With the release of their latest album, “Hail to the King” Avenged Sevenfold has once again found a way to reinvent their sound.
The band has evolved a lot since their first album, “Sound of the Seventh Trumpet” and the release of this album is no different. After losing one of their main songwriters in James “The Rev” Sullivan in 2009, this is the bands first full length album that was written without him and many people, myself included, have been very anxious to hear what they release without him.
With every A7X album you expect blistering guitar and this record is no different. The title track “Hail to the King” features a beautiful tapping intro and like many of their songs, harmonized guitar parts orchestrated by guitarists, Synyster Gates and Zacky Vengeance.
The first track, “Sheppard of Fire” most closely resembles the sound of one of their most successful albums, “City of Evil.”
The album has a full range of sounds from the intense sound of the song “Requiem,” to the beautiful sounds of the songs “Crimson Day” and “Acid Rain.”
Like all of their previous releases, “Hail to the King” is a very guitar and groove oriented record. The vocals are nowhere near the level of intensity as they were on “Nightmare” and the guitar work isn’t like that of “City of Evil” but I have to say, I believe from top to bottom this is their most complete album outside of their self-titled they released in 2007.
The artist considered to have contributed the most to that album? Sullivan.
As the band moves on in their personal lives and musical careers without the help of their long-term drummer and friend they will continue evolving their sound without it. This is something for many fans that has and will always be hard to accept.
Like all good bands, they will continue to make new music and for those longtime fans it may take a few times listening to the album to come around to it, but if you’ve never listened to them “Hail to the King” is a great way to be introduced to the new Avenged Sevenfold.
