Avenged Sevenfold

Halloween Playlist

October 9, 2014 — Leave a comment

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After introducing him to several of the bands that I listen to, I was told one day by my former boss that my collection consists of “vampire music.” That description made me giggle, but I know what he meant. I do like a lot of, shall we say, darker songs. For that reason, I was given the shared responsibility of compiling a playlist for a Halloween party. This is what I came up with. (Note: not all of them are creepy, sexy, and/or demonic. Lol. I have a wide variety of tastes.)

1. Feed My Frankenstein (Alice Cooper)
2. Love You to Death (Type O Negative)
3. Black No. 1 (Type O Negative)
4. Dark Secret Love (HIM)
5. Velvet Touch (The 69 Eyes)
6. Lost Boys (The 69 Eyes)
7. Dirt Room (Blue October)
8. Diabolic Crush (Third Realm)
9. Carry On Screaming (Ruins) (London After Midnight)
10. Spider and the Fly (London After Midnight)
11. Cyanide(The Rikets)
13. This is Halloween (Marilyn Manson’s cover)
14. Traumfrau (And One)
15. The Ones (Aesthetic Perfection)
16. Big Bad Wolf (Aesthetic Perfection)
17. Military Fashion Show (And One)
18. Assassinate Me (Jesus on Extasy)
19. The Camper Velourium I: Faint of Hearts (Coheed & Cambria)
20. Wir Sind Wir (Paul van Dyk & Peter Heppner)
21. The Greatest Show Unearthed (Creature Feature)
22. A Little Piece of Heaven (Avenged Sevenfold)
23. Her Ghost in the Fog (Cradle of Filth)
24. Nymphetamine Fix (Cradle of Filth)

Happy Haunting!

Review: Adrenaline Mob, HellYeah, & Avenged Sevenfold @ the VBC

April 29, 2014 — Leave a comment

On Wednesday, April 23rd, I went to see Avenged Sevenfold at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Their opening acts were Adrenaline Mob and HellYeah. Doors opened at roughly 6:30 p.m. and the show began at 7:22 p.m., according to the usher we befriended. Ha!

I wasn’t very familiar with Adrenaline Mob. I had done a little research prior to the show, but all I really found out was that they are a super group and that their bassist is John Moyer, who used to be with Disturbed (a fact that excited me, since I love Disturbed). The band totally rocked it. They were a great way to kick things off, closing their set with their first single, “Come On, Get Up.”

Then came HellYeah. Vocalist Chad Gray knew exactly how to work a crowd and by the time they finished, the room was positively buzzing. Highlights from their set included “Drink, Drank, Drunk” and the title track from their upcoming release, “Blood for Blood.”

Finally, it was time for the main act. Avenged Sevenfold took the stage to the familiar sounds of “Shepherd of Fire” and the audience went insane. I can’t even begin to describe how I felt at that moment, and the feeling didn’t leave me for the entire set. The guys were a little more lackluster than I remembered, yet their performance still held a magic that only Avenged Sevenfold can create for me. The set list was spectacular and hit every high point of their fifteen year career. Each song filled me with joy and made me think “I can’t believe I’m here.” However, the crowning moments for me were “Hail to the King” and “Fiction,” for I had never before seen them do either song live.

I have now been to six Avenged Sevenfold concerts and though this was not the best, the California natives did not disappoint. I look forward to seeing them again, hopefully in the very near future.

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[Photo credit goes to my brother Rick, who was closer than I was.]

Oh, and after the show, we ran into Adrenaline Mob at a Waffle House. They were extremely nice!

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Song of the Week: “Hail to the King”

April 29, 2014 — Video — Leave a comment

I took this video at the show in Huntsville last week. As mentioned in the description, the sound quality is a bit rough, but I really love what I was able to capture, especially the moments of M. Shadows standing in front of a crowd all pumping their fists in unison!

Avenged Sevenfold: “Hail to the King,” from the album of the same name, performed live at the Von Braun Center, Propst Arena.

Review: Avenged Sevenfold’s Hail to the King

February 14, 2014 — Leave a comment
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Band: Avenged Sevenfold
Album: Hail to the King
Genre: Rock
Release Date: August 23, 2013
Standout Tracks: “Hail to the King,” “Heretic,” and “Acid Rain”
There is no way I can do a review of an Avenged Sevenfold album without letting my fan status come in. It’s just not possible. I have loved this band since 2005. Everything about them is amazing. However, despite being a bit biased, I still think I am able to be fair and honest about their latest release, Hail to the King.
The Orange County natives have earned new fans with each successive album, and this time is no different. Hail to the King is much more simple and straightforward than what they usually do, which a lot of people enjoy. It is undoubtedly a great rock album, but not Avenged’s best. I do not intend this to be an insult; I am simply partial to City of Evil.
I have never before heard Avenged sound so much like their influences. There have always been bits and pieces of Metallica, Guns N Roses, Led Zeppelin, etc. However, I have never been able to listen to a song and immediately say “This sounds just like [insert song title here] by [insert band name here].” On this album, I was able to do that on multiple tracks. Again, this is not an insult. I’m just not used to that on an Avenged Sevenfold record.
Front man Matt Sanders, aka M. Shadows, really rocked it this go-around. His vocals were better and stronger than ever, especially on the title track and “Acid Rain.” And while less complex than what the band normally comes out with, I really enjoyed the fun groove-oriented music the band created.
Lastly, I have to note that “Acid Rain” is literally one of the best songs Avenged has ever done. It’s so different from their other stuff, and we all know how the band is constantly changing. The song hints at a direction Avenged could head on the next album.
I see a lot of potential in this lineup. The loss of drummer Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan in 2009 was a devastating one, but I believe that newcomer Arin Ilejay is not beyond his depth here. This album was his introduction to how the band does things and a chance for him to get settled in. I feel that he did not show all he has to offer…yet. But I am sure there is much more to Mr. Ilejay than we have seen.
As I said, the album is great overall, though it is easy to tell that they are having to learn how to play with a new member. There are specific tracks–“Heretic” and “Acid Rain,” for example–that make me very confident in Avenged Sevenfold’s future. The guys are going to be fine, and I couldn’t be happier about that.