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City of Evil

Avenged Sevenfold - City of Evil Audio CD

A fair review of the Avenged Sevenfold "City of Evil" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Avenged Sevenfold reviews here, or go back to the Avenged Sevenfold tabs.

Band: Avenged Sevenfold
Title: City of Evil
Rating:

Release Date: 2005-06-07
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Beast and the Harlot 2: Burn It Down 3: Blinded in Chains 4: Bat Country 5: Trashed and Scattered 6: Seize the Day 7: Sidewinder 8: Wicked End 9: Strength of the World 10: Betrayed 11: M.I.A.

awesome
avenged sevenfold is one of the greatest rock/metal bands of our time. absolutely spectacular. their music is different from anything ive ever heard and they just keep getting better.

"He who makes a beast out of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man!"
In a decade where so-called metal bands compose four-minute songs of formulaic, downtuned and overly-melodic riffs, harsh yelling and repetitive breakdowns, Avenged Sevenfold brings something new to the table with "City of Evil". Considering this is Avenged Sevenfold's breakthrough album, there must be a good reason for it.

This album shows them progressing with their sound. "Sounding The Seventh Trumpet" was their fastest and rawest, but their least-professional sounding and you could tell they were younger when they wrote it. "Waking The Fallen" showed much better songwriting and a bigger, more epic sound, bringing guitar solos into the mix (including great ones such as in "Eternal Rest" or "Second Heartbeat").

Now comes "City of Evil". What sound is presented here, you may ask? Well, "City of Evil" sounds pretty similar to "Waking The Fallen", however, on this album that is far less screaming, the tempos are slowed down a little, there are more intricate riffs, an even more epic sound and many more guitar solos. So the speed and screaming of some of the stuff on "Waking The Fallen" HAS vanished, but with "City of Evil", Avenged Sevenfold added some amazing, new elements to their sound. Here are the highlights of the album:

"Beast and the Harlot": A modern classic that starts off slow, featuring a piano and a complex 9/8 time signature. The song picks up with a great guitar riff, then explodes with the same riff played one octave lower, so it gets much heavier. A melodic, sing-a-long chorus and an amazing guitar solo, one of the greatest around, are also featured, along with an intense bridge towards the end that goes back into the chorus. What a classic!
"Burn It Down": A faster, even more intense song with heavier, rawer riffs and a blistering, dual-guitar melody in the beginning. Another melodic, sing-a-long chorus is featured here.
"Bat Country": Fast, punk-ish riffs, a blazing guitar solo, amazing guitar duals and a catchy chorus are featured here. The verses are also intense, and a soft section kicks in every now and again, making for some great tension and release. That makes the song even more interesting, AND even more professional. By the way, this song was also written about the Johnny Depp cult film "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas". I highly recommend you watch that movie!
"Trashed and Scattered": One of my favorite guitar intros on the album kicks this song off, before going into blazing speeds, blistering shred solos and a catchy, shout-a-long chorus. Just an overall incredible song!
"Seize The Day": A beautiful, piano-driven ballad with some jaw-dropping guitar work, not to mention some heart-melting verses and choruses. One of the best, metal ballads of recent years.
"Strength of the World": The longest song on the album, this is a Middle-Eastern tinged headbanger with heavy riffs and an awesome, shout-a-long chorus.

So while much of the screaming and metronome-pushing tempos of "Waking The Fallen" have vanished, the scales are evenly balanced with all that was gained with this album. It's a modern classic that can be listened to over and over again, I know I've done that. But for those that still haven't heard this, check it out NOW!!! Thanks for the time, and peace.

Great Album
I bought the album after hearing Bat Country, which I was catchy and interesting in a very bland time for new music. this was my intro to A7X. Beast and the Harlot is probably the best song on this album. It just rocks, Gates' guitar playing is awesome. Gates is going to go down as one of the greatest players of all time. The Rev's drum playing is strong, the true backbone of the band. Shadow's singing ability has come so far since Sounding the Seventh Trumpet. This album was so good that I bought the self titled Cd the day it came out without hearing a song. Then I bought the other Sounding and Waking.

Screaming like a boy's choir
That one songs rocks! Everthing else sound like soloest at boy's choir backed by a metal band. I got cd for the song the Beast and the Harlot. After a few listens is starts sounding the same. I am sure that the emo kids dig it. As metal head that I am I have heard better. Like the Priest, 3 Inches of Blood, or even Lillian Axe. If you are into real metal, I would pass this one by. As the saying gose NO FALSE METAL!.

Silly, catchy, heavy, and FUN!
When I heard Bat Country on the Radio, I couldn't help but think "This is ridiculous! Who came up with the idea for this, Rosie O'Donnell?". Believe it or not, I'm not a huge A7X fan. However, a year later, a friend had played A7X around me and I had gotten used to it. Then I DLed a few A7X songs and thought, "Hot DAMN this is some good stuff!", and then later, I had bought City of Evil, and I LOVED it! I mean, while Iron Maiden are my favorite band, I definitely consider this to be a metal milestone. What you get is 10 fun and creative songs. Beginning the album is "The Beast and the Harlot", which is known on Guitar Hero II. A very fun and catchy song, irresistible and in-your-face. My favorite track off of this is "Burn it Down", which is very fast and wastes no time stopping to slow down. Great lyrics and M. Shadows' voice shines. The ballad Seize The Day is very slow and great, kind of reminds me of some of Iron Maiden's slow stuff. The album finishes off with M. I. A, an angsty Anti-Bush song that is very angry and in your face. Overall, if you're looking for some angry and in your face music, get this album!.

You can see a complete list of all Avenged Sevenfold discography, or go back to the Avenged Sevenfold tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.