The band has released seven albums since their formation: "Sounding the Seventh Trumpet" (2001), "Waking the Fallen" (2003), "City of Evil" (2005), "Avenged Sevenfold" (2007), "Nightmare" (2010), Hail to the King (2013), The Stage (2016), and most recently Life Is But a Dream⦠(2023).
The band was formed in 1999. Avenged Sevenfold's first album, Sounding the Seventh Trumpet, was recorded when the band members were eighteen years old. It was originally released on their first label, Good life Recordings. After lead guitarist Synyster Gates (also known by Brian Haner Jr.) joined the band, the introductory track "To End The Rapture" was re-recorded with Gates playing, and the album was re-released on Hopeless Records. Their follow-up album, entitled Waking the Fallen, was also released on Hopeless Records and was awarded a positive rating in Rolling Stone magazine. Shortly after its release, Avenged Sevenfold were signed to Warner Bros. Records.
City of Evil, the third album which was released on June 7 2005, strayed from metalcore, and instead headed more towards heavy metal and adds a harder rock sound with influences ranging from various bands. During the recording of City of Evil, M. Shadows' vocal styling changed to focus more on melodic singing rather than hardcore screaming. Some cite the change in vocal style as consequence of vocal chord damage (that resulted in subsequent surgery) during a tour supporting Waking the Fallen. Shadows denies the injury as being the reason. In the "All Excess" DVD, producer Mudrock clarifies this subject and affirms this is not the reason why the band changed style. He says "One thing I see on the Internet, and that I just want to set the record straight on is, when I met the band, before they recorded Waking The Fallen, Matt handed me the CD [Sounding The Seventh Trumpet] and said "this record is screaming, the record we wanna make is half screaming and half singing. I don't wanna scream anymore, but I'm going to make a record that's half singing and half screaming, and a record after that is going to be only singing". The already knew they wanted to make a singing record right by the time City Of Evil came out, that was two years before it came out, that's what the band wanted to do as artists."
The band's name is a reference to the book of Genesis in the Bible where Cain is sentenced to live in exile for the crime of murdering his brother. God marked him so that none would kill him on account of his sin; the man who dared to kill Cain would have "vengeance taken upon him sevenfold." The title of Avenged Sevenfold's song "Chapter Four" references Genesis 4:15, the chapter of the Bible in which the story of Cain and Abel takes place. The song's subject also appears to be this story. "Beast and the Harlot", yet another song derived from the Bible, comes from the book of Revelation only it is written in the first person and refers to the punishment of Babylon the Great, world empire and seat of false religion. Another Bible reference occurs in the song "The Wicked End". In the song, several times it is said "dust the apple off, savor each bite, and deep inside you know Adam was right." making reference to Eve eating the forbidden fruit. Although the band's title and members' stage names make references to religion, Shadows stated in an interview that they are "not really religious at all." "Anyone that read the lyrics and really knew anything about us, they would know we're not promoting either", he said. "That's one thing about this band that I love is that we never really shove any kind of, like, political or religious beliefs on people. We just, the music's there to entertain and maybe thought-provoking on both sides, but we don't try to, like, really shove anything down anyone's throat. There's too many bands that do that nowadays, I think."
The song "Bat Country" is a reference to the book/movie Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. The song is dedicated to the Author of the book, the late Hunter S. Thompson. Their song "Blinded In Chains" was used in the soundtrack for the video games Need for Speed: Most Wanted and Arena Football. "Bat Country" was used in the soundtracks for SSX on Tour, NHL 06 and Madden 06, following in the footsteps of "Chapter Four" which had also been on the soundtrack for NHL 2004, Madden 2004 and NASCAR Thunder 2004. The song "Beast and the Harlot" was in the soundtrack for Burnout Revenge. All the above games, not coincidentally, are produced by various divisions of Electronic Arts. "Beast and the Harlot" also appears in RedOctane's Guitar Hero II, released in November 7, 2006. The song "Burn it Down" is featured on the October 24, 2006 release of the Saw III soundtrack.
During recent tours (Spring 2006 and Ozzfest 2006 tours) Avenged Sevenfold have been performing the song "Walk", originally by Pantera, as part of a tribute to the late Dimebag Darrell Lance Abbott.
At the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards, Avenged Sevenfold received the award for best new artist. They took the award over several other artists like Angels & Airwaves and James Blunt. After canceling fall and winter 2006 tour dates, the band is planning their unnamed fourth studio album. M. Shadows has stated that it will not be a City of Evil Part 2 or Waking the Fallen Part 2, because they want to change their sound once more. They say it will be somewhat of a surprise to their fans. Some people are rejecting their new sounds, as some are embracing it.
The band released their first DVD, Avenged Sevenfold : All Excess on July 17, 2007.
Avenged Sevenfold, the band's fourth album, was released on October 30, 2007, debuting at No.4 on the Billboard 200 with over 90,000 copies sold. Two singles, "Critical Acclaim" and "Almost Easy" were released prior to the album's debut. In December 2007, an animated video was made for "A Little Piece of Heaven." Due to the song's controversial subject matter, however, Warner Brothers only released it to registered MVI users over the internet. The third single, "Afterlife" and its video was released in January 2008. Their fourth single, "Dear God", was released on June 15, 2008. Although critical reception was generally mixed the self-titled album went on to sell over 500,000 copies and was awarded "Album of the Year" at the Kerrang! Awards.
Avenged Sevenfold headlined the 2008 Taste of Chaos tour with Atreyu, Bullet for My Valentine, [arist]Blessthefall and Idiot Pilot. They used the footage from their last show in Long Beach for Live in the LBC & Diamonds in the Rough, a two-disc B-sides CD and live DVD which was released on September 16, 2008. They also recorded numerous covers, including Pantera's "Walk", Iron Maiden's "Flash of the Blade" and Black Sabbath's "Paranoid".
In January 2009, M. Shadows confirmed that the band was writing the follow-up to their self-titled fourth album within the upcoming months. They also announced that they will be playing at Rock on the Range, from May 16β17, 2009. On April 16, they performed a version of Guns N' Roses' "It's So Easy" onstage with Slash, at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles.
On December 28, 2009, drummer James "The Rev" Sullivan was found dead at his home at the age of 28. Autopsy results were inconclusive, but on June 9, 2010, the cause of death was revealed to have been an "acute polydrug intoxication due to combined effects of Oxycodone, Oxymorphone, Diazepam/Nordiazepam and ethanol". In a statement by the band, they expressed their grief over the passing of The Rev and later posted a message from Sullivan's family which expressed their gratitude to his fans for their support.
The band members admitted in a number of interviews that they considered disbanding at this point of time. However, on February 17, 2010, Avenged Sevenfold stated that they had entered the studio, along with now-former Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy, to drum for the record, in place of the Rev.
The single "Nightmare" was digitally released on May 18, 2010. A preview for the song was released on May 6, 2010 on Amazon.com, but was removed soon after for unknown reasons. Mixing for the album had been completed in New York City, and Nightmare was finally released worldwide on July 27, 2010. It met with mixed to positive reviews from music critics but was well received by the fans. Nightmare beat sales projections easily, debuting at number one on the Billboard 200 with sales of 163,000 units in its first week.[45] After finishing recording, in December, Portnoy and the band posted simultaneous statements on their websites stating that he will not be their replacement for The Rev. However, Portnoy did travel with the band overseas in December 2010 for three shows in Iraq and Kuwait sponsored by the USO. They played for US Soldiers at Camp Adder, Camp Beuhring, and Balad Air Base. On January 20, 2011, Avenged Sevenfold announced via Facebook that former Confide drummer Arin Ilejay will tour with them starting this year. Whether or not he will be joining the band on a permanent basis has not been decided yet.
Avenged Sevenfold performed at the Rock am Ring and Rock im Park festivals on June 3β5, 2011 alongside other bands such as Alter Bridge, System of a Down, and In Flames. On April 2011, the band headlined the Golden God Awards held by Metal Hammer. The same night the band won three awards for "Best Vocalist" (M. Shadows), "Epiphone Best Guitarist(s)" (Synyster Gates and Zacky Vengeance) and "Afflictionβs Album of The Year: " for Nightmare, while Mike Portnoy won the award for "Drum Workshopβs Best Drummer" for his work on the album.
In May 2011, it was confirmed that the band had written a new song to be included in the Escalation DLC pack for Call of Duty: Black Ops. The song is the first time developers Treyarch have commissioned an outside band to contribute a song since the franchise began. The song, titled "Not Ready to Die", was released on iTunes on May 2, 2011.
Avenged Sevenfold headlined the 2011 Uproar Festival with supporting acts Three Days Grace, Seether, Bullet For My Valentine, Escape The Fate, among others. In August 2011, vocalist M. Shadows stated the band would finish the Uproar Festival, then go home to take a break for six to seven months before starting a new record. He also roughly stated that Arin Ilejay and the band are getting along great, but that they have to make sure he's comfortable writing music with them, but also that he hopes everything works out.
In November and December, 2011, the band went on their "Buried Alive" tour with supporting acts Hollywood Undead, Asking Alexandria, and Black Veil Brides.
On April 11, 2012, Avenged Sevenfold won the award for "Best Live Band" and "Most Dedicated Fans" at the Revolver Golden Gods awards. The band toured through Asia into April and early May, and played at the Orion Music + More, Festival on June 23 and 24 in Atlantic City, New Jersey alongside Metallica and Cage the Elephant among many others.
On September 24, 2012, Avenged Sevenfold released a new song, titled "Carry On"; it was featured in the video game Call of Duty: Black Ops II. On November 15, 2012, vocalist M. Shadows said that the band had been working on a new album since the recording of "Carry On" in August 2012. The band began recording material for the album in January 2013. The band then started streaming snippets of the album in May 2013 on their new radio app. There, Arin Ilejay was confirmed as an official band member and replacement of deceased The Rev. M. Shadows said that the album would sound more blues rock-influenced and more like classic rock/metal like Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin.
The band was confirmed to play at the 2013 Rock in Rio festival on September 22, 2013. On May 24, 2013, the band have announced dates for their European tour with Five Finger Death Punch and Device serving as their support bands.
The album, entitled Hail to the King, was released on August 27, 2013. This is the first Avenged Sevenfold album without any musical contributions from deceased The Rev. The album's lead single and title track was released on July 15, 2013. Hail to the King charted as #1 on the US Billboard 200, the UK albums chart, as well as the Finnish, Brazilian, Canadian, and Irish charts, and was commercially and critically acclaimed. The band will headline Monster Energy's Welcome to Rockville two-day music festival in Jacksonville, FL, April 26β27, 2014, joined by more than 25 rock acts, such as MotΓΆrhead, Rob Zombie, Chevelle, Korn, Staind, Alter Bridge, The Cult, Five Finger Death Punch, Volbeat, Black Label Society, and Seether. Avenged Sevenfold headline the Mayhem Festival 2014 with Korn, Asking Alexandria, and Trivium.
In March 2014, vocalist M. Shadows revealed in an interview with Loudwire that the band had plans in the works to put something out for the overdue 10th anniversary of Waking the Fallen. Waking the Fallen: Resurrected was released August 25, 2014. The reissue charted #10 on the US Billboard 200.
In October 2014, M. Shadows confirmed that the band will begin writing their seventh album during mid-2015. In May 2015, the band posted a video on their website teasing their upcoming second live DVD/documentary, entitled This is Bat Country, which will show performances from Download Festival, Rock in Rio and Rock on the Range. As of 2016, the band hasn't released the DVD because of the ongoing lawsuit with Warner Bros.
In July 2015 the band announced on their website that they would part ways with drummer Arin Ilejay, due to "creative differences". In October 2015, the band announced on their website that they had been working with a new drummer for over a year, making sure that it was a good fit before making sudden changes. On October 21, in an interview with Kerrang! magazine, guitarist Zacky Vengeance revealed that the band had been working on the new album for the past couple of months and that a couple of songs had already been completely written. On November 4, 2015, the band announced that Brooks Wackerman would replace Arin Ilejay as the drummer for Avenged Sevenfold. In an interview with Kerrang! magazine on December 3, guitarist Zacky Vengeance said that the new album went in all sorts of aggressive and melodic directions and described it as very "aggro".
On January 14, 2016, Billboard reported that Avenged Sevenfold had been sued by Warner Bros. for trying to leave the label. The band later released a statement clarifying that they wanted to leave because a majority of the executives who helped sign the band to Warner Bros were no longer at the label. They also revealed that the band was going to be entering the studio to record their new album very soon, intending to release it later in 2016. On March 31, the band posted a teaser of their upcoming album on their website.
On August 18, 2016, the band performed a free live show for 1500 people in Minnesota, marking it the first live performance with new drummer Brooks Wackerman. The band was announced as support for Metallica with Volbeat in the U.S. Bank Stadium on August 20, 2016, making it the first ever rock show in the stadium. The band was announced as a headliner of Monster Energy Rock Allegiance 2016, along with Alice in Chains, Slayer, The Offspring, Breaking Benjamin and others. Avenged Sevenfold also performed on "Louder Than Life" festival as headliners on October 1, with Slipknot, Slayer, Disturbed, Korn and other artists. On June 21, the band announced a U.S. Fall tour with Volbeat, Killswitch Engage, and Avatar. The band also announced a UK tour for January 2017 with Disturbed and In Flames. Avenged Sevenfold was announced as a headliner of 2016 edition of Knotfest Mexico. The band also announced the European Tour for February and March 2017 along with Disturbed and Chevelle.
On October 3, 2016, the band's logo Deathbat started appearing as a projection in London. After that, Deathbat also started appearing in Berlin, Toronto and Paris, indicating a release of the new album. On October 12, WWE Superstar and frontman of the band Fozzy, Chris Jericho posted an Instagram photo of the Deathbat logo with a date 12/9/16 underneath it. He then revealed the supposed title of the album, Voltaic Oceans,[83] It was later revealed that the new album would actually be called The Stage, a concept album about artificial intelligence, which was released on October 28, 2016 via Capitol Records. The album was released to universal acclaim, and the band decided to make a unique stage production for it, hiring Cirque du Soleil directors for its making.
Avenged Sevenfold was announced as the main support act on Metallica's WorldWired 2017 stadium summer tour in the US, alongside Volbeat and Gojira.
[TBC]
Victim
Avenged Sevenfold Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A letter on the stairs
A tape full of messages
For anyone who cares
Collage of broken words
and stories full of tears
Remembering your life
'Cause we wish that you were here
Nothing is harder
Than to wake up all alone
Realize it's not okay
It's the end of all you know
Time keeps passing by
But it seems I'm frozen still
Scars are left behind
But some too deep to feel
And some say this can't be real
And I've lost my power to feel tonight
We're all just victims of a crime
When all's gone and can't be regained
We can't seem to shelter the pain inside
We're all just victims of a crime
Some days you'll find me
In a place I like to go
Ask questions to myself
'Bout the things I'll never know
What's left to find
'Cause I need a little more
I need a little time
Can we even up the score?
And some say this can't be real
And I've lost my power to feel tonight
We're all just victims of a crime
When all's gone and can't be regained
We can't seem to shelter the pain inside
We're all just victims of a crime
And nothing lasts forever
For all good days it's true
I'd rather tred it all
For somehow saving you
It must have been the season
That've threw us out of line
Once I stood so tall
Now I'm searching for a sign
So don't need your salvation
With promises and kind
And all those speculations
Save it for another time
'Cause we all need a reason
A reason just to stay
Some just can't be bothered
To stick around another day
And some say this can't be real
And I've lost my power to feel tonight
We've all been victims of a crime
When all is gone and can't be regained
We can't seem to shelter the pain inside (oh)
We've all been victims of a crime
Victims of a crime
Living with this crime
I'm missing you
I'm missing you
I'm missing you
I'm missing you
The lyrics of "Victim" by Avenged Sevenfold revolve around the theme of loss and the difficulty of moving on after a tragic event. The song begins with a vivid description of a house filled with roses, a letter on the stairs, and a tape full of messages, all representing the pain and memories left behind by the one who is gone. The singer, who is left to mourn, feels frozen in time and unable to escape the scars left by the tragedy. Despite the passage of time, the pain of the loss remains overwhelming, and the singer questions the meaning of life and the purpose of searching for answers.
The chorus emphasizes the feeling of helplessness and the sense of being a victim of the situation. The pain is so deep that it seems impossible to contain or overcome. The second verse reveals that even though the singer tries to find solace in their own personal space, it's impossible to escape the questions and the need for closure. The song then moves on to express the feelings of desperation and the willingness to sacrifice everything just to save the one who is lost. However, in the end, it's just about finding a reason to hold on and staying strong in hope of a better future.
Overall, "Victim" is a powerful song that deals with the depth of pain and loss. Itβs about finding hope in the midst of despair and learning to move on despite the scars left behind.
Line by Line Meaning
House full of roses
The house is filled with reminders of you, like the roses you loved so much.
A letter on the stairs
I found the last message you left me, and I can't bring myself to move it from where you left it.
A tape full of messages
I listen to the messages you left me over and over again, clinging to the sound of your voice.
For anyone who cares
I know you're gone, but maybe someone else will find comfort in hearing the things you had to say.
Collage of broken words
The words you left me are scattered and incomplete, like pieces of a puzzle that can never be put back together.
And stories full of tears
Every memory of you is tainted with the pain of losing you.
Remembering your life
I try to focus on the good times we had, but it's hard to do when my heart is still broken.
'Cause we wish that you were here
We all miss you so much, and it's hard to imagine life without you.
Nothing is harder
Losing you is the worst thing that's ever happened to me; it's a pain that never goes away.
Than to wake up all alone
Every morning, I remember that you're gone and that I'm alone in this world without you.
Realize it's not okay
No matter how much time has passed, it still hurts just as much to know that you're not here anymore.
It's the end of all you know
It feels like the world I knew before you died is gone forever, replaced by a bleak and empty existence.
Time keeps passing by
The world moves on without you, and I can't keep up.
But it seems I'm frozen still
Everything around me is changing, but my grief is a constant, unchanging thing.
Scars are left behind
The pain of losing you is etched into my soul, and I'll carry it with me forever.
But some too deep to feel
There are some wounds that never heal, no matter how much time has passed.
And some say this can't be real
Sometimes it feels like I'm living in a nightmare, a cruel and endless cycle of grief and pain.
And I've lost my power to feel tonight
I'm so numb with grief that I can't even feel the pain anymore.
We're all just victims of a crime
Death is the ultimate crime, stealing from us the people we love most.
When all's gone and can't be regained
Death is final, and no matter how much we wish we could bring our loved ones back, it's impossible.
We can't seem to shelter the pain inside
No matter how hard we try, we can't escape the pain that comes with losing someone we love.
Some days you'll find me
Some days, I isolate myself, lost in my grief and unable to connect with the outside world.
In a place I like to go
When I'm feeling overwhelmed, I retreat to the one place where I feel safe and at peace.
Ask questions to myself
I ask myself the same questions over and over again, hoping one day to find the answers that will make sense of your death.
'Bout the things I'll never know
There are so many things I'll never understand about why you had to die, and it's a burden I'll carry with me for the rest of my life.
What's left to find
I'm searching for meaning in a world that seems to have lost all meaning since you died.
'Cause I need a little more
I need more time, more answers, more of you in my life, but none of it is possible.
I need a little time
I need time to heal, but it feels like I'll never be able to move on from losing you.
Can we even up the score?
Your death feels like a cosmic injustice, and I wish there was some way to right the wrongs that have been done.
And nothing lasts forever
The world is fleeting and impermanent, and even the people we love more than anything eventually slip away from us.
For all good days it's true
Even when life is good, there's always the ever-present thought that it won't last forever.
I'd rather tred it all
I'd give up everything in my life to have you back with us again.
For somehow saving you
If there was some way to bring you back to us, I would do it, no matter what the cost.
It must have been the season
Sometimes it feels like the world is conspiring against us, and the timing of your death couldn't have been worse.
That've threw us out of line
Your death feels like it threw everything in your life out of balance and left us all reeling.
Once I stood so tall
There was a time when I felt invincible, but your death humbled me and left me feeling small and helpless.
Now I'm searching for a sign
I crave any sign that you're still with us, that somehow you can hear us and know how much we miss you.
So don't need your salvation
I don't need someone else's empty platitudes about how I should feel or how things will get better. I need you.
With promises and kind
Words can only do so much in the face of the crushing loss we've all experienced since you died.
And all those speculations
People will try to find reasons or explanations for your death, but the truth is, there is none that will make it hurt any less.
Save it for another time
I don't have the energy to listen to well-meaning friends and family try to help me make sense of something that will never make sense.
'Cause we all need a reason
We all need something to hold onto in the face of such overwhelming grief and loss.
A reason just to stay
Sometimes it feels like the weight of your loss is too much to bear, and I need a reason to keep going.
Some just can't be bothered
Not everyone will understand the depth of my grief, and some won't even try to understand.
To stick around another day
Sometimes I wonder how I'll ever make it through another day without you. But somehow, I do.
And I'm missing you
Every moment of every day, I miss you more than words can say.
And I'm missing you
No matter how much time passes, the hole in my heart left by your death remains, and I still miss you every day.
And I'm missing you
Some days, the pain of your absence is so overwhelming that I can't do anything else but miss you.
And I'm missing you
I'll never stop missing you, no matter how many years go by without you in my life.
Lyrics Β© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Brian Haner, Jonathan Seward, Matthew Sanders, James Sullivan, Zachary Baker
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Duck Must Died
on Strength of the World
The is the best