{"id":3730,"date":"2016-11-04T12:40:20","date_gmt":"2016-11-04T12:40:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/review-avenged-sevenfold-the-stage\/"},"modified":"2016-11-04T12:40:20","modified_gmt":"2016-11-04T12:40:20","slug":"review-avenged-sevenfold-the-stage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/review-avenged-sevenfold-the-stage\/","title":{"rendered":"Review:\u00a0Avenged Sevenfold – The Stage"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/figure>\n

Last week, Californian metal giants Avenged Sevenfold<\/b> managed to achieve the very rare feat of dropping their already highly anticipated seventh album ‘The Stage’<\/i> with only a day\u2019s notice, and based on its sprawling lead single that, this record would be a considerable departure from ‘Hail To The King’<\/i>\u2019s notable linearity. <\/p>\n

Everything that has previously come to define the band is back in force – blistering guitar work, soaring melody and large helpings of Burton-esque atmosphere are all here. However, the band\u2019s progressive chops are also brought to the fore numerous times, with the expansive \u2018Sunny Disposition\u2019<\/i> boldly incorporating a brass section in a way that only Avenged Sevenfold<\/b> could execute so cohesively, while Synyster Gates delivers one of his most ambitious solos to date.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

‘The Stage’<\/i> isn\u2019t short on hooks either. \u2018God Damn\u2019<\/i> is a breathless thrasher that will no doubt be a new live favourite, and although M Shadows\u2019 voice might not be as durable as it once was, his delivery on \u2018Creating God’<\/i>\u2019s demiurgic chorus makes for another highlight.<\/p>\n

One of the band\u2019s greatest attributes on ‘The Stage’<\/i> is the inclusion of ex-Bad Religion drummer Brooks Wackerman. Similarities can be drawn to The Rev in terms of the audacious, innovative nature of his playing, but Wackerman manages to infuse each song with enough personality to avoid sounding like an imitation of his adored predecessor.<\/p>\n

Perhaps this record\u2019s most obvious weakness is its mammoth 80-minute run time. \u2018Fermi Paradox\u2019<\/i> is the album\u2019s weakest track, failing to do anything that hasn\u2019t already been done better earlier, while meandering closer \u2018Exist\u2019<\/i> feels a tad overstuffed. Elsewhere, the production job feels rather flat and cheap at times, and despite falling short of actively hindering the listening experience, it\u2019s the band\u2019s weakest since ‘Waking The Fallen’<\/i>.<\/p>\n

What has most encapsulated ‘The Stage’<\/i>\u2019s release is how bold the band are willing to be, both artistically and commercially. Avenged Sevenfold<\/b> have chosen to challenge themselves and their listeners, and while ironically it is far and away the band\u2019s least immediate release, it is more than deserving of the attention required on initial listens.<\/p>\n

4\/5<\/p>\n

‘The Stage’<\/i> by Avenged Sevenfold<\/b> is out now on Capitol Records<\/b>.<\/p>\n

Avenged Sevenfold<\/b> links: Website<\/a>|Facebook<\/a>|Twitter<\/a>|YouTube<\/a>|Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n

Words by Josh Graham (@jollyboyjosh_<\/a>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last week, Californian metal giants Avenged Sevenfold managed to achieve the very rare feat of dropping their already highly anticipated seventh album ‘The Stage’ with only a day\u2019s notice, and based on its sprawling lead single that, this record would be a considerable departure from ‘Hail To The King’\u2019s notable linearity. Everything that has previously […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15894,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[2314,2720,2721],"class_list":["post-3730","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-album-reviews","tag-avenged-sevenfold","tag-capitol-records","tag-the-stage"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nReview:\u00a0Avenged Sevenfold - The Stage - Already Heard Staging<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Last week, Californian metal giants Avenged Sevenfold managed to achieve the very rare feat of dropping their already highly anticipated seventh\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Review:\u00a0Avenged Sevenfold - 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