I have something of a love-hate relationship with Avenged Sevenfold. Arguably one of the bands that was present in my transition into more extreme metal bands, (City of Evil and their self-titled circa 2008) I did not find myself a fan of Nightmare or Hail to the King upon their release. I still don’t hold a place in my heart for either albums, but at the very least, it was great to see the band grow bigger with each and every release. When people claim there’s never going to be another Metallica or Iron Maiden, look at Avenged Sevenfold and you’ll be proven wrong. That idea, though, is what makes this surprise-release album, The Stage, so interesting.
We knew a new A7X album was coming this year, but deciding to drop it with little-to-no notice is a bold move because they’re one of the only bands that are capable of doing it. Having only released the title track to the album a few weeks prior, it was a nice surprise to know the hype wouldn’t have to be built up over months and months of anticipation and naysaying over the internet. With new drummer Brooks Wackerman behind the kit, The Stage is the band’s first breath of fresh air since Nightmare, as it retains most of the band’s signature qualities, as well as trying a few new things along the way.
What was evident on “The Stage” is obvious on the entire album, in which the production on this album steals the show. So many of the popular metal bands today employ a mechanical guitar style that feels all too processed, but The Stage gives a full, dynamic, and authentic feeling to its guitars, drums, and (most importantly) the entire final product. Even in moments where the keyboards are in use and a large, dynamic atmosphere is being created, it never goes far enough to feel unrealistic as a band. That being said, both Synyster Gates and Zacky Vengeance have excellent guitar sounds and never let you forget that there’s actually people playing these instruments.
With an organic production, this carries into the actual songwriting on the album. For the most part, A7X are definitely writing some of their most solid material since their self-titled. While it never harkens back to the intensity that was present on City of Evil, the variety that was established on the self-titled is still there, albeit in a more controlled amount. The Stage definitely has its own unique sound, but one that won’t divide fans in ways like Hail to the King did. While the songwriting does come across as safe, things take a turn for the more progressive with “Exist,” the band’s longest track to date as it clocks in at 15 minute and 41 seconds. The first half of the song is a progressive, slightly off-center jam sessions between the band’s instrumentalists, which ends up becoming one of the album’s highlights overall. No independent tracks ever maintain a sense of progression like this, but it does build up to this grand finale to a long album.
The album’s length, however, is the start of the shortcomings that are present. At 73 minutes, this is the band’s longest effort thus far. While the band has inched near this length in the past and done so successfully before, The Stage has more moments that feel like filler. For the most part, songs sit between five and a half minutes to seven minutes, which often times feel longer than necessary or in need of a change in the formula and rhythms. There are definitely some radio rock/metal sensibilities at play here, but while they’re done in entertaining ways at times, it becomes overlong and a process of thoughts that result in “Oh man, I’m only halfway through this… This better be worth it.”
With that, this album could have definitely been shortened down. Tracks like “Angels” have a more filler-esque approach to their songwriting, whereas a song like “Simulation” combines two unrelated ideas and should have just been thrown out altogether. While these songs fall flat, you get an enjoyable song like “God Damn” or the atmospheric ballad “Roman Sky” that really change the pace up and keep it interesting. In short, if they album were cut down to 8 songs with “Exist” still included, the album would have been easier to digest and more effective at creating a consistent album.
Other than that, it’s the typical A7X that you know by this point. Both Synyster and Zacky are as skilled as they ever have been, Johnny Christ keeps up with both them and Brooks, who ends up stealing the show at times with some impressive drumming. Even M. Shadows is aging nicely, not showing any signs of slowing down or his voice changing at this point. If there’s one thing to take away from the stage, it’s that A7X as members that are undoubtedly consistent with their delivery.
At the end of the day it may not be the perfect A7X album, and it may not invoke the nostalgia that previous releases invoked, but The Stage is the course-correction the band needed at this point. Despite its length, A7X’s recent output isn’t all that bad and worth a listen. Die hard fans will surely love it, but those on the fence previously might finally be won over. At the very least, it’s great to know there’s a band keeping the core of metal’s authenticity alive, all the while experimenting and doing an alright job at it, too.
The Stage is available everywhere today.
