Listen up fellow metal heads! The long awaited Avenged Sevenfold record “Hail to the King” is out and all I can say is wow. This record is their sixth studio album and first since their monster 2010 release, “Nightmare.” The record is a bit of a step in a different direction with a little less metal-core feel and a lot more straight up blues based rock. Don’t worry though, there are still plenty of killer metal riffs and blistering guitars. “Hail” is also their first album with drummer Arin Ilejay, formerly of Confide.
The record opens with the sounds of bells and orchestration joined by guitars as “Shepherd of Fire” begins. It has a real Black Sabbath feel to the opening and then the pounding drums kick in and we are off. Next up is the title track which is also the first single and on its way to arena anthem greatness. An interesting song is the more mid-tempo “This Means War” which has a simple chorus but is still extremely powerful. More of that Sabbath evil sound is found on “Requiem” which opens with the chanting of a choir and the double guitar harmonies of Zacky Vengeance and Synyster Gates. Both of them are better than ever on “Coming Home” as well. Lead vocalist M. Shadows is in great shape with his raspy vocals and takes center stage on the Metallica like ballad “Crimson Day.” Johnny Christ is steadfast as always on bass and Arin Ilejay does a commendable job behind the kit despite having some very big shoes to fill. The record closes with my favorite track “Acid Rain” which begins with some haunting piano before the emotional guitars kick in, an epic song to be for sure.
“Hail to the King” is a monster of a record. While it lacks the frenzied pace of earlier Avenged Sevenfold records, it is a great showcase for the diversity of what the band can do. Not every song has to be at breakneck speed to be metal after all. With the help of producer Mike Elizondo, the album still has that classic metal feel while still keeping true to the signature sound of A7X that fans know and love. Hail to the new kings of American metal!!
