requiem
3. Doing Time
4. Acid Rain
5. Planets
6. Crimson Day
7. Coming Home
8. Hail to the King
9. This Means War
10. Shepard of Fire