Avenged Sevenfold - Nightmare I

December 28, 2009 - The lives of four men and countless others were forever changed when Jimmy 'The Rev' Sullivan passed away in his home in California. Avenged Sevenfold has come together through this tragedy to cement the Rev's legacy with their latest release, 'Nightmare.' This album is a pure roller coaster ride, going up and down between the radio A7X sound ('Nightmare'), the sorrowful A7X in the loss of a brother ("So Far Away"), and everything between.

The sound of this album is a very sorrowful tone. While the Rev contributed a lot to the songwriting of this album, his passing shows in the lyrics. A7X has created an album full of hard hitting songs that hearken back to the old sound ('God Hates Us') as well as creating a new, somber mood with their ballads. Songs such as 'So Far Awa,' 'Victim,' and 'Tonight the World Dies' all have a new tone to them. While there is no doubt that it is an A7X song, they have a new feel. They have a mood altering tone to them. One of grief, and of loss. The strongest ballad on this album, as far as sound and musical prose are concerned, is 'Buried Alive.' This song delves deep into the writing styles of every band member, finding new creative outlets. The angry bridge of the song brings back thoughts of an old Metallica styled angst.

Another song that will be a fan pleaser with this album is 'God Hates Us.' Shadows cites that bands such as Pantera helped inspire this song. Upon listening, any die hard Avenged Sevenfold fan will recognize the sound. The screaming, the heavy riffs; they all point back to Waking the Fallen's signature sound that has since disappeared.

The sound of this album is beyond measure. Avenged Sevenfold have truly outdone themselves with this heart-felt approach to song writing. One listen shows that without the Rev, the band is more passionate than ever with this album, and the sorrow from losing their brother is evident in every track. // 9

Lyrics and Singing: The lyrics on this album deviate from the past few albums. Mostly due to the Rev's passing, the lyrics take a dark tone. While he did write roughly 60% of the album, Johnny Christ stated in an interview that the lyrics for the album took a dark turn when the Rev died. 'God Hates Us' is a clear cut example of how angry the lyrics can get on this album. Shadows is still at the top of his game vocally, and delivers on every song. From their signature sound on 'Nightmare' to the emotional performances on 'So Far Away' and 'Fiction,' Avenged Sevenfold's lyrics are strong, and invoke many different emotions throughout the album.

One song in particular with extraordinary storytelling is 'Danger Line.' This song touches on the life of a soldier, and how he deals with the perils of war. The song tells the story of the soldier, and how he will miss his family in death. The lyrics are brought to life with Shadows' melody.

One major song to note on this album is 'Fiction.' Originally titled 'Death,' the Rev handed this song to the band 3 days before his death, and submitted it as his final song for the album. The lyrics are a haunting call, wishing everyone the best as the narrator passes on, hoping not to hurt or displace anyone who is affected by his death. The lyrics take on a controversial meaning to some, whether it was a suicide note or merely a narration conceived by Jimmy, but regardless, it is the most original track on the album. Featuring Jimmy's voice on the chorus, the song is a piano laden track using dissonance and perfect harmonies together to create a unique sound. Listening to the Rev sing his heart out and scream on this track is one of the hardest things for an A7X fan to hear, knowing it's the last track that they will ever hear his beautiful voice on ever again.

Overall, the lyrics and singing on this album are better than past attempts, and they even will please the old school fans with 'God Hates Us.' A7X have truly stepped up their game in order to honor their fallen brother. // 10

Impression: Overall, this album is the strongest outing yet from Avenged Sevenfold. While many fans may notice their are more ballads than previous albums, this is only natural due to their situation. This album was released in order to permanently set the Rev's legacy, and to allow fans to hear his final work. With Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater stepping in to record Jimmy's tracks, the album will get every fan's approval, and will keep the Rev forever in their hearts...

James Owen Sullivan, "The Rev"
February 9, 1981 – December 28, 2009

Life may fade, but the memories never will. A7X has lost a brother. The fans lost a legend. Rest in Peace, until that day when we all meet in the afterlife.
Avenged Sevenfold is back but looking a little different. Their newest record "Nightmare" is the first one not to feature Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan on drums due to his very tragic death in December of last year. In his place, Avenged Sevenfold recruited Dream Theatre drummer Mike Portnoy to fill in on a temporary basis.

Musically this is definitely A7Xs heaviest album and under these tragic circumstances by far their most emotional.

Tracklist:

01. Nightmare: the title track begins with what sounds like bells and then explodes into a heavy intro complete with guitar, bass, and drums which is followed by M Shadows screaming NIGHTMARE. Personally, I think this was the perfect song to start off the allbum because it really gets you pumped up for the rest of the album and it is sure to be a crowd pleaser live. 10/10

02. Welcome to the Family: one of the lighter songs on the album but still a fantastic song, it sounds slightly like Blinded in Chains from their City of Evil CD. The guitar solo by Synyster is also fantastic. 9/10

03. Danger Line: the first few seconds of this song sounds almost identical to Blinded in Chains from City of Evil. Personally I think its a pretty good song but I just can't help but feel it is a little misplaced I think it sounds more like a song you would find on City of Evil. 8/10

04. Buried Alive: an interesting song, the intro is somewhat unconventional but once the drums kick in Synyster blesses us with a wonderful melodic solo that is sure to get emotions running. M Shadows really shows off his emotional side in this song with his vocal performance it really makes you want to tear up a little bit. The Solo while it is good went a little downhill for me at about 4:25, something about it just doesn't seem to fit well with the song but thats just my opinion. 9/10

05. Natural Born Killer: A7X jumps right back into heaviness with this song, its a very catchy tune that is both heavy and melodic at the same time. Synyster also shows off his shredding skills on the solo which kind of reminded me of Alexi Laiho's playing. 9/10

06. So Far Away: the first song on the album that really shows how much this band misses their fallen brother. this song was written by Synyster and really pulls on your heart strings especially the part in the chorus that goes

How do I live without the ones I love?
Time still turns the pages of the book it's burned.
Place and time always on my mind.
I have so much to say but you're so far away.

the song is made even better with the very emotional yet short solo by Gates. 10/10

07. God Hates Us: by far the heaviest and angriest track on the album this song is about wondering how such evil and pain exist if there really is a God somewhere. 10/10

08. Victim: starts off with church bells and some guitar work before a high pitched wail kicks in but don't let it put you off, this song is another emotional roller coaster that is sure to draw a few tears when listening to it. It is truly a song that expresses how the band felt emotionally after losing their drummer. 10/10

09. Tonight the World Dies: yet another fantastic and emotional song that begins with a blues like lick from gates but eventually moves into a soft ballad type song with blues licks spread out between Shadows' singing. 9/10

10. Fiction: the last song Jimmy handed in before his death and the only one to feature his vocals aside from his small part in "Save Me". Now a lot of people have criticized this song as being the worst on the album and while it may be different and unconventional I think its is the one of the best songs on the album and I think that the band did Jimmy a great honour by keeping his vocals on the track. 10/10

11. Save Me: the final and longest song on the record clocking in at just under 11 minutes, to me this was the perfect song to close off the album. its a song that says that the band is nowhere near over the loss of their drummer but can have solace knowing that they have done him a great honour by releasing this record as a tribute to his memory. 10/10 // 10

Lyrics and Singing: Lyrically this album is the darkest and most emotional of any of A7X's previous records and singer M Shadows does a wonderful job of expressing these emotions through his singing. // 10

Impression: Nightmare is a wonderful album and A7X should be commended for working though their heartbreaking loss and putting out this record in Honour of The Rev. Long-time fans of the band will really enjoy this album and will really get an emotional rush from some of the songs because of the subject matter they revolve around. If your not a hardcore fan then you may not get wrapped up in all the emotion that surrounds this album.
Well to start off I think this CD expands on Sevenfold's sound a lot, I think it combines all their previous stuff such as God hates us which sounds more like something off of Sounding the Seventh trumpet with the screaming M. Shadows does but also has it's softer sides such as So Far Away which is a song written specificly to Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan after his death this past year (2009). I think the biggest departure is Fiction which is a song Jimmy wrote three days before his death, his vocals are still in the song which I think fit perfectly and it's really kind of a farewell song to Jimmy, which fits very well. Synyster Gates also returns to his kind of trademark awesome guitar solos like the ones he had in City of Evil, the most notable guitar solo in my eyes is in the song Buried Alive, which starts out slow with sort of a Led Zepplin vibe then halfway through the song the guitar solo kicks in and kicks major ass, which then makes a smooth transfer to a more Metallica sounding second half. Overall I love the way the album sounds. // 10

Lyrics and Singing: The lyrics to most songs are written as a memorial for Jimmy so most of the songs have to do with metaphors about death and pain and I think it fits since they lost one of their brothers and this is their way of showing him respect. M. Shadows singing skills are basiclly the same as they were on the self titled album, which isn't a bad thing at all but he does make one big departure he hasn't made since Waking The Fallen... Yes, the album has a song with screaming vocals. On the song God Hates Us M. Shadows decides to use screaming vocals to show his emotion but they aren't his usual screaming style, instead of going with a higher-pitched scream he uses a lower-pitched scream, almost like a Bullet For my Vallentine type scream, which I think suits the song very well. The lyrics are a good tribute to Jimmy and if you wanna relive the good old days listen to God Hates Us and take in all the glory. // 10

Impression: This CD doesn't really compare to their other albums, I think they were in a much darker place after the death of Jimmy which shows itself in songs like God Hates Us and Natural Borl Killers which results in it being much heavier. The songs I like the most from the disk are Nightmare, Buried Alive, Natural Born Killer, God Hates Us, Fiction, and Save Me, though I give all the songs a 10 those songs stick out the most to me. If this CD was lost or stolen I would definately buy another copy and hurt whoever stole it from me. There is nothing bad about this CD in my eyes, the A7X guys definately do Jimmy justice in this CD, if you are an A7X fan you have to get this to keep Jimmy's memory alive, and even if your not get this CD and give these guys a chance, I guarentee you will not be disappointed. // 10
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overall: 8.3
Reviewed by: maiden7x, on july 31, 2010
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Sound: When the passing of Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan was announced back in December of 2009, I was one of the many Avenged Sevenfold fans who spent hours on end searching for news of the situation; i.e., how Sulivan passed, the status of their unfinished record, and even whether or not they would continue on as a band and finish said record. After many weeks of tense waiting, the band announced that they would, in fact, complete the album (with the help of Sullivan's favorite drummer, Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater), but that the band's future remained in question.

While the future of the band is still somewhat uncertain, their new album, Nightmare, is not. It clearly embraces the shock and sorrow felt after Sullivan's death, with a darker sound and much more personal lyrics. While the effort put forth by the band to complete this album in Sullivan's memory is commendable, the end result was, for me, a little dissapointing.

Now, my dissapointment mainly comes from the album's production. The guitar sounds a bit too generic, especially in songs like "Buried Alive" and the beginning of "Danger Line". Johnny Christ's bass sounds very muddy in the title track "Nightmare", and in "Natural Born Killer". Drums are spot on; Mike Portnoy does an excellent job replicating Sullivan's drumming style, preserving one of the cornerstones of Avenged Sevenfold's signature sound. Vocals are also very good; the biggest complaints I have are the sections of "Fiction" (Sullivan's last song; his vocals are also in the song) where M. Shadows' voice is made to sound more like that of Sullivan, and the Death metal-like vocals in "God Hates Us", which also sound very doctored; however, this is still probably the best vocal performance by M. Shadows to date.
Because the band decided to rewrite the lyrics of some songs after Sullivan's death, but retain the ones they felt he liked most, the lyrical themes may be confusing to some; however, this is hardly noticable. What IS noticable, however, is the trauma felt by the band in rewriting these lyrics; these are some of the most heartfelt lyrics the band has ever put out. Things get very personal in these lyrics; everything from the loss of a best friend, to waking up feeling forever alone, even anger and hostility towards God himself. Very raw, very personal, very impressive. // 10

Impression: Overall, this album is very well done and will make a very good addition to any Avenged Sevenfold fan's collection. Some of the band's best work is present here. Synyster Gates and Zacky Vengeance have clearly worked for hours on these guitar licks, Johnny Christ holds down a solid bass line, Mike Portnoy does incredibly on the drums, and M. Shadows wows once again vocally and lyrically. I only wish it had been produced better; perhaps next time (if indeed there is a "next time"), the band should bring back Andrew Mudrock, producer from their 2005 breakout "City of Evil" (my personal favorite album of theirs), or even self-produce, as they did on their 2007 self-titled ablum.