Avenged Sevenfold
Avenged Sevenfold (also known as A7X) is a metalcore band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1999. The title Avenged Sevenfold is taken from the biblical story of Cain and Abel in Genesis 4:15(NIV), which reads, "But the Lord said to him, Therefore whoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold'"
The band was formed while its members were still in high school. They came out with a demo called Warmness on the Soul before their first full length album , which included the heavy metal version of "To End The Rapture". Their first full length album, Sounding the Seventh Trumpet, was recorded when the members of A7X were just 18 years old; it was immediately acclaimed by the hardcore community. Their next album entitled Waking the Fallen was well received and generally considered a successful sophomore effort as evidenced by a praising reference in Rolling Stone magazine. Recently M. Shadows' vocal stylings have changed more to focus on melodic singing than on hardcore screaming and growling. This is due to Shadows' throat surgery due to internal bleeding. Their latest release was City of Evil on June 7, 2005 and strays away from metalcore and may be a new start for the band as just a metal band.
Although the bands title and members' sobriquets make obvious reference to religion, Shadow's, Zacky's and Synyster's lyrics bear no resemblance to any religious preaching. Some, however, can see several, obscure references to religion and the Bible. All members of A7X were kicked out of Catholic school, but Synyster Gates claims that the only religious member is The Rev. Even though A7X claims to be a secular band it has been reported that Johnny Christ practices in pagan religions. The predominant lyrical themes are despair, suicide, revenge, betrayal, loneliness and the Apocalypse.
Discography
| # | Release | Title | Label | Extra information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 8 2001 | Avenged Sevenfold's debut EP. It was released on August 8, 2001. | ||
| 2 | March 19 2002 | Avenged Sevenfold's first album. First released in 2001 by Good Life Recordings, it was later re-released on March 19, 2002 by Hopeless Records. | ||
| 3 | August 26 2003 | Avenged Sevenfold's second album. Blending their Metal and Punk influences to create an explosive album filled with non-stop epics. Release date August 26, 2003. | ||
| 4 | June 7 2005 | Avenged Sevenfold's third album. It was released on June 7, 2005 by Warner Brothers. On this album the music took a a new direction, not going with their metalcore past they incoperated a much more melodic approach, with influences from Guns 'n' Roses to Pantera. |
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Hot 100 | US Modern Rock | US Mainstream Rock | |||
| 2005 | "Bat Country" | #76 | #7 | #4 | City of Evil |
Audio/Video
- Interview with Avenged Sevenfold Includes Music Video
Videography
- March 2001 - Warmness On The Soul - Sounding the Seventh Trumpet-(Video)
- March 6, 2004 - Unholy Confessions (Live video w/ dubbed music) - Waking the Fallen- (Video)
- May 4, 2005 - Bat Country (Live video w/ dubbed music) - City of Evil
- May 23, 2005 - Burn It Down (Live video w/ dubbed music) - City of Evil- (Video)
- July 28, 2005 - Bat Country - ( Professional Video Directed by Marc Klasfeld) City of Evil-(Video from Bedlam Society)
- February, 2006 - Beast and the Harlot- (Regular music video...Not live.) - City of Evil (Director: Tony Petrossian) (Staring: Elizabeth Kelly)
Band Members
- M. Shadows (Matt Sanders) - Lead Vocals
- Synyster Gates (Brian Haner, Jr.) - Lead Guitar
- Zacky Vengeance (Zachary Baker) - Rhythm Guitar
- Johnny Christ (Jonathan Seward) - Bass
- The Reverend Tholomew Plague (Jimmy Sullivan) - Drums
- Note Synyster Gates & Zacky Vengeance alternate lead and rhythm on City of Evil.
Old Members
- Justin Sane -Bass
- Dameon Ash -Bass