The debut album from the gothic-tinged hardcore punk/metal band Avenged Sevenfold was released in early 2002 under the Hopeless record label. It is their second recording after the Warmness On The Soul EP under Goodlife Records, and notably, every track from it can be found on Sounding The Seventh Trumpet. Avenged Sevenfold, or A7X to fans, weren't ever known to me until Rolling Stone released Issue 618 October 2003. I noticed, in a synopsis of the US rock music tours and below Warped Tour 2003, a tiny block of text.

Under the praise of "Second Stage Must-See" it said:
Avenged Sevenfold, a Goth Metal band with a singer who looks like Elvis and sounds like Axl Rose.

After reading that I thought it'd be interesting to check out this band as gothic and dark music had always held appeal to me. I've always hated Guns 'n' Roses and Elvis just wasn't the kind of music I'd ever listen to, but I didn't let that concern me. If I disliked the vocalist there was always the music.

I never bothered to specifically seek out the band's recordings and didn't know anything further about them until mid-2004 where I spotted Sounding The Seventh Trumpet in a record store. I remembered hearing about A7X in the magazine and I thought the cover art was great. I decided to purchase it, take it home and have a listen to see if I would get into them or not. On the bus ride home I looked into the booklet and first read the lyrics. They were very dark, melancholic and gothic in nature. After reading through a few songs I made a positive judgment of the lyrics. The songwriter definitely knew what they were doing. Turning over the leaflet I saw the band members for the first time. Fans of A7X will understand that the band today looks very, very, little like they did in those early days. The grown-up, generally long black-haired, eyeliner-sporting tattoo-covered men seen in modern A7X promo shots are nowhere to be found in the Sounding The Seventh Trumpet booklet. Instead you see a bunch of mature teenagers, hair cut short, minimal tattoos and fresh faces. Even more notable is the picture of original bassist Dameon Ash, soon to be replaced by Justin Sane of Anti-Flag fame and eventually Johny Christ for the 2003 A7X release Waking the Fallen. Upon mentioning these names, I'm reminded of seeing the band's stage names, or "nicknames" printed in the booklet.

M.Shadows - Vocals
Zacky Vengeance - Guitar
Synyster Gates - Guitar
The Reverend Tholomew PLague - Drums
Dameon Ash - Bass (Who in fact does not appear on Sounding The Seventh Trumpet. The booklet states "Bass playing care of Justin Sane")

I first thought these names to be a little silly and immature for a Goth Metal band. It then occured to me that they might just be having some fun with the idea of changing names of the members for a hard metal band and that turned out to be more or less the case. Now the names have grown on me and I love them. I'm not even interested in searching for the members' real names because I like the aliases too much.

I found it dark and appealing that instead of the cliched "(band name/member name here)...would like to thank..." the band has stated "For those we love we will sacrifice..". A nice touch which adds personality to the band.

When it finally came time for me to listen to the songs, I decided to read along with the lyrics in the booklet as a guide.

The first track opened with quiet rain and thunder..

1. To End The Rapture. 9/10

This is an introduction track for the next song which last for only 1:24. As told above, dark and moody rain and quiet thunder open the track. 11.5 seconds in the music enters suddenly with a classic metal feel, drums, bass and dual guitars, one playing a high lead. The lead riffs are definitely worth talking about, because for a large basis, the song is a guitar solo. Synyster Gates (who makes his appearance on Sounding The Seventh Trumpet on this track alone) travels effortlessly across the fingerboard, pulling off impressive arpeggios, bends and an admirable tapping section to close the solo.
After the guitar finishes wailing, M.Shadows enters the recording with his incredible vocals. At this point I regretted ever doubting how he would sound. As I read along with the lyrics I was shocked with the power and beauty in this heavy and quite uplifting song had to offer. The vocal harmonies are excellent. As the final lyric of "The human race prepares to die..." climbs and falls with a number of M.Shadows trackings' singing harmonies, the rain and thunder returns shortly before the music flows seamlessly into...

2. Turn The Other Way. 9.8/10

The album's stand-out track. A split second of build-up precedes the clash of all instruments in the band entwined with M.Shadows delivering a coarse, brutal and wordless scream. This song had the biggest initial influence on me of any A7X, past to present. The crunching rhythms, the drop-D tuned bass of Justin Sane and the guitars of Zacky Vengeance, the malicious gothic lyrics, the brilliant double-kick percussion of The Reverend and especially the vocals. I was amazed at the power, the beauty, the skill and the emotion this song delivered. M.Shadows switches from excellent harsh throaty screaming to beautiful singing and back again with ease. The lyrics never leave my mind. This is an excellent example of A7X's music and I would reccomend everyone curous about them to check out this song first. It closes with a beautiful fade-out of gothic keyboards and a faint acoustic guitar.

3. Darkness Surrounding. 8.5/10

"DARKNESS COATS US!", M.Shadows screams as the drums lead into a fast-paced hardcore punk drive. Evil lyrics concerning some kind of death ressurection delivered in a gothic scream are melded with singing harmonies. This track showcases the talents of The Reverend on the drumkit. The music even breaks down for an impressive drum solo. Pickslides are used in abundance for extra power and are very effective. A melodramatic ending featuring clean vocals entwined with screams of the same words and punchy guitar riffs close this track. This song gives hardcore punk fans a taste of what A7X can offer in that department.

4. The Art Of Subconscious Illusion. 8/10

One might think they're listening to a Bad Religion track with the intro of this song. It begins with a quick guitar riff which leads the rest of the band into a short build-up before the song changes tone and drops into a low and heavy, quick-moving metal drive. The basis of this song's lyrics are of a personal dark confusion and illusions of relationships. Two other screamers lend their talents to this song. The breakdown is a myriad of down-picksliding guitars which make for an unnerving sound mixed with the spoken vocals of M.Shadows. The lyrics of this section, however, seem a bit...well, silly.

"Punching through Jell-o, stabbing not killing...dissappointment..discomfort."

...is used to represent murdering someone but not being able to steal their lifeforce. I never thought Shadows, as a goth metal lyricist, would compare skin to Jell-o, and I'm confused by this even to this day. This is the only letdown in a powerful and appealing song.

5. We Come Out At Night. 8.8/10

This song is very dark and gothic. It's melancholic in feel, from the lyrics concerning one who lives in darkness and by solitude, the throaty vocals which add dimension and colour to the intrumentals, the dark and grungy guitars and the high leads which accompany, the strong and powering drum beats, all the way to the beautiful breakdown of Shadows singing his clean, harmonic voice and playing lovely melodies on his piano. The gothic keyboards return with great effect.

6. Lips of Deceit. 9.5/10

This is another stand-out track. Mixtures of punk, metal, hardcore and goth lend their best to create a strong, speedy, headbanging and dark experience with a very personal feel to it. It seems like M.Shadows, more than a lot of the other songs, is really expressing something that relates directly to him. It opens with a guitar playing a terrific sweeping progression of riffs which is soon teamed with a bass harmony. It leads into a slow beat guided by the drums and Shadows melodically singing, "Whoa-oh-whoa". The feeling is temporary as the drums cut the section short and the guitar changes to a more menacing, evil riff of quick and sharp potency. A technically-produced sound similar to blurry white-noise builds up before all instruments crash in with the same riff as before and Shadows unleashes a brutal and lengthy scream of "Allright!" The stinging and punching guitars underline Shadows' depressed screams (which at times are quite unclear and consonants aren't wholely produced) and the drums lock the beat into a hardcore feel. The bass is outstanding on this song, as is the various guitar licks that remain memorable long after the song finishes. I imagine this song to be amazing played live.

7. Warmness On The Soul. 6.5/10

This is where the listeners being awestruck by the ferocity and darkness of A7X will be thrown off. This mostly piano and vocal power ballad is quite emo in feel and has the most soft and gentle vocals of any other song. It has some faint similarities to the Guns 'n' Roses track Don't You Cry, which is understandable because A7X swear by them. I found the lyrics quite...uncomfortable, i guess, to listen to. It just draws so far away from what I understand A7X to be, dark gothic metal. The guitar solo is cringe-worthy to listen to, as it has that same kind of slightly cheesy feel as the words. On a positive note, M.Shadows showcases his great vocal talent with magnificent harmonies and presents his developed piano talent. I do appreciate this song for what it is, but it seems quite out of place.

8. An Epic Of Time Wasted. 8.5/10

The return to metal. It kicks in immediately with a walking bassline which rises above the rung-out guitars. Soon the beginning section is lost behind a heavy hardcore drive. The lyrics in this song are outstanding, as is Shadows' vocals. From the moment he roars a throaty scream to his final desperate cry of, "I know someday I'll think of you..." he owns this song. The words are based around the writer's relationship which was torn apart by the other. It is excellent to hear Shadows' voice of "So much time I've wasted, and I never thought it'd come to this..." suddenly develop from a chant in rhythm to a brutal scream. The breakdown which cuts every instrument except for the vocals and a clean guitar before a whisper of "I'm sorry" re-introduces everyone back into the song is great. A very solid song with plenty of high points.

9. Breaking Their Hold. 6/10

A song as fast-paced as it is short, this hardcore punk-influenced track never loses strength or speed. It only runs for 1:11 and has exclusive use of screaming vocals. The lyrics refer to destroying the grip of people who try to control lives. I never really got too into this song, perhaps just because the genre it takes doesn't hold any appeal to me. I also found it a good example of cheap production. A7X had around 2 weeks only to record and produce this album and they each had a limited amount of takes for each song. With this song in particular, which features fast changes of notes on the guitar and quick drumming, the slight flubs in the music are quite noticiable.

10. Forgotten Faces. 5/10

This is where the album starts to definitely slip in quality. This song blends a few genres and things used in previous songs, like hardcore riffs, brooding breakdowns and admirable drum riffs, but it seems very same-y in the end. It seems like the music heard here is completely unoriginal material and it's all been done before much better. There is an long break of music which features nothing but Shadows' spoken vocals, a rhythmic ride cymbal tapping, and a sinister bassline. The postceding clean vocals are terrible in comparision to other songs. It isn't out of tune in the general sense, but it might as well be because of the low-tuned, grinding feel of the guitars and the bad way in which they clash with the upbeat vocals.
However, I quite like the "You and me, trying to breathe" harmony and the brutal screaming which closes the track.

11. Thick And Thin. 7.5/10

This is very much a punk song. The same drums can be heard on so many other heavy punk bands' records. I'm not certain on what the lyrics refer to, but it seems to have a reference to a social scene and betrayal of friends. The section in which Shadows sings in a very punk-vocalist way "A friend is f*cked with when he's..." before he roars with malice "having fun on the dance floor!!" is terrific. I think this song is quite well done for the style it is laced with. It features a lot of similar things from the other songs, which isn't an entirely bad thing as they're all good. The final lead guitar chord sounds very off-tune, however, and it closes the track very uncomfortably.

12. Streets. 7.5/10

This is a song with another punk feel. It could almost be a Pennywise song with better singing (I hate the Pennywise vocalist with a passion) and great harmonies. It drives along hard and fast and is one of the few songs on the album with a Verse/Chorus/Verse/Chorus/Breakdown etc set-up. A7X have publicly spoken out on their distaste of songs with that kind of arrangement, as they like things to be more progressive. I find it pretty good for the way it's presented.

13. Shattered By Broken Dreams. 6.5/10

The final track on Sounding The Seventh Trumpet is a lengthly, melodic ode to a friend's downward spiral which re-runs just about every effect used on the previous songs with a few new bits and pieces, like lead acoustic guitars and what sounds like a vocal choir. The lyrics are very heartfelt and it seems to have a strong meaning behind it. The acoustic guitar which opens the track seems to tell a story of it's own, and the electric guitars which play leads and melodies later on have the same influence on the music. This song never held exceptional appeal to me just because it felt too similar to the previous songs. It drags on for 7:00 with an overly long fade-out exit. Sometimes the chords, paired with the vocals, seem to happy for such a song, and it feels uncomfortable to listen to. But in the end it does deliver what it sets out to do, and ends on a positive tone.

Once the album finished I was amazed. It presented to me so many amazing displays of musicianship that I love and complied them together into an incredible journey. This is the first sample of Avenged Sevenfold I've ever listened to and it remains my favourite recording of theirs until they come up with a better album. I have since seen the members of the band as idols for life, as music is what my life is based upon. The minor let-downs are nothing compared to the high points and it stays true to itself all the way through.

A7X, you are the future of incredible music and therefore the world is yours. Enjoy it.

Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Hanging With Friends