The band came together in 1999, having formed in high school, quickly developing their sound and releasing their debut album, "Sounding the Seventh Trumpet" in 2001. Going by their aliases M. Shadows (vocals), Zacky Vengeance (guitar), Synester Gates (guitar, Johnny Christ (bass) and The Reverend, Avenged Sevenfold soon moved from Goodlife Records to the label, Hopeless, beginning work on their second record. Released in 2003, "Waking the Fallen" arrived to critical acclaim, helping to build hype around the band which drew the attention of major label, Warner Bros.
With an aggressive, punk sound that was full of melodic harmonies from their dual guitar attack, their debut for Warner Bros., "City of Evil," was to be their breakthrough album, finding them mainstream success after its June 2005 release. The album peaked at number 30 on Billboard's Top 200, bolstered by the popularity of the single, "Bat Country." The band's success was celebrated after being awarded the award for 'Best New Artist' at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards.
Avenged Sevenfold quickly returned to the studio to work on their fourth record, the grittier and harder-edged self-titled release, which peaked at number four on the Billboard Top 200 after appearing in October 2007. Three singles from the record also broke into the top five of the UK charts, with the band quickly becoming global stars and embarking on a number of tours in support of the release.
In 2009, Jimmy "The Reverend" Sullivan, the band's long time drummer, tragically died, with the remaining members considering disbanding. However, they continued, finding a replacement in Mike Portnoy, formerly of Dream Theater, releasing "Nightmare" in 2010. It was several years before they returned with a new full length, 2013's "Hail to the King," which again brought them commercial success, reaching the number one spot on the Billboard 200 and the UK Album Chart.
Avenged Sevenfold always delivers high energy, blow-your-ear-drums-out performances. If you like loud, you will love an A7X show.
I saw them last summer at the Orion Music Festival and was blown away. A lot of the time at a festival you lose some sound since it is outside, but Avenged Sevenfold must have found a new volume level for their amps, because it was louder than some shows that I have been to in small concert halls!
Lead singer M. Shadows was constantly prowling around the stage, shouting at the audience, and keeping the energy up. A lot of people in the crowd did not seem to be die-hard Avenged Sevenfold fans when the show started (which I guess is not uncommon for large festivals), but within a few minutes, everyone was rocking together. With the heavy guitars and smashing drums, it was hard not to get up and jump around and mosh together.
I think I danced or jumped for the entire show, and I was completely spent afterwards. There never seemed to be a quiet moment to catch my breath, which was exhilarating. I had an absolute blast at this show and would never hesitate to go see these guys again. Their live performance is second to none.
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