Recently Reviewed:

The Neighbourhood
I Love You.

Iron Man 3: Heroes Fall
Various Artists

Paramore
Paramore

Avenged Sevenfold’s new self-titled album is the best metal album to come out in years. Not only does it have a great selection of face melters, it also has great production, better songwriting, and range that no other band could pull off as well as Avenged Sevenfold. M. Shadows is going to become a legend by the time Avenged Sevenfold’s run is over, he’s the best vocalist in metal. It’s a bold statement, but when you think about it, it’s pretty easy. Who’s better right now? The rest of the group behind Shadows is awesome too, metal is one of the hardest genres to master and these guys have done that… two albums in. The self-titled album is everything that you want out of a metal album. It gets started properly with “Critical Acclaim”; its opening track is a fitting track in more than one way; it’s a solid statement from the band, but the build in the song from light opening to general thrashing is tremendous. There’s not a bad track on this entire album, just a lot of really high moments. The aforementioned “Critical Acclaim” is one of the big highs, the hooky chorused and string led “Afterlife” will be a song you’ll go back to years from now. And “Dear God” is where the range comes in with Avenged Sevenfold. “Dear God” is a softer folk-type song by Avenged Sevenfold that’s largely acoustic. It’s not just acoustic though; it implements the steel guitar throughout the track. Nobody else in metal would have the brass to record a song like this, that’s why it’s so amazing. Avenged Sevenfold’s new self-titled album is a must-own album for any metal fan. It’s the best album to come out in the genre in years. This new album places Avenged Sevenfold on the top of the metal ladder and it also places them in the upper echelon of bands that are out right now in any genre.