Deaf Opinion: Because this record was announced by surprise, I had (gladly) tasted very few bites of it before its release date. I like when bands (and in this genre is odd to happen) put out their material this way. You have the chance to press play and listen to it all the way by the very first time, putting yourself in an unknown experience where you’ll have no clue what you are going to see.
Song By Song:
1 – The Stage [8:32]: By how this song is structured, this is maybe the first single of an Avenged record that I like the most so far. It is been said that they had two/three songs and they stuck them together and this song was the result of it. You can easily notice the separation of them by the bridge (play the bridge) maybe the bridge itself is the third song? I have to say that every time I listen to this first song I fell like I am in an 8 + minutes roller coaster. The lyrics and video talks about how unconscious are human beings of how the world is falling apart. The end of the song was inspired in flamenco.
2 – Paradigm [4:18]: There are fireworks in the start. This is a story of a half machine/half men. Hardcore fans were missing this screams from M Shadows for so long. I myself like these screams with a big fat riff behind (thank you Zacky).
3 – Sunny Disposition [6:41]: I can not stress this enough…. THOSE HORNS MAKE MEEEE DANCE!
4 – God Damn [3:41]: You are on fire from the very first second, love it! By the end, it seems to get cooler. But the flames came after a short break.
5 – Creating God [5:34]: There is a moment on this one where Synyster has his chance to sing the title of this track with his guitar.
6 – Angels [5:40]: This is the first ballad of the album. And for me, the thing that stands out is M Shadows voice. Maybe his best act out of the 11 songs.
7 – Simulation [5:30]: That is the question. Are we truly living in a simulation? Is this real life? This song talks about this theory. The person who is supposedly living the simulation has his memory erased by the end.
8 – Higher [6:28]: This is a track that it doesn’t matter how high you are, it will get you higher. This must be the song that has the fewer snare hits in the batter head that I like the most. I have to congratulate Brooks (drummer). In my opinion is a very good performance by the percussionist. When the 5th-minute arrives you’re at the top of the sky flying with the spirits.
9 – Roman Sky [5:00]: Out of the two ballads, Angels and this one, Roman Sky, I like this one better. I appreciate the orchestral arrangement they have made on this one. Is not the first time that Avenged puts some violins on their craft, and the result is admirable.
10 – Fermi Paradox [6:30]: Rusty beginning, I like that. The thing you hear after is so strange. Vocals are melodic, the drum sounds metal but softer (babymetal?… just kidding). Fermi Paradox is a theory that talked about the high probability of the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations… And if there is life outside the earth this would be how it sounds? Maybe we will know if that is right another day.
11 – Exist [15:41]: Like many of you (and more if you are a fan of this band) know. This song talks about the Big Bang, the creation of the Universe.
I will walk you through my interpretation of the song:
It begins with an explosion. It is a million degrees and molecules are tight to each other. Then it starts to cool down, The planets are formed. We see The Earth. These guitar notes represent the first living things on earth, the single-celled micro-organisms known as prokaryotes. Slightly after this M Shadows voice represents the appearance of human life. By the end of the song things get hotter, call it global warming, war, the Suns is burning… whatever… until it is hot again as the formation of the planet itself.
The Good: I waited for the release of this record since 2013, and the fact that it came by surprise is great. This is a record that you like more as you listen to. This happens almost all the times with good records. I don’t mean this only for the music, but for the lyrics and for what the meaning of the album is. A7X went deep in experimenting, you’ll hear things you never hear before. The subject is clearly an AI (Artificial Intelligence), but also the past, creation of the earth and so on. It includes some parts where you dace without noticing it. And I like that.
The Bad: I liked this album a lot, and I still do. Maybe now more than it was released. But I have to confess that I prefer fire rather that cold. I am a headbanger. That said I confess that I would have preferred a heavier album, with more fat riffs and screaming. Hope that they don’t go too far with the melodic songs in the future.
My 3 Favourite Songs:
- Sunny Disposition
- God Damn
- Higher