Sometimes I just want to be entertained. As much as I love going to hot, cramped, shithole venues that reek of body odor and beer, and having my ears assaulted with screaming guitars and blood-curling screams of death, I admit that sometimes it's cool to hit a big arena show and just take in some good catchy metal. And that is exactly what I got with Avenged Sevenfold.
As they hit the stage with "Critical Acclaim," the opening track of off their latest self-titled album, I couldn't help but feed off of the band's energy. Singer M. Shadows was all over the stage, and as he jumped on and off the monitors in front of him and ran from one side of the stage to the other, he had everyone in the arena singing along with him. Guitarists Synyster Gates and Zacky Vengeance were non-stop action as well, and joined at the center of the stage on more than a few occasions to exchange riffs. "Beast And The Harlot," "Bat Country" and "Unholy Confessions" were all perfectly wrapped little tunes of melodic metal, and the band's enthusiasm made them even more enjoyable. I don't know the last time I had seen a band who is so full of talent, musicianship, and showmanship. Avenged operated like a well-oiled machine on this evening, and as Shadows, Gates and Vengeance (along with bassist Johnny Christ and drummer The Rev) worked both the stage and the entire arena, I was left pretty impressed, and gained a new level of respect for Avenged Sevenfold.
Artist:
www.avengedsevenfold.com
