AVENGED SEVENFOLD — Nightmare (review)

AVENGED SEVENFOLD — Nightmare album cover

Album · 2010 · Heavy Metal

4/5 · 2010-11-29
J-Man

My Welcome into the Family

Avenged Sevenfold was a band that I wrongfully avoided for such a long time. Their popstar image and emo-kid fanbase wasn’t something that I really wanted to be involved in, so I never gave them a fair listen. Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan’s death didn’t give me any added interest in the band, though I was curious as to who would be filling his shoes. When it was announced that Mike Portnoy would be playing the drums on Nightmare, my interest was officially piqued. Being the huge Dream Theater and Mike Portnoy fanboy that I am, I knew I had to get Nightmare when it came out. After having the album on heavy rotation for a decent chunk of time, it’s safe to say that my initial ignorance was a huge mistake. These guys are fantastic! Their mix of traditional heavy metal, thrash metal, progressive hard rock, and some metalcore bursts works perfectly. The songwriting is memorable, the arrangements are perfect, and the musicianship is spot-on. There’s really not much more to ask for from a modern metal album. Although there are definitely a few highlights that tend to overshadow some of the more average tracks, the album as a whole is a shining achievement for Avenged Sevenfold. May The Rev rest in peace; he would have been proud of this album.

The decision to include Mike Portnoy as their guest drummer was surely no coincidence on A7X’s part - this is a very progressive album. Songs like the 11-minute epic, Save Me, are almost pure prog metal. There are also some ballads like So Far Away and the first half of Buried Alive. Add in a heavy metalcore tune like God Hates Us, a heavy rock song like Welcome to the Family, and a unique opus such as Fiction, and you have quite a diverse album. The highlight on the album is the title track for me, though So Far Away and Save Me are quite close. As a whole, the album is amazingly consistent, despite the occasional dull moment. The musicianship is generally one of the best things about the album. Avenged Sevenfold is an extremely talented group, and Mike Portnoy has a plethora of talent on his own. One of the best things about Nightmare are the terrific vocals from M. Shadows. His somewhat strained style is highly distinguishable, not to mention some of the breathtaking vocal melodies that he delivers on the album. The guitar and bass department is terrific as well.

The production is perfectly suited for the music. It’s professional and clean, yet still organic.

Conclusion:

I was really taken by surprise with Nightmare. This is one of those cases where my preconceptions about the band were extremely misleading, considering this is one of the best metal albums of 2010. If you are curious what this band is really about, pick this up as soon as possible. I was hugely impressed by Nightmare, and it’s hard to imagine a rock or metal fan that doesn’t at least moderately enjoy this album. 4 stars are well-deserved. Let’s hope these guys keep making great music!

more than 2 years ago
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J-Man wrote:

more than 2 years ago

I like Nightmare just a bit more than City of Evil, but I love both. They're really great albums.

UMUR wrote:

more than 2 years ago

If I was you I´d take a listen to City of Evil before listening to any other album by the band.

The Angry Scotsman wrote:

more than 2 years ago

Regardless of the band, 4 stars long as it has MP right? ; )

I KID I KID!
After reading some reviews especially of people I trust (and from some IRL) I am tempted to try this album.

Time Signature wrote:

more than 2 years ago

The first time I heard them (and ever heard about them) was when they played with Iron Maiden at the Somewhere Back in Time show in Horsens some years ago. I was quite impressed with their music and performance, but not their image - they look like idiots, but sound like geniuses, and it is the music that counts after all. I think their music is pretty good, but I still think it sucks that they allow their lyrics to be censored out on certain versions of their releases >:-(

UMUR wrote:

more than 2 years ago

I had preconceptions too before I listend to Ax7 the first time. City of Evil was my experience with the band and I was absolutely blown away. I still listen to that album regularly. Nigthmare is a step in the right direction after the in comparison weaker self-titled album.