There hasn’t been an album as divisive as Avenged Sevenfold’s Life Is But A Dream… in at least a decade. The rock community seemed to be split directly down the middle on extreme ends; no one moderately likes this album. Fans either despise every note or praise every second. Even when watching their album release show in June at Madison Square Garden, when the band would play new material, some started to boo them hoping they’d get offstage. However, I saw others immediately light up and start dancing to the record’s unique groove. I think Avenged Sevenfold knew that this album was going to divide people just by its nature. A heavy metal/hard rock band dropping a jazz fusion/borderline funk record seven years after no music? It’s a big pill to swallow for most fans. Personally, I understand why people hate this record, but don’t think it deserves even a quarter of the hate it’s received this year.
Let’s dive into is the wait time first. While most bands pump out at least two records in the span of seven years, Avenged Sevenfold hasn’t had new material since 2016’s The Stage. I applaud them for diving into new territories. If a band has basically taken three years shy of a decade to drop new music, I want them to come back with something original, and nothing would be worse than trying to replicate the past for nostalgia’s sake. If they tried to make a Hail To The King 2, it would make the return feel disingenuous and like they were obligated to come back. Dropping a record like Life Is But A Dream… means the band could return with a statement. They’re not just rinsing and repeating, and despite being one of the largest rock bands on the planet, they’re still trying new things and finding new ways to keep the genre interesting. The biggest compliment I can give to this album is it’s nothing like we’ve seen in the rock industry in recent years.
Sadly not every risk taken works. There are a few moments that halts the album’s momentum immensely. Tracks like “Cosmic” attempt to feel celestial, but just end up going nowhere. It doesn’t sound bad, but it constantly feels like it’s building to something before falling short of that mission. The intention of the song was definitely to add atmosphere to the album; however, its placement directly after three rock-leaning tracks and before three funkier ones makes it stick out like a sore thumb. The album would have been much more condensed without it. Also, their song “G” feels like a total miss from the band. There is just too much happening: spoken word, jazzy guitars that start and stop every minute, and the pace changes so quickly that nothing ever feels earned. It’s as if the band took eight different song ideas and mashed them into one that was three minutes long. It’s the worst possible way to start off the finale of the album… and the band should definitely retire this track live, too.
Moments where the band’s take risks that pay off are mostly found on these three: “Nobody,” “Easier,” and “(O)rdinary. Avenged Sevenfold takes their signature grit and roughness (vocally and musically) and adds them into a wave of synthesizers and autotune, all cascaded underneath a thick wah-wah pedal. In the best way possible, it’s the kind of music you would hear in a dingy Brooklyn club. The band sounds nothing like themselves yet also very genuine at the same time. The autotune on these tracks work because it’s stylized – Matt Shadows is not using it as a crutch to make himself sound better. The autotune becomes an instrument to add flair in the songs. This is why it’s so important for band’s to experiment: even when some tracks don’t land, others will. It’s always better to be pushing your sound forward then wallowing in it.
One track that deserves special praise is, of course, “Mattel.” This is not only my personal favorite from the album, but dare I say one of the band’s best ever. The track immediately kicks open with a memorable riff from Synyster Gates and Zacky Vengeance. Johnny Christ has bass hooks that emphasize every beat. The chorus begins slowly then ramps up as the song progresses while the bridge sees the addition of keyboards to bring in real atmosphere as the song explodes into a rock crescendo. It’s by far the stand-out on the album and what I think this record cycle will be remembered for.
Overall, when fans call this A7X record, ‘the worst they ever heard,’ all we’re asking is you respect it. Not every punch is felt, but you have to respect the ones that did. It takes courage to make an album like Life is But A Dream… The most exciting thing is, what could Avenged Sevenfold possibly do next?
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