Avenged Sevenfold
has crafted a tremendous variation of metalcore, inflecting the traditional
metal
sound with outrageous bursts of
hardcore
fury and mesmerizing wails more likely found in the European vein of
death metal
. These elements together create an amazing but lethal crush on the listener, leaving one breathless after such feats.
Sounding the Seventh Trumpet
is an exceptional album that finds the group perfecting its own distinct style, and although the bandmembers remain fairly unknown on the
scene, one could only imagine that this will change rather quickly. Frontman
M. Shadows
is a force to be reckoned with, as his screams are capable of making blood flow from one's ears, while his singing voice has the ability to feel those vicious wounds. Songs such as
"Darkness Surrounding"
and
"We Come Out at Night"
are excellent metalcore masterpieces, as the vocal harmonies add to these cuts to evolve the songs into fully atmospheric sonic blasts. As the album unfolds,
Shadows
' singing voice becomes the more dominant style and that is slightly unfortunate; the melodies are given much more intensity when his voice is used to a lesser extent amidst the grating bellows -- yet there is no bad song included on this collection. Musically, the band has seamlessly woven
crunch with
heavy metal
flair, and never once bogs itself down with too much intricacy.
"Streets"
may surprise some for its
punk
feel, yet it all makes sense since it's a cover of the
Successful Failure
song, proving that
could easily outdo many of the gritty
groups in existence in the 21st century.
is a magnificent album that is suitable for any fan of
music, as
has a firm grasp on all that is extreme. ~ Jason D. Taylor