Avenged Sevenfold
City Of Evil

THE REVIEW

Third studio album for the American band, which leaves behind the dominant metal-core of their previous work to create with "City Of Evil" a more classic album that also features a lighter sound.

This choice apparently stemmed from the frontman's vocal cord issues, as the continuous screaming would have caused him to lose his voice in a short time, so the decision was made to eliminate the growl parts, effectively changing the style as well.

The genre is classic-styled heavy metal, which broadens the potential audience, even appealing to those not generally inclined towards metal, thus satisfying different tastes.

The band also collaborated with the much-despised Good Charlotte on a track from the latest album ("The River") in which a verse is sung by the Avenged singer, which will have sparked the dislike of many.

Sound-wise, you can notice the extensive use of acoustic guitar for accompaniment and at times there’s also the aid of violins and strings. Whether this choice is fitting or not, I leave it up to you to decide. Naturally, given the genre, there's no shortage of a long series of solos and counter-solos.

What surprises, however, is the length: a good 72 minutes of music. It must also be said that the songs have an engaging edge and are quite catchy, although unfortunately, they are often penalized by excessive length. The band shows creativity, but at the expense of, using the genre as a reference, two key elements: sonic power and indeed the excessive dispersion of the songs.

But now let's spend some thoughts on the songs.

As every respectable CD, "City Of Evil" also has its mainstay called "Seize the Day" a song I would call wonderful, a song that has little to do with metal since it is a ballad, but it still manages to capture you with an enticing melody, thanks also to the use of the acoustic guitar and one of the best-executed solos in the entire album.

Decent songs are "Burn it Down" and "Bat Country", but particularly noteworthy is "Blinded in Chains" (featured in the soundtrack of a famous racing video game). This lengthy song, unlike other medium-long tracks, manages not to bore you, and especially highlights the excellent work done by the drummer at the beginning and during the track. Not by chance, a distinguishing feature of the group is indeed the multiple drum intros that open the songs. A track that ends with a nice dark outro, where it really feels like you are descending into the bowels of hell.

Well, at this point, I believe the simply curious can go to the bottom of the page for the conclusions, but for those who are patient and interested in the disc, I will now provide more detailed insights regarding the other songs.

Let's start with "Beast and the Harlot", the opening track, introduced by a guitar intro that will also serve as an outro, characterized by a good melodic line in the refrains and a solo in the first part. It is followed by the faster "Burn It Down", which at 4'58 is the shortest track of the work.

Let's skip the two tracks I previously discussed and analyze "Bat Country", with its contrasting moods, alternating fast parts with very slow and gentle ones, concluding in a calm manner. "Trashered and Scattered" is instead characterized by a rocky riff but turns out to be boring, given the lack of solos.

In the second part of the CD, all the long compositions arrive (who mentioned suites?). Here is "Sidewinder", characterized by a nice melodic acoustic guitar solo closing the piece, and "The Wicked End", composed with the aid of strings and violins and featuring operatic-style singing. It is followed by the melancholic "Strength of the World", perhaps a bit too lengthy, which features a string intro and a significant central part performed with the symphony orchestra but partially redeems itself in the chorus. "City Of Evil" comes to the final beats with the last "Betrayed" full of energy and the long and relaxed "M.I.A." which serves as the ideal conclusion.

In conclusion, as already mentioned, an album that leaves one unsatisfied, burdened by an excessive running time, not managing to engage fully over its entire length, but still containing individually some well-crafted tracks, it will be appreciated by different people, but if you are looking for pure power and more direct sounds without frills, look elsewhere.