Ladies and Gentlemen, iiiiiiiiiit’s tiiiiiiime. 2 rounds in the Mouths for War reviewers division. This bout will consist of two writers trading blows through their written word, for no particular reason whatsover (other than the fact that we are really fucking bored). Introducing first, fighting out of the blue corner; this man is a vocalist and nerdy optimist. He stands at 5’11, weighing something around 170 pounds, writing out of Jabriya, Kuwait – Tristan!
Francis and I started this blog with a vision. Can’t remember what it was right now, but we both really fucking like our metal. As a result, we’re having a game of fisticuffs (mainly because I’m right and he’s not 🙂 [love you dude] ) AND it means you lucky buggers get two reviews of the same record! So keep that in mind while Franky-boy and I rip each other apart for your enjoyment…you sadists.
[Tristan’s Review]
Avenged Sevenfold have really been put through the wringer lately. Losing a key song writer/friend and recording/touring without them tends to/do that (yay for forward slashes!). However, not only have our boys Avenged come back from a blow that would’ve have caused an implosion in most other bands, but they’re taking heads and names with a truly crushing new record.
“Hail To The King” immediately showed me one thing; that frontman M. Shadows has been watching a lot of Game Of Thrones, and a more metal topic there could not be. Actually, lets see how many Game Of Thrones references I can make. “Shepherd of Fire” opens the album with a great slow orchestral build-up before transforming into a steady mid-paced riff. This in turn leads into a great solo-section with Synyster Gates brandishing Lightbringer, and slicing us across the face Lannister style, fully displaying his classic metal chops (what? too many? fiiine, I’ll slow down).
Both the title track and “Doing Time” are in short (sorry Tyrion) pretty badass. “Hail To The King” (or “Ode to the Mad King” as I like to call it) is not only really catchy, but acts as a perfect summing up of the record, displaying a mature and controlled A7X with the Mouths for War (get in!) to back their claim. “Doing Time” picks up the record’s pace, and honestly, it sounds a bit like “Bat Country” after puberty. Mr. Shadows lets out a roar so powerful that you’d swear his name was Rhaegar. Once again, the trade-off between vocals and guitar works perfectly, as Shadows and Gates (pretty sure there’s a Shadow Gate near the Wall) display better teamwork than Robert Baratheon and Eddard Stark at the Trident (Yes, I’m a nerd ok? deal with it)
“This Means War” is very reminiscent of Metallica’s “Sad But True.” But this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I wouldn’t call Avenged a “Metallica cover band.” Mainly because Trivium’s “The Crusade” still exists. The solo section could not be more different, and the vocals, well, I’d say it’s the angriest I’ve ever heard them. My head was most definitely bobbing during this song (or it was probably cut off but I can’t really tell.)
My personal favourites on the album really brought that signature A7X groove, and settled this as one of my top records of 2013. “Heretic” not only features a thundering bass line, but some great choral work and some pretty interesting kick-fills from new stick-meister, Arin Illejay (well, I had to get him in somewhere). The clean-guitar oriented bridge features those great double harmonies that we’ve all come to know and that soothing low tone from M. Targaryen…I mean Shadows.
The one point in this album where Francis and I can kind of sit down and “smokum peace-pipe” is “Coming Home.” This is probably the most reminiscent of older Avenged stuff, but once again, seems to be an older song after undergoing some kind of super soldier augmentation (“Unholy Confessions” has grown up!). Starting off soft and building to a great fast pace, the Iron Maiden influence is clearly heard, the solo section’s awesome, young master Illejay goes more banana’s on the drums than Donkey Kong on bongos; it’s just purely balls out metal. A guitar battle and a scorching vocal line, what more could you ask for?
I’m going to play the devil’s advocate here and say that “Hail To The King” is one of my favourite records of 2013 so far. It’s punchy, it’s heavy, it’s dark and it’s a sign of a matured band. Avenged Sevenfold have emerged from a battle, that could have gone either way, firmly
at the top of their game. It draws upon the best elements of 90s rock/metal, and I don’t know about you, but I really dig that ( because, being the dickhead that I am, I like the past and I’m fully convinced that I grew up in the wrong decade).”City Of Evil” and “Nightmare” established these guys as a force to be reckoned with, “Hail To The King” has established them as leaders of an upcoming rock revolution. Sure, Arin Illejay doesn’t sound like Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan, nor should he. For his first record with the band, he’s done very well. This album may not sound like older A7X material, but I think it’ll act as “In Waves” did for Trivium. It acts as a sonically big record, allowing the band to throw a flag in the ground and say “We’re not fucking moving!”
I’m rating “Hail to the King” with a:
“Hail to the King” – 4/5
All’s that’s left for them to do now is to make a cameo on GoT as “Kingslayer”, the first heavy metal band in Westeros.
“Kingslayer eh? that’s got a nice ring to it”
And his opponent, fighting out of the red corner. This man is a bassist and all around wordsmith. He stands at 5’11 inches tall, weighing less than a feather, writing out of Harpenden, England – Francis!
[Francis’ Review]
Ahh so we have a head-to-head, never expected one of our other reviewers to be so wrong on something, but I guess we all have our off days [I jest].
Now let me get one thing straight about “Hail to the King“: I don’t hate this album!. In fact I do actually quite like it: the songs are driving, heavy, powerful, dark and tuneful. However they aren’t Avenged Sevenfold,. There is little of the old sound, and little innovation either.
The album begins with an inoffensive but slightly plodding track known as “Shepherd of Fire”. This is not a bad track, but it doesn’t excite me in any real way. The mix seems messy with the drums and guitars muddying each other up and leaving us with a serious lack of the screaming guitars we’re so used to from Avenged. The solo is a very tasty cherry on top of the warm bland vanilla sundae; nice but small and just left me considering the mediocrity of the rest. Next up is the eponymous single, “Hail to the King”. Previously Ben reviewed this and summed up nicely my thoughts on it:
“I credit Avenged Sevenfold as one of the bands to really get me into heavier music, with “Waking The Fallen” and “City Of Evil” being two fantastic albums. Unfortunately, in my opinion, they haven’t quite reached these high standards since (although “Nightmare” was fairly close), and whilst it is admirable that they keep altering and developing their sound, I’m a bit disappointed in this track.”
(Read the rest of the review here: Hail To The King – Avenged Sevenfold Song Review.)
The third track, Doing Time, is one of the better songs by far on the album. It is one of the few that really have any sort of energy to it. The riff gives you a good punch in the face and the whole song pushes forwards nicely. But the drums are boring! I know that Arin Ilejay is not trying to be The Rev, but there is none of the old amazing fills and crazy grooves that so attracted me to A7X right back in the day. I don’t doubt that Ilejay can play them or he wouldn’t be touring with Avenged, but I wish he’d bring a bit more of that feel to the new work. It could be that he was told to dumb it down but it is too simple for me.
Immediately afterwards we have “This Means War”, another plodding experience of the “Metallica cover band” version of Avenged that I am henceforth calling Avenged Sabbathfold. It has some nice vocal work and a fucking tasty riff, but this all comes at the cost of sounding exactly like “Sad but True” by Metallica. If I wanted to listen to some Metallica I’d whack on my iPod and listen to the S&M tour, as it is I want some of the melodic joy that Avenged represents: and I’m just not getting it.
Track five, “Requiem”, is at least interesting from a melodic perspective, but it’s wanky & pretentious at exactly the same time. Chunky Sabbath-esque riffs underpin this whole song, but once again we find Shadows singing with James Hetfield’s vocal style. Shadows you are not Metallica’s lead singer and you should never try to be, he has his scene and you have yours (and I honestly prefer the latter).
Pictured: Not M. Shadows.
As track six entitled “Crimson Day” came on, “Enter Sandman” opening riff twanging, my lovely girlfriend turned to me and remarked, “Is this just a Metallica cover album?“ and I have to agree once again: this is too much Sabbathfold and not enough Sevenfold. Inoffensive and unchallenging, it’s a nice song; but only “nice” in the same way your angsty teenage son’s first attempt at an acoustic love song is “nice”. Elementary and lacking in any real substance, it’s nice easy listening but it’s never gonna get a place on my “hits of 2013” list. Track seven Heretic is a better song, much more in the Sevenfold feel, though it could do with being a bit faster and really driving the album forwards to my favourite song of this somewhat monotonous album.
Track eight “Coming Home” has a really good feel to it, when the band finally stops trying to be so much like Sabbath and Metallica and starts to really be an interesting mix between Avenged and the aforementioned bands. I can’t believe that this is the same album that only a few songs ago had no real Sevenfold feel at all. Still missing some of the interesting drumming but I’m letting that slide in sheer relief that A7X are actually still there somewhere underneath the robotic plod. I genuinely loved “Coming Home” as a song and it’s just a pity that there is not more like it on this release. The penultimate track, “Planets” is again fairly slow but finally has some interesting and skillful drums. Not enough to rescue the album at this point, but certainly better than some of the early tracks. The final song on the album is a ballad entitled “Acid Rain”, one more track that felt like the slightly mediocre filler from early albums. This time sounding quite like a Chris Cornell cover band, orchestral but not really anything like Avenged Sevenfold.
To me it feels like Avenged Sevenfold have taken the songs that used to be filler and made them the main tracks, with a few of the driving and fun tracks around just to fill in the gaping holes. This album, would have been much better if released as part of a side project without the A7X name attached. The lack of any innovation or departure from the whole Metallica metal-by-numbers feel really disappoints me and I do hope that they put this aside and continue it under a different name. The premise is good, but it just needs to be separated from the other records. I know I will end up liking this album, but it’ll never be a great Avenged Sevenfold album, merely a good early-metal album from about 20 years past its use-by date.
So there we go folks, “Hail to the King” – a pleasantly heavy album with about 3 real tracks and tons of filler. Fun enough, but ultimately pointless and unsatisfying for all involved…kind of like shagging a blow-up doll when your partner’s in the next room.
…or zombie sex.
” Hail to the King” – 2/5
“Hail To The King” is streaming NOW on iTunes, and will be available on 26th August in the UK and 27th in the US via Warner Bros.
Mouths For War 