A few of you have informed me in the comments that I coincidentally uploaded this video on the 18th anniversary of City of Evil, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY to this amazing album! 🎉
They were basically a thrash/screamo band in high school and then… came out swinging with these masterful musical abilities. A lot of it can be attributed to their drummer, Rev, who wrote so much of the music (before he passed in 2009). He brought that “theatrical” sound to the band
On coe he just did drums On ST he provided with some vocals Only on nightmare he provided the band with more melodies. What he would do is have drums and they would have ti work around what he brought in. He wasnt the...whatever you said
@@codybishop7526 Rev was great but he only wrote songs on Nightmare and self-titled albums. On City of Evil, he of course wrote the drums parts, but that was after the other guys wrote the songs.
This is their best album in my opinion. I was 14 years old At Warped Tour in San Francisco and they were playing mainly songs from this album. Idk why they get hate, as a drummer, the Rev was a beast. R.I.P.
This album still blows my mind, I've never heard this sound replicated, even by Avenged Sevenfold themselves on their later albums. Like you kept saying, the combination of melody and gritty aggression.
Yeah, that combo is so well done! They blend everything so well. I'd say on City of Evil it's even more varied than their self titled, both are great albums but City of Evil just fuses SO MUCH on one project, it's crazy.
The album before this (Waking the Fallen) is metalcore, something they never revisited after that album. Just a tid bit I thought would be useful for you to see what you’d like to listen to next
City of Evil is probably the Avenged Sevenfold album I enjoy the most. It's completely crazy (in a good way). Nightmare might be a good one to check out next, but their new album "Life is but a dream" is one you really want to check out.
Yep this album is crazy for sure! Such a mashup of so many styles, I love it. I'd be really curious to hear their newest album and see what I think of that one.
Avenged Sevenfold just released a new album titled “Life Is But a Dream…” on Friday. I highly recommend checking that one out, it’s a polarizing album with the most experimental and diverse sounds they’ve yet to release!
@@nicosilva8724 I mean, it has a pretty mid average rating on most sites, though it is worth noting that music rating sites have a pretty heavy sample bias toward the /mu/core audience lmao
I think let her familiarize the band’s sound first, Selt titled & Nightmare are good introductions, but it’s interesting what a new listener has to say about their new sound
Fun fact: Syn hates playing Beast And The Harlot to this day because he is vocally harmonizing with Matt through the entire song....including while doing the sweep picking in the chorus, lmao.
Oh wow, that must be so difficult to do! Listening to the recorded versions of these songs off the album I sometimes forget what these guys have to do when they perform these tracks live, it's such impressive stuff.
It's not sweep picking in the chorus and Brian has said that singing while playing that part isn't that hard. It's singing during the verse that he struggled with.
Haha, yeah his vocals are crazy! He can do a lot with his voice, sometimes it sounds like multiple lead vocalists on this album just cause he changes up his style and register so much.
Syn is on FIRE on this album. His guitar work is so varied and so insane, solo after solo and none sound similar, this album really made him stand out to me as a guitarist above almost everyone else around at the time.
I'm so glad I've finally heard City of Evil! This one's been on my list for a long time now, and I can understand why so many of you all were suggesting it in the comments. Fantastic album, and I'm excited to hear some more from Avenged Sevenfold!
Idk if you already know this but they won an MTV Video Music Award with Bat Country back at that time beating great comercial artists such as Rihanna or James Blunt, making 2005 an amazing year for metal. You should be able to find the clip here on RUclips when they won the award
This album is one of the most important bits of music in my entire life. As hyperbolic as that sounds, I really can't overstate enough how much this album opened my eyes to what music can be.
I remember sitting up until 3am on a schoolnight when I was 14 in 2006, hoping I didn't get caught on the computer, waiting for them to drop the video for Seize The Day on their MySpace page, damn that takes me back.
Trashed and Scattered's an all time favorite. It's never left the playlist, and it never will. Glad to hear you shout it out! Self titled was the last album before the drummer died. Someone that pays attention to detail, like you, might notice a big difference in everything newer... Like Nightmare. It's not for me. But glad you enjoyed A7X, one of the greatest, most versatile bands ever!
When I was younger this was the first album I listened to where I thoroughly enjoyed every song on it, to this day it's still amazing front to back. It also was a gateway for me listening to more Hard Rock/Metal artist growing up
Definitely a no skips album, every track brings something unique to the table. Like you said it's a great gateway album; despite how hard City of Evil goes at times its got so much variety that there's something for everyone.
Oh man, reading your comment makes me REALLY want to hear Waking The Fallen now. Someone said that it's a metalcore album?... so that's bound to be interesting. Sounds like I'm in for another wild ride with that one!
Great reaction A7X has some fascinating growth in musicianship throughout their discography, all culminating with their latest album, which is a masterwork Hope you check out more of their work
I feel you on the drums. Rev was one of the greats not because he produced blast beats every second but because it was methodical and memorable. Deeeefinitely Nightmare first if you'd go anywhere next. That, City of Evil and self titled are the gold standard to me. I think you'll love it.
Nothing I can say will prepare you for the ride the new album, Life is But a Dream…, will take you on. Love this one btw, still one of my favorites by them!
If you haven’t already listened to their most recent album “Life Is But A Dream” you should give it a shot, it sounds way different then this but IMO it’s a great record and a great experience. It just came out about a week ago so it’s very recent.
this was the first album I ever bought with my own money as a kid. 10 years old at best buy picking this up on cd cause i loved the bat country video sm. sidewinder quickly became my fav a7x song and still is til this day. fun fact, synyster gates ' dad plays the left panned acoustic guitar solo at the end!
Pretty sure this album rewired my young brain and sculpted my tastes in music (alongside a bunch of other things, specially their album before this one - Waking the Fallen). City of Evil is such an insane journey, amazing album! Revisiting it for the first time in a couple of years was surreal. Blinded In Chains, Bat Country, Strength of the World and M.I.A. being my absolute favorites from those guys, just in general.
One of my favorite bands ever. You have some great experiences to look forward to in their next two albums. (Rev, their drummer, sadly passed away in 2009)
yeah so 3 albums you maybe want to check out Waking the Fallen: One of the most important albums for the success of the metalcore subgenre, really heavy but still with an avenged sevenfold spin on it Nightmare: an important album for them because the drummer passed away right before the recording. One of the most beloved albums for the fans Life is But a Dream: The newest one and definitely the wackiest album from them. I'm not sure if this still counted as a metal album
I started listening to this band around the time the album came out and it wasn't until late last year that I finally sat down to fully listen to it from a musician's standpoint and its now my favorite album from them lol. So many nice harmonized vocals and guitar work that just sound so good the more you listen to them. This and their self titled album will never get old to me.
Love this album. It’s my second favorite by them just behind Waking The Fallen. The Wicked End is the biggest standout for me on here. Also fun fact: The acoustic solo on Sidewinder is played by Synyster Gates’ (lead guitarist) dad, Brian Haner. He frequently collaborates with them on their albums which I’ve found to be cool.
After about 15 years of listening to A7X, I have to say the album I got sick of listening the most was City of Evil, but I think I can never get enough of Blinded in Chains and Sidewinder
Waking the fallen and sounding the seventh trumpet are both really good as well would love to see your reaction to either of those! City of Evil is still one of my favorite albums, I rememeber picking this up the summer after graduating high school. Can't believe it's been 18 years!
You should check out nightmare by them next it’s my fave by them and then check out their new album that just came out this week it’s very different than anything they have ever done but it’s still very good though.
Honestly I think LIBAD should be the last album she checks out just because it’s so ridiculously out there as an album, I think she should definitely at least do the stage before LIBAD. I’m hoping for any of WTF/nightmare/the stage for her next A7X reaction. Anyway I agree tho nightmare is great and would be a good next record for her
Oh man you all are making me so intrigued to hear their new album! I probably will stick to their earlier stuff and work my way up to Life Is But A Dream. I can't wait to hear it though, sounds like I'm in for quite the experience!
I like the idea of you going back to waking the fallen to see where they came from (Probably can skip their 1st one) and then jump ahead to their more recent stuff with nightmare.
I know everyone's suggesting _Waking the Fallen,_ their second album, but I say if you're doing them all (don't know if you are) you might as well start with their first album, _Sounding the Seventh Trumpet,_ and go from there because it might throw you for a loop by the time you get to after doing others. They hadn't quite _"found themselves"_ with their first album but there are hints in retrospect.
I just listened to their entire discography and got noticed by M. Shadows on a Facebook post yesterday, there is nothing better I could've woken up to this morning, I'm so glad you got to this album! Also I didn't know today was City Of Evil's birthday either lol. Edit: If you don't put up a poll for the next Avenged Sevenfold album you should do, you've got my vote for Waking The Fallen! 🤘
Thanks for filling me in on the context surrounding Betrayed. I'll admit I didn't get too invested in the lyrics on first listen, I'll definitely have to dive into this record more and pay more attention to the lyrics.
I got into these guys in the Waking the Fallen era and it's their best album IMO. I think you should try that one next, to get a better idea of where they came from. Great reaction as always!
The only thing you could do differently is speak more to the lyrics. The journey some of the songs put you through is amazing. The wicked end about the end of days. Betrayed about the lead guitarist of pantera getting shot, mia about ptsd. The lyrics are the only missing piece to your reaction 😊
What an epic birthday present haha :D EDIT: oh my gosh I just looked up City of Evil and realised I uploaded this video on it's 18th birthday!!! I swear that was not intentional on my part, that is wild! Happy birthday to you and to this amazing album :D
Great reaction! your videos make me see that albums get better. I'm a big fan of Avenged Sevenfold and I can tell you with absolute certainty that their last album "Life is but a dream" is a Masterpiece 10/10. The album is so beautiful, scary, happy and tense. It brings philosophical themes about existentialism, and current themes such as the advancement of Artificial intelligence in society (this explains electronic elements present in the album). But I'm really excited about your reaction to this wonderful album.
Still my fav A7X record to this day- just can’t beat it! 🤘🏽🤘🏽 Edit: I’ve seen a couple hate comments in some vids saying that Matt sounded like SpongeBob on this record lol …His vocals were goated during this time, especially live setting in 06! It just suited this album really well
Bat Country, yeah let me just say if you haven't already, I think you should familarize yourself with Hunter S. Thompson and his book "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" as well as the 1998 movie adapation.
Hi Molly, loving all your reviews, I would be really interested to see your reaction to the Strapping Young Lad album called 'City', its right up there with the heaviest stuff you've reviewed but definitely has it's own identity! Cheers, and greetings from Wales (UK). Andy
Glad you're enjoying the videos Andy! I've been suggested Strapping Young Lad a few times in the comments, I'll be sure that their album City is on my list. And I've been to Wales once, such a gorgeous country you live in! I'd love to go back some day :)
@@mollyesanborn wow it's excellent that you've visited Wales, glad you liked it! Keep up the good work, it's always fun to watch your reactions and comments! Andy
Man I wish they played these songs live when I see them next july. Like for instance if they played a track like Strenght of the World or Trashed ans Scattered that would be insane. I know its not gonna happen but one can hope!
Waking the Fallen > Life is But a Dream > City of Evil > Sounding the Seventh Trumpet > Self Titled > Hail to the King > Nightmare. That's my order of their albums. The new is a bonafide masterpiece.
I Absolutely love this record! So many favorites but sidewinder is outstanding. I love how it's so heavy then goes to that like acoustic guitar and bongos, it's one of my favorites from them!
I’ve said it before, but Nightmare is my absolute favourite. It was recorded right after their drummer died, and one of the songs has his demo vocals preserved. I’d recommend that next
This album rules, this one and their previous album waking the fallen are perfect no skips albums. I remember when both of those came out and I was just blown away, can’t believe city of evil is almost 20 years old now. Next avenged album you should do should be any any of waking the fallen/nightmare/the stage, all totally different records but all super sweet, the album closer on nightmare “save me” is maybe their best song ever, the stage is more of a full on prog metal record that’s alot more experimental than the albums before it and waking the fallen is the album that put them on the map, a lot of the vocals on that album are harsh ones. Anyway I’m rambling but nice reaction, Avenged is a really cool band with a super unique discography
Glad you enjoyed the reaction! Avenged Sevenfold is indeed a unique band, I'm loving their sound. They have a very signature style that is definitely growing on me, and I'm looking forward to hearing more from their discography for sure.
I can't say you're *wrong*, but I honestly think Buried Alive is the better song on Nightmare. All their records are cool for their own reasons; WtF is a personal fav because of how ahead of its time it was with its melodic metalcore sound, bordering on progressive metal at times. The Stage was a super interesting record too; that one is more of a "full record" kinda listen for me, I very rarely will listen to just a singular song from it. Same for the brand new album, which just a whole other beast.
City of Evil is my favorite. First time seeing your channel from recommended. Doesn't matter where you do go, this band has killer albums besides Sounding the Seventh Trumpet and Hail to the king. Their debut album in which they were all teens, and Hail to The King, a type of radio rock tribute album. Both of which are honestly really good but just lack in comparison to the rest of their material. I do want to mention that Betrayed on City of Evil comes across a bit weak, at least it did to me... until I found out the meaning behind it. The song is about the death of Dimebag Darrell. It's a three stage song. Perspective of the Killer, the fans, Dimebag. It flows a lot better, has far deeper meaning, and hits much harder once you know that. My rankings for their albums is 1. City of Evil. 2. Nightmare 3. The Stage 4. Waking The Fallen 5. Avenged Sevenfold 6. Hail To The King 7. Sounding The Seventh Trumpet. I've been jamming hard on their new album Life if but a Dream but I refuse to rank it as it's too new and I feel it's outside of the rankings. It's just too weird to fit in. You mentioned maybe doing Nightmare next. That album is just loaded with raw emotion. Their original drummer passed away at the end of writing it. Some parts of it were remade and rethought. It's a bit of a tribute album to him. They managed to bring in one of his idols and one of the greatest drummers ever to play drums. And he killed it, he played the songs in the style of The Rev with some of his own influence.
Thanks for the insightful comment. This album was so crazy to listen to, they poured so much energy and experimentation with their sound onto City of Evil. I'm definitely excited to continue with their discography and hear what else they've got. And I'll have to pay closer attention to the lyrics on Betrayed (and the entire album to be honest). I'm always pretty bad at picking up on lyrical content on first listens. Thanks for giving me a heads up on the story behind it.
@@mollyesanborn No need to thank me, you're the one making the entertaining content. Ever since their inception they've poured energy and experimentation into their sound. If there's one thing you should no about them is no album sounds like any other. They change the sound and in essence the genre every album. They don't want to keep making the same music. As a fan it's fascinating and infuriating at the same time. I want similar songs to what I love but I want something new that interests me and keeps me listening. And they are masters at changing their sound and slipping hints of their past into the songs. Listen and you'll see.
To the extent of my knowledge the only Architects album I've heard is For Those That Wish To Exist (and I really enjoyed it), so I will be sure to keep both of these albums in mind :)
Any pearl jam album between 1996 and 2010 would be a good pick. Those albums are: no code, yeild, binaural, riot act, pearl jam (avocado) and backspacer.
@@mollyesanborn You are awesome Molly! I have been binging through some of your reactions and I'm very impressed by how quickly you pickup on details. Fun to watch ;) You will definitely notice that WtF is less polished than City of Evil, but for my money it is as good if not a notch above as a whole. There is quite a bit of screaming on it which isn't for everybody, about half of the vocals. That also sets it apart. And I will say that even though Matt became an objectively stronger singer later on, probably peaking around 2011, this is my favorite version of his cleaner vocals.
M.I.A's solo is crazy, sounds inhumanly fast, but is real and doable (For few guitarists out there not including myself). As much as Synyster Gates loathes playing it live due to its insane difficulty, he's done it a few times and it's sounded pretty good. Pretty hilarious considering he's the guy who wrote it. Great album reaction.
The twinkle sound your referencing on seize the day the softer song is a guitar playing technique called trill picking. You take a note and pick it as fast as you can over and over and over.
Every song on City of Evil was 11/10. Not a single miss. Same with Self Titled, Nightmare, Hail to The King and Waking the Fallen. Every song on them albums are fucking amazing
If you do more A7X, the further back the better. Trumpets is good but definitely more in the "garage" era of their band. Waking the fallen is my personal favorite, the peak of their music with both of the vocalists. Also, when will we get some Motionless In White?
The rev is one of the best metal drummers of all time They were like 25 I think when this album was recored Legends From the ballads to the heavy songs like trashed and scattered Amazing
A few of you have informed me in the comments that I coincidentally uploaded this video on the 18th anniversary of City of Evil, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY to this amazing album! 🎉
great timming Molly haha this album is weird, heavy and great!
Thank you for listening to me abt avenged, u da best
Don't forget these guys were in their early 20s when they wrote this masterpiece!
That is very impressive, they've got such a well developed sound on this thing.
They were basically a thrash/screamo band in high school and then… came out swinging with these masterful musical abilities. A lot of it can be attributed to their drummer, Rev, who wrote so much of the music (before he passed in 2009). He brought that “theatrical” sound to the band
On coe he just did drums
On ST he provided with some vocals
Only on nightmare he provided the band with more melodies.
What he would do is have drums and they would have ti work around what he brought in.
He wasnt the...whatever you said
@@codybishop7526 Rev was great but he only wrote songs on Nightmare and self-titled albums. On City of Evil, he of course wrote the drums parts, but that was after the other guys wrote the songs.
Lmao
This is their best album in my opinion. I was 14 years old At Warped Tour in San Francisco and they were playing mainly songs from this album. Idk why they get hate, as a drummer, the Rev was a beast. R.I.P.
My gosh their drummer was INSANE on this record! All of the instrumentals just brought so much energy.
Same as today’s newest album got so much hates
@@st.boanergesagreed. And I think LIBAD is their best album yet as far as music ceiling and flexibility
This album still blows my mind, I've never heard this sound replicated, even by Avenged Sevenfold themselves on their later albums. Like you kept saying, the combination of melody and gritty aggression.
Yeah, that combo is so well done! They blend everything so well. I'd say on City of Evil it's even more varied than their self titled, both are great albums but City of Evil just fuses SO MUCH on one project, it's crazy.
Absolutely adore this album! Really enjoyed the reaction, can't wait to see your reaction to Nightmare
Yeah I'm so excited to hear Nightmare now!
The album before this (Waking the Fallen) is metalcore, something they never revisited after that album. Just a tid bit I thought would be useful for you to see what you’d like to listen to next
Knowing is half the battle!
Ooh, that'll be interesting to hear! Maybe I'll have to keep going backwards in their discography and check out their earlier stuff.
City of Evil is probably the Avenged Sevenfold album I enjoy the most. It's completely crazy (in a good way). Nightmare might be a good one to check out next, but their new album "Life is but a dream" is one you really want to check out.
Yep this album is crazy for sure! Such a mashup of so many styles, I love it. I'd be really curious to hear their newest album and see what I think of that one.
@@mollyesanborn nothing will prepare you for the new one lmao
@@mollyesanborn Their newest album is crazy! You definitely should react to it! Cheers!
Avenged Sevenfold just released a new album titled “Life Is But a Dream…” on Friday. I highly recommend checking that one out, it’s a polarizing album with the most experimental and diverse sounds they’ve yet to release!
Polarizing its an easy word to say and I get it BUT... if you checked most reactions.. the consensus its that LIBAD its a masterpiece
I think she should react to The Stage album first imo
Ooh I'm excited to hear it! I knew they were releasing a new album, maybe I should jump forward in their discography and check that one out next...
@@nicosilva8724 I mean, it has a pretty mid average rating on most sites, though it is worth noting that music rating sites have a pretty heavy sample bias toward the /mu/core audience lmao
I think let her familiarize the band’s sound first, Selt titled & Nightmare are good introductions, but it’s interesting what a new listener has to say about their new sound
Fun fact: Syn hates playing Beast And The Harlot to this day because he is vocally harmonizing with Matt through the entire song....including while doing the sweep picking in the chorus, lmao.
Oh wow, that must be so difficult to do! Listening to the recorded versions of these songs off the album I sometimes forget what these guys have to do when they perform these tracks live, it's such impressive stuff.
You know actually, Syn said in an interview it wasn’t actually the chorus that he struggled to play and sing, it was the verse.
It's not sweep picking in the chorus and Brian has said that singing while playing that part isn't that hard. It's singing during the verse that he struggled with.
nah, the chorus is fine, syn said the riff is the hardest part, cause singing while playing syncopated riffs is hard af
Nerds
This is one of the most influential albums of this century
This was such a great listen, the variety on City of Evil is on another level. I can see why it was such a highly suggested album.
“Waking the Fallen” is my fav album by them, i wish they’d done at least another album with that direction
Ooh I'll have to see what I think of that album when I listen to it. Looking forward to it!
My favorite too
@@mollyesanborn Waking the Fallen is easily their best record. I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts on it
I love the way you react to all M. Shadows' vocal shenanigans, its so funny for a longtime fan like me!
Haha, yeah his vocals are crazy! He can do a lot with his voice, sometimes it sounds like multiple lead vocalists on this album just cause he changes up his style and register so much.
Syn is on FIRE on this album. His guitar work is so varied and so insane, solo after solo and none sound similar, this album really made him stand out to me as a guitarist above almost everyone else around at the time.
I'd also make a comment about The Rev, but lets be real he hit 10/10 on every track he ever did when it comes to drumming.
Very glad you got to hear this one. I'd recommend either Nightmare or The Stage after this
I'm so glad I've finally heard City of Evil! This one's been on my list for a long time now, and I can understand why so many of you all were suggesting it in the comments. Fantastic album, and I'm excited to hear some more from Avenged Sevenfold!
Do Waken The Fallen next. Such a great album.
Noted, can't wait to hear it! :)
Idk if you already know this but they won an MTV Video Music Award with Bat Country back at that time beating great comercial artists such as Rihanna or James Blunt, making 2005 an amazing year for metal. You should be able to find the clip here on RUclips when they won the award
This album is one of the most important bits of music in my entire life. As hyperbolic as that sounds, I really can't overstate enough how much this album opened my eyes to what music can be.
I remember sitting up until 3am on a schoolnight when I was 14 in 2006, hoping I didn't get caught on the computer, waiting for them to drop the video for Seize The Day on their MySpace page, damn that takes me back.
Glad to see you finally reacted to this 🤘 !!
Yeah, this album was crazy! So glad I finally got to hear it.
@@mollyesanborn yea, the melodicness and the intensity is my favorite part, same with the insane drums and guitar solos.
🦇💀🦇🤘🤘🦇💀🦇
Trashed and Scattered's an all time favorite. It's never left the playlist, and it never will. Glad to hear you shout it out! Self titled was the last album before the drummer died. Someone that pays attention to detail, like you, might notice a big difference in everything newer... Like Nightmare. It's not for me. But glad you enjoyed A7X, one of the greatest, most versatile bands ever!
I appreciate how when you edit in the next part of the song you keep it on beat
Thanks, I try my best :)
When I was younger this was the first album I listened to where I thoroughly enjoyed every song on it, to this day it's still amazing front to back. It also was a gateway for me listening to more Hard Rock/Metal artist growing up
Definitely a no skips album, every track brings something unique to the table. Like you said it's a great gateway album; despite how hard City of Evil goes at times its got so much variety that there's something for everyone.
This album was such a crazy departure from their previous album, man listening to it again this is a wacky freaking album in the best way possible lol
Oh man, reading your comment makes me REALLY want to hear Waking The Fallen now. Someone said that it's a metalcore album?... so that's bound to be interesting. Sounds like I'm in for another wild ride with that one!
city of evil is one of their best albums. for me waking the fallen is definetely my favorite album from them
Sidewinder is one of the best tracks I’ve ever heard. Rip to the rev. His drumming always was a big part of these songs.
Love your videos ☺️. Love when you react to legendary albums! Can’t wait for you to hear Nightmare
🦇💀🦇 foREVer 🦇💀🦇
Thank you! Yeah this album is legendary, I can see why it was suggested so much.
Early gang. Happy to see you hop on this album as well. Hope to see you on newer one like Nightmare or Hail to the king
Thanks for watching! This was such a great listen, I'll definitely plan on checking out more from Avenged Sevenfold.
Great reaction
A7X has some fascinating growth in musicianship throughout their discography, all culminating with their latest album, which is a masterwork
Hope you check out more of their work
Awesome to see an A7X reaction :) love this band so much
Avenged Sevenfold is great, I'm really loving their style. Can't wait to check out more of their albums!🤘
I feel you on the drums. Rev was one of the greats not because he produced blast beats every second but because it was methodical and memorable. Deeeefinitely Nightmare first if you'd go anywhere next. That, City of Evil and self titled are the gold standard to me. I think you'll love it.
I love your reactions, you're really listening the music, love it 🫶
Thanks, glad you're enjoying them :)
Nothing I can say will prepare you for the ride the new album, Life is But a Dream…, will take you on.
Love this one btw, still one of my favorites by them!
The last 5 tracks on this album are such a great run.
I love city of Evil by A7X great album
City of Evil was such a fun listen, so glad I've finally heard it!
I wish to see you react to the another album, Sounding The Seventh Trumpet (2002) and Waking The Fallen (2003). Good content, good video, keep it up 👏
For sure, I'll plan on reacting to both of those as well! :)
The Rev(drummer) really shined during this album. 6:01 actually wasn’t a blast beat it was just the double bass.
As soon as she said that I knew some nerd would correct her in the comments.
You’re one of my more favored music channels. Happy to see this on here I’ve been away for a while.
Oh wow thanks! I'm so glad you're enjoying the channel :)
If you haven’t already listened to their most recent album “Life Is But A Dream” you should give it a shot, it sounds way different then this but IMO it’s a great record and a great experience. It just came out about a week ago so it’s very recent.
this was the first album I ever bought with my own money as a kid. 10 years old at best buy picking this up on cd cause i loved the bat country video sm. sidewinder quickly became my fav a7x song and still is til this day. fun fact, synyster gates ' dad plays the left panned acoustic guitar solo at the end!
i didnt skipped one second of this reaction ! Is so good to see people reacting to this album! epic ride
Pretty sure this album rewired my young brain and sculpted my tastes in music (alongside a bunch of other things, specially their album before this one - Waking the Fallen). City of Evil is such an insane journey, amazing album! Revisiting it for the first time in a couple of years was surreal.
Blinded In Chains, Bat Country, Strength of the World and M.I.A. being my absolute favorites from those guys, just in general.
One of my favorite bands ever. You have some great experiences to look forward to in their next two albums. (Rev, their drummer, sadly passed away in 2009)
yeah so 3 albums you maybe want to check out
Waking the Fallen: One of the most important albums for the success of the metalcore subgenre, really heavy but still with an avenged sevenfold spin on it
Nightmare: an important album for them because the drummer passed away right before the recording. One of the most beloved albums for the fans
Life is But a Dream: The newest one and definitely the wackiest album from them. I'm not sure if this still counted as a metal album
I'll definitely plan on doing more from their discography. Can't wait to hear all of these!
I started listening to this band around the time the album came out and it wasn't until late last year that I finally sat down to fully listen to it from a musician's standpoint and its now my favorite album from them lol. So many nice harmonized vocals and guitar work that just sound so good the more you listen to them. This and their self titled album will never get old to me.
Hi Molly, I enjoyed your reaction. Never heard this album. We are both reacting to it. It sounds good
Oh nice! Glad to introduce City of Evil to you. Pretty wild album, isn't it? They throw so much on this thing, just a whole lot of energy.
Love this album. It’s my second favorite by them just behind Waking The Fallen. The Wicked End is the biggest standout for me on here.
Also fun fact: The acoustic solo on Sidewinder is played by Synyster Gates’ (lead guitarist) dad, Brian Haner. He frequently collaborates with them on their albums which I’ve found to be cool.
After about 15 years of listening to A7X, I have to say the album I got sick of listening the most was City of Evil, but I think I can never get enough of Blinded in Chains and Sidewinder
Avenged sevenfold be like, So what genre u wanna be?
Them: yes
Facts!
Waking the fallen and sounding the seventh trumpet are both really good as well would love to see your reaction to either of those! City of Evil is still one of my favorite albums, I rememeber picking this up the summer after graduating high school. Can't believe it's been 18 years!
You should check out nightmare by them next it’s my fave by them and then check out their new album that just came out this week it’s very different than anything they have ever done but it’s still very good though.
🦇💀🦇 foREVer 🦇💀🦇
Honestly I think LIBAD should be the last album she checks out just because it’s so ridiculously out there as an album, I think she should definitely at least do the stage before LIBAD. I’m hoping for any of WTF/nightmare/the stage for her next A7X reaction. Anyway I agree tho nightmare is great and would be a good next record for her
Oh man you all are making me so intrigued to hear their new album! I probably will stick to their earlier stuff and work my way up to Life Is But A Dream. I can't wait to hear it though, sounds like I'm in for quite the experience!
I like the idea of you going back to waking the fallen to see where they came from (Probably can skip their 1st one) and then jump ahead to their more recent stuff with nightmare.
I will keep that in mind! It kinda makes sense to do it that way, move backwards toward the beginning and hear how they started off.
@@mollyesanborn Absolutely do not skip the first album, Sounding the Seventh Trumpet. It goes hard and is massively underrated.
I know everyone's suggesting _Waking the Fallen,_ their second album, but I say if you're doing them all (don't know if you are) you might as well start with their first album, _Sounding the Seventh Trumpet,_ and go from there because it might throw you for a loop by the time you get to after doing others.
They hadn't quite _"found themselves"_ with their first album but there are hints in retrospect.
This album is fire, a 10/10, sidewinder is one of my favorite songs from them. Love your reactions, keep em coming. Some Iron Maiden would be great.
Hell yeah some iron maiden let's keep the melodic metal vibes going
I just listened to their entire discography and got noticed by M. Shadows on a Facebook post yesterday, there is nothing better I could've woken up to this morning, I'm so glad you got to this album! Also I didn't know today was City Of Evil's birthday either lol.
Edit: If you don't put up a poll for the next Avenged Sevenfold album you should do, you've got my vote for Waking The Fallen! 🤘
Since Molly is interested, so am I. A true metalhead.
🤘
One of my favorite albums! Their new one Life is but a dream is very reminiscent of Mr Bungle lol
I listened to this album religiously for awhile 🫣 thanks for this review
Love all of their new stuff but this album has a special place in my heart
"This guitar sounds electronic"
Mattel forshadowing
Please do their newest album, Life Is But a Dream, next. It is a mix of a lot of different genres. It released this month. It will blow your mind.
Amazing album, classic. RIP Rev
Betrayed is about the death of Dimebag Darrell, the lyrics hit harder when you know the story
Thanks for filling me in on the context surrounding Betrayed. I'll admit I didn't get too invested in the lyrics on first listen, I'll definitely have to dive into this record more and pay more attention to the lyrics.
This album truly set a standard in my music taste when I was in my teens. Glad to see your reaction!
I got into these guys in the Waking the Fallen era and it's their best album IMO. I think you should try that one next, to get a better idea of where they came from. Great reaction as always!
I would go with listening to Waking The Fallen first because City Of Evil is such a departure from it.
I love your reactions! Perfect in every way. I love the wicked end haha
The only thing you could do differently is speak more to the lyrics. The journey some of the songs put you through is amazing. The wicked end about the end of days. Betrayed about the lead guitarist of pantera getting shot, mia about ptsd. The lyrics are the only missing piece to your reaction 😊
best album to come out on my birthday 😎😎
What an epic birthday present haha :D
EDIT: oh my gosh I just looked up City of Evil and realised I uploaded this video on it's 18th birthday!!! I swear that was not intentional on my part, that is wild! Happy birthday to you and to this amazing album :D
Happy birthday 🎂
🦇💀🦇🎂🎂🦇💀🦇
Great reaction! your videos make me see that albums get better. I'm a big fan of Avenged Sevenfold and I can tell you with absolute certainty that their last album "Life is but a dream" is a Masterpiece 10/10. The album is so beautiful, scary, happy and tense. It brings philosophical themes about existentialism, and current themes such as the advancement of Artificial intelligence in society (this explains electronic elements present in the album). But I'm really excited about your reaction to this wonderful album.
One of the best drum fills of all time on Blinded in Chains. RIP Rev
Still my fav A7X record to this day- just can’t beat it! 🤘🏽🤘🏽
Edit: I’ve seen a couple hate comments in some vids saying that Matt sounded like SpongeBob on this record lol …His vocals were goated during this time, especially live setting in 06! It just suited this album really well
Bat Country, yeah let me just say if you haven't already, I think you should familarize yourself with Hunter S. Thompson and his book "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" as well as the 1998 movie adapation.
No, I'm not familiar with Hunter S. Thompson. I'm assuming the song has a connection lyrically with the book? I'll have to look into it.
Hi Molly, loving all your reviews, I would be really interested to see your reaction to the Strapping Young Lad album called 'City', its right up there with the heaviest stuff you've reviewed but definitely has it's own identity!
Cheers, and greetings from Wales (UK).
Andy
Glad you're enjoying the videos Andy! I've been suggested Strapping Young Lad a few times in the comments, I'll be sure that their album City is on my list. And I've been to Wales once, such a gorgeous country you live in! I'd love to go back some day :)
@@mollyesanborn wow it's excellent that you've visited Wales, glad you liked it!
Keep up the good work, it's always fun to watch your reactions and comments!
Andy
Man I wish they played these songs live when I see them next july. Like for instance if they played a track like Strenght of the World or Trashed ans Scattered that would be insane. I know its not gonna happen but one can hope!
Waking the Fallen > Life is But a Dream > City of Evil > Sounding the Seventh Trumpet > Self Titled > Hail to the King > Nightmare.
That's my order of their albums.
The new is a bonafide masterpiece.
WAKING THE FALLEN then
NIGHTMARE
HAIL to the KING
The STAGE
LIFE IS BUT A DREAM
I will keep this in mind :)
I Absolutely love this record! So many favorites but sidewinder is outstanding. I love how it's so heavy then goes to that like acoustic guitar and bongos, it's one of my favorites from them!
I’ve said it before, but Nightmare is my absolute favourite. It was recorded right after their drummer died, and one of the songs has his demo vocals preserved. I’d recommend that next
This album rules, this one and their previous album waking the fallen are perfect no skips albums. I remember when both of those came out and I was just blown away, can’t believe city of evil is almost 20 years old now. Next avenged album you should do should be any any of waking the fallen/nightmare/the stage, all totally different records but all super sweet, the album closer on nightmare “save me” is maybe their best song ever, the stage is more of a full on prog metal record that’s alot more experimental than the albums before it and waking the fallen is the album that put them on the map, a lot of the vocals on that album are harsh ones. Anyway I’m rambling but nice reaction, Avenged is a really cool band with a super unique discography
Glad you enjoyed the reaction! Avenged Sevenfold is indeed a unique band, I'm loving their sound. They have a very signature style that is definitely growing on me, and I'm looking forward to hearing more from their discography for sure.
Save Me is definitely their best song
I can't say you're *wrong*, but I honestly think Buried Alive is the better song on Nightmare.
All their records are cool for their own reasons; WtF is a personal fav because of how ahead of its time it was with its melodic metalcore sound, bordering on progressive metal at times. The Stage was a super interesting record too; that one is more of a "full record" kinda listen for me, I very rarely will listen to just a singular song from it. Same for the brand new album, which just a whole other beast.
City of Evil is my favorite. First time seeing your channel from recommended. Doesn't matter where you do go, this band has killer albums besides Sounding the Seventh Trumpet and Hail to the king. Their debut album in which they were all teens, and Hail to The King, a type of radio rock tribute album. Both of which are honestly really good but just lack in comparison to the rest of their material. I do want to mention that Betrayed on City of Evil comes across a bit weak, at least it did to me... until I found out the meaning behind it.
The song is about the death of Dimebag Darrell. It's a three stage song. Perspective of the Killer, the fans, Dimebag. It flows a lot better, has far deeper meaning, and hits much harder once you know that.
My rankings for their albums is 1. City of Evil. 2. Nightmare 3. The Stage 4. Waking The Fallen 5. Avenged Sevenfold 6. Hail To The King 7. Sounding The Seventh Trumpet. I've been jamming hard on their new album Life if but a Dream but I refuse to rank it as it's too new and I feel it's outside of the rankings. It's just too weird to fit in.
You mentioned maybe doing Nightmare next. That album is just loaded with raw emotion. Their original drummer passed away at the end of writing it. Some parts of it were remade and rethought. It's a bit of a tribute album to him. They managed to bring in one of his idols and one of the greatest drummers ever to play drums. And he killed it, he played the songs in the style of The Rev with some of his own influence.
Thanks for the insightful comment. This album was so crazy to listen to, they poured so much energy and experimentation with their sound onto City of Evil. I'm definitely excited to continue with their discography and hear what else they've got. And I'll have to pay closer attention to the lyrics on Betrayed (and the entire album to be honest). I'm always pretty bad at picking up on lyrical content on first listens. Thanks for giving me a heads up on the story behind it.
@@mollyesanborn No need to thank me, you're the one making the entertaining content. Ever since their inception they've poured energy and experimentation into their sound. If there's one thing you should no about them is no album sounds like any other. They change the sound and in essence the genre every album. They don't want to keep making the same music.
As a fan it's fascinating and infuriating at the same time. I want similar songs to what I love but I want something new that interests me and keeps me listening.
And they are masters at changing their sound and slipping hints of their past into the songs. Listen and you'll see.
Tearing up when you’re talking about those awesome drums
Architects - Lost Forever/Lost Together(2014) and All Our Gods Have Abandouned Us (2016) Lets GO!!!!
To the extent of my knowledge the only Architects album I've heard is For Those That Wish To Exist (and I really enjoyed it), so I will be sure to keep both of these albums in mind :)
Any pearl jam album between 1996 and 2010 would be a good pick. Those albums are: no code, yeild, binaural, riot act, pearl jam (avocado) and backspacer.
YIELD 👍👍
You forgot Ten
@@jakesmith6233 1991
Yeah, but you can't listen to Pearl Jam without listening to Ten First. It's their signature album.
I'd definitely like to get to some Pearl Jam here on my channel! I will keep all of these albums in mind :)
I really hope you do Waking the Fallen. ;)
I will definitely do a video for Waking The Fallen! Can't wait to hear it.
@@mollyesanborn You are awesome Molly! I have been binging through some of your reactions and I'm very impressed by how quickly you pickup on details. Fun to watch ;)
You will definitely notice that WtF is less polished than City of Evil, but for my money it is as good if not a notch above as a whole.
There is quite a bit of screaming on it which isn't for everybody, about half of the vocals. That also sets it apart. And I will say that even though Matt became an objectively stronger singer later on, probably peaking around 2011, this is my favorite version of his cleaner vocals.
M.I.A's solo is crazy, sounds inhumanly fast, but is real and doable (For few guitarists out there not including myself). As much as Synyster Gates loathes playing it live due to its insane difficulty, he's done it a few times and it's sounded pretty good. Pretty hilarious considering he's the guy who wrote it.
Great album reaction.
City of Evil was the album for me when it came to metal in my late teens!
I highly recommend the album revolution/revolucion by ill niño👀
Noted! I'll be sure that album is on my list.
Definitely would love to see Nightmare next. Maybe do their album they just dropped as well? Those two plus the ones you’ve done are their 4 best imo.
The twinkle sound your referencing on seize the day the softer song is a guitar playing technique called trill picking. You take a note and pick it as fast as you can over and over and over.
Waking the fallen next! You’ll love his vocals
Can't wait to hear it! :)
The REV rip. He inspired me to play the drums
Listen to all of them!
I would check out Waking The Fallen next, just to see what put them on the map.
I'm really looking forward to hearing it!
Nightmare is truly amazing and a good choice for the next one!
Every song on City of Evil was 11/10. Not a single miss. Same with Self Titled, Nightmare, Hail to The King and Waking the Fallen. Every song on them albums are fucking amazing
Awesome video!! Can’t wait for diamonds in the rough. One of their best album in my opinion
🦇💀🦇💎💎🦇💀🦇
I'm looking forward to hearing that album too! Glad you enjoyed the reaction :)
I cant wait for you to get to The Stage and the newest album Life Is But A Dream
they're best album 🤘
This record was amazing, so glad I've finally heard it!
What a melodic metal masterpiece so much ordered chaos
I love your reactions! Do Waking The Fallen, their best album by far.
If you do more A7X, the further back the better. Trumpets is good but definitely more in the "garage" era of their band. Waking the fallen is my personal favorite, the peak of their music with both of the vocalists. Also, when will we get some Motionless In White?
The rev is one of the best metal drummers of all time
They were like 25 I think when this album was recored
Legends
From the ballads to the heavy songs like trashed and scattered
Amazing