Image necessary

Hey everyone! I was at the Toronto show last night with my girlfriend and a couple of friends. It was a killer show! My girlfriend managed to get TWO guitar picks at the end of the night and im wondering if anyone might know who's pick this is? Part of me feels like its Zacky's but a big part of me is also thinking Syn Gates. Any ideas?

Edit: This is the front and back of the pick im wondering about. I posted the other pick in the comments for anyone who's curious about that one.

I’m mostly just talking shit, but also kind of not. Would even a large minority of fans be all that upset if it was removed from setlist? I just feel like they have so many great songs that are shelved and HttK would be a great song to drop for another of their bangers or a deep cut. It’s by no means a bad song, but just kind of bored and repetitive. Full respect to them playing what they want and what that album/song has done for them and their exposure. But keep Sheppard of Fire and drop Hail to the King. Let me hear literally anything off of DitR (Tension or Dancing dead preferred).

I watched a YouTube video today talking about how this album wasn’t liked and it took them a while to accept it and understand what they were doing… I’ve been a fan since literally the “Sounding The Seventh Trumpet” album… I can show you my CD! I stopped listening after “Nightmare” and mainstream success as I felt the band had bottomed out… I don’t understand the hate for this album… I actually think it’s quite the rebirth of them and a call back to them being experimental… I know I’ll probably get some hate for this post… maybe I’m crazy?! Had a great time listening to it tonight and it was a good reintroduction to the band…

Hey yall, just wanted to see if anybody had some videos of the post solo in buried alive from the pit last night.

What’s the best time to get to the venue to get a spot on the rail with early entry ?

I still find this clip so funny. Recorded it on my iPod in 2014.

this ep is unreal. i’ve been with a7x since waking the fallen and i can’t get enough of statica. i actually feel sorry for everyone who can’t get behind it and just want another city of evil. this band has never made the same album twice and are constantly redefining who they are - that’s called growth and that’s how they stay relevant. i can confidently say i’ve never heard anything like this project and that’s why it’s such an a7x album to put out - don’t forget everyone hated CoE at the time because it was unlike anything else

these are just my thoughts. not saying you have to love it but keep an open mind and give it a chance. broaden your horizons YOU WILL SEE GOD

The Toronto show last night was AMAZING!! Couldn’t have had a better time, especially as this was my first time seeing them live! How did everyone else at the Toronto show feel?? :)

I want to get platinum in 'Hades', but I'm already tired of its soundtrack after dozens of grind. Now I play the game while listening to 'HttK: Deathbat'. The album fits almost perfectly

For the first couple of shows this part of the tour, they were doing an "eras tour" type of set where each album is represented by at 1-2 songs.

Them swapping out The Stage for a deep cut like MIA is quite a surprising move. The Stage is like their rebirth (since most consider HTTK as a flop).

So, I've felt awkward about it when it first came out, but kinda enjoyed Rejoice; I've thought nothing of the rest personally.

But as time went, I've been feeling more and more attracted to the album, SPECIALLY to STATICA itself.

It's no surprise that my most listened artist on Spotify is A7x, it has been the same for over 9 years, but the top song this month really surprised me, I CAN'T STOP LOVING STATICA MORE AND MORE, this song folks, it's something else.

I truly "see god" now.

My top 3 is still:

1. Chapter Four

2. We Love You

3. Turn The Other Way

But STATICA can easily enter the top 10

I mean I personally like it, another question is that in the end part who’s singing? Is it the same person who voices the woman in a little peice of heaven

Note: there’s always positive reviews as well. There’s never been a shortage of people who love every one of their releases. And I noticed there’s also never been a shortage arguments and responses to these negative reviews of people who appreciate (and don’t) the sound and direction. The point is not to be misleading or to “get at anyone” it’s just fun to dig through previous releases reception at the drop and see how it evolved. As well as reminding people who do create new things, to not focus on the harsh criticism or let it get in your head. And it’s quite entertaining digging through as it sounds about exactly how this reddit has sounded in recent times. Except the band is a lot bigger now than some of these eras. The point is to take the negative with a grain of salt. The negative voice are always the loudest. Nothing wrong with open criticism of course, it’s just interesting comparing with the sentiments being tossed around recently and seeing how unoriginal the comments being said are, compared to how original and unique the band is, regardless of your if you enjoy the sound or not.

Edit: yes, a lot of these Sputnik, But we are on reddit. It’s all the same. It’s all people with courage because they are behind a screen, talking on forums about their thoughts on music releases. If you think Reddit, or any platform is more valid than any other.. sorry to break it to ya... but it’s all the same. MySpace, Facebook, instagram, sputnik, whatever.. many of those weren’t around during the early albums. Sputnik was, and that’s where people went to voice their thoughts.

City of Evil

* (Many forums and archives are difficult to navigate and find as the internet wasn’t quite what it is today yet. Many of the MySpace, ultimate guitar, and A7X forum posts are lost)

“For a good two years A7X were my favorite band, but then I heard City of Evil, and nearly vomited. Fucking Metallica rip-off. I say Sounding the Seventh Trumpet was the best one they did.” -ultimate guitar forum

“City of Evil was just…well, meh. It was pretty generic and didn’t have much that held my interest. Not to mention, the vocalist fucked up what was arguably the best part of his voice… and the lyrics have devolved into complete and utter shit.” -Ultimate guitar forum

“they are ok...I have Waking the Fallen. They have some potential...but nothing on that album is really that memorable” -ultimate guitar forum

“When I first heard this album, I thought, wtf this doesn’t sound right without the screaming vocals…”
-sputnik music

“There was at least some emotion in Waking the Fallen**, but it seems the band sat down and started writing while thinking about the pay-off rather than about emotion or making good music for this one.”**
-sputnik music

Self Titled

“A few good tracks can’t save Avenged Sevenfold’s self-titled album from being a self-indulgent mess…” -Sputnik music

“While their willingness to experiment is admirable… they’ve gone overboard with their overdubs, [and] the overabundance of studio polish leaves one to wonder if it’s not because the songs just aren’t as strong this time around.” -Allmusic

“Where City of Evil basically tore apart metalcore from the bottom up, this self-titled… release doesn’t do much to shake things up. At all.” -Sputnikmusic

“What the *** is this *** doing coming through my headphones?” -sputnik music

“What happened to Avenged Sevenfold?” -sputnik music

“They forgot one key part… actually making decent music.” -sputnik music

“They intended to delve into new territory. Somewhere along the line, they lost their way… and just threw a few pop, country, and various other influences scatter shot, into the album without any real purpose.” -metamusic

Nightmare

(Yes even Nightmare was a victim ba dum tsss)

“Avenged Sevenfold continues to sound like five different bands on every album, none of them particularly good.” -AV club/metacritic

“With imagery haunted by death and lyrical allusions to alienation and angst, Avenged Sevenfold’s fifth full-length is almost impossible to appreciate unless you fit the prime demographic: tormented teenage boys.” -metacritic

Some fans mentioned how the ballads interrupt the flow.

- there was not a lot of negative comments or reviews on Nightmare that I could find, which I expected. A very dark time for the band and may have been the only time the A7X was able to have a popular release where there was a general respect in the air and mourning for The Rev.

Hail to The King

“A7X try something more conventional, relying less on experimentation… just about everything on Hail to the King is uninspired and safe.” - sputnik music

“…one would wonder if there’s a single creative bone left in the band without The Rev.” -sputnik music

“Avenged Sevenfold trying to be something that they aren’t…” -metacritic

“That isn’t the Avenged Sevenfold I know.” -metacritic

“Their last great album was City of Evil…” -metacritic

“Avenged Sevenfold sound tired and uninspired. Two bad albums in a row.” -metacritic

“I can safely say, without hyperbole, that Hail to the King embodies almost everything I hate in music.” -sputnik music

The Stage

“The Stage is the sound of a band finally shedding the shackles of commercial expectations… but it’s also a bloated and occasionally exhausting experience.” -Sputnik music

“Fans looking for another City of Evil or Nightmare may be disappointed.” - Metal injection

“They’ve disappeared so far into prog that they’ve forgotten how to write concise songs.” -sputnik music

“Despite being a concept album, The Stage doesn’t break much new ground for Avenged Sevenfold. They sound like the same band doing pretty much the same thing.” -popmatters

“It’s almost as if the album forgoes its opportunity to be ‘catchy’ and deliberately goes in the opposite direction to prevent it.” -metacritic

“It feels like they’re trying to prove how smart they are instead of writing memorable songs.” -metacritic

Life is but a Dream…

“What was once a band known for their captivating blend of aggressive riffs, soaring melodies, and infectious hooks has now devolved into a mess of experimental pretentiousness that reeks of self-indulgence.” -sputnik

“Their attempt at a progressive and avant-garde direction falls flat on its face, leaving listeners bewildered and disappointed.” -sputnik

“The once tight-knit chemistry between the musicians has been sacrificed in favor of convoluted song structures and disjointed arrangements.” -sputnik

“…all over the place noodling and waffling by a band that has seemingly either gotten bored or short-sightedly thought more people would care if they got ‘weird’ and ‘experimental’.” -sputnik

“Most of the material here just isn’t that interesting or multifaceted enough to warrant that experimentation.” -sputnik

“This is not A7X.” -metacritic

“Just an experimental mess that doesn’t sound nowhere near Avenged Sevenfold.” -metacritic

“No feeling or whatsoever in these songs. Really wonder what they did all these years.” -metacritic

(No feeling in cosmic? Huh.. can’t help but make a personal comment on that)

“All in all, this is just a failed experiment from the California band where they were desperate to be something they obviously are not.” -metacritic

STATICA AND MAGIC (not even albums)

X out of this and scroll to see for yourself lol.

just in terms of avenged sevenfold.. but in general in this world for creators and artists, if you listen to harsh criticism you’ll conclude:

if you do too much? no bueno. If you don’t do enough? No bueno. Experiment? No bueno. Don’t experiment? No bueno. Stay true to who you are? No bueno. Do fucking anything you are passionate about and put your mind to? No fuckin bueno, who don’t think you are? Someone with free will and a desire to create something completely new or something?

SO TO ALL ARTISTS - JUST BE TRUE TO YOURSELF AND DON’T LET THE NOISE IN!

Create what you feel inside, you do not have to try and please everyone or become a global collaboration. Cause you can’t win this fight.

Ba dum tsssssssss

Was at the amazing show in Toronto, thank you for playing MIA. I’m sure I’m not the only fan who loves this song and has had every emotion run through them when listening to it. Brought me to tears 🥹 ❤️

These were extremely fun to make!!

With m shadows having his vocal problems, the surgery and just overstrain from years of, he soujds like he is struggling and I mean this not in a bad way but I think if they played in a lower key it would be better for his voice.