Avenged Sevenfold- A Taste of Dark Rock
By extra. Filed in Art & Photography |
Huntington Beach, California is the place of origin of the dark band, Avenged Sevenfold. It was in 1999 when the band members, all still in high school, first came together. Vocalist M. Shadows came up with the band name. Despite not being a religious band, their name is actually lifted from a biblical reference contained in the Cain and Abel story in which God warns that anyone who kills Cain will be punished sevenfold.
The group name is not the only one that stands out. The members have also taken on stage names that are reflective of their musical leanings. Other original members are Zacky Vengeance, James “The Rev” Sullivan and Matt Wendt. Current members with Vengeance and Shadows now include Synyster Gates who plays lead guitar and Johnny Christ who handles bass.
At the outset, the group appropriately took on metalcore tones which seemed to fit perfectly with their image. This was evident in their first album Sounding the Seventh Trumpet which was released under Good Life Recordings in 2001 and under Hopeless Records in 2002.
In the following year, the group saw more action with the release of Walking the Fallen. In the same year, the group saw greater recognition as they played in the Vans Warped Tour in both 2003 and 2004. After this Avenged Sevenfold album release, their eventual move to mainstream was marked by their move to Warner Bros. Records. Apparently, this also introduced more popular Avenged Sevenfold merch.
It was under their current, more popularly known label that the band released its third album, City of Evil in 2005. Although considered definitive by many music critics, this release showed a marked difference in the band’s musical style. Rather than sticking to its metalcore roots, Avenged Sevenfold transitioned to rock. The transformation is apparent because of the absence of intensely screamed vocal renditions.
By 2006, Avenged Sevenfold began enjoying greater popularity. They bagged the Best New Artist Recognition in the MTV Video Music Awards. On this year, they were also seen in the Vans Warped Tour, the Ozzfest and on their own world tour that covered major locations in the US, UK, Japan and Australia. The group’s growing reputation came to greater light when their 2007 self-titled album grabbed the fourth spot on its debut.
Things were only starting to look up for the group when 2009 ended in a bang on both positive and negative notes. The group had been placed on the second slot of the Top Ten Bands of the Decade by Ultimate Guitar. They lost the number one spot to legendary group Metallica. At roughly the same time, the group lost its drummer. The Rev had been found dead due to drug related complications. Early this year, the band has had to tap a replacement for The Rev, getting Mike Portnoy to take on drum duties.
The band has emphatically mentioned that Sullivan will forever be part of Avenged Sevenfold. The group’s new drummer however is obviously set to see more action in the months to come. Shadows has revealed that the group’s fifth album will be out by July. By his own admission, it will be the group’s darkest work yet.
The seeming switch in genre is understandable. Avenged Sevenfold is apparently evolving. Nonetheless, they are clearly on more stable foundations than other bands. There is hardly any doubt what the band wants to evoke with its dark sounds. They’ll surely be in more future band posters.
Tags: Avenged Sevenfold, Avenged Sevenfold merch, band posters
