There is a reason that I can honestly say that
Avenged Sevenfold's fifth album
Nightmare, is in my top 5 all time favorite albums of all time. Part of the reason is because of all the stuff that they went through with the passing of The Rev, who was their drummer, who died right before they were going to start recording the final cuts. This album has lots of memories for me. I remember the day the single
Nightmare came out. I saw a ad on Facebook and then, I was a bad ass because I bought the song without even asking my parents. When I first heard the beginning of the song I was hooked on it, then I remember listening to it 3 or 4 times in the day. I left home and in the car, while my dad was picking something up, I turned on the radio and all I missed was the beginning, Now I'm no amazing album reviewer but I think it's worth a shot to voice my opinions. I saw the track listing I think the day they released it and I thought it was the most bad ass thing that they had a 11 minute song, which I know off the top of my head it's actually 10:56. I listened it the day before I left for camp on like July 23rd, but i didn't really remember anything, because I was too busy to actually pay attention, about it except some song's drums sounded like
Almost Easy and some of the songs sounded cool. While I was going up to camp I watched the
Welcome to the Family YouTube black ops video at least, I am defiantly not over exaggerating, 15 times. I was also bad ass for listening to
God Hates Us on YouTube to. The day it came out I drove my mom, who wasn't camping, nuts and said that she had to get the Cd the day it came out. I was so in need of that Cd I almost had someone pick it up at camp for me. well after "hell" was over I got home and burned it on my iTunes. It felt so surreal touching it. I listened to it on the way to my cousins college graduation party and I was psyched when my other cousin, Stevie, was waiting to talk to me about the album.
- Nightmare: The intro of the song is amazing. I don't care what anyone else thinks This song still feels the same way it did the first time I heard it. I remember just being in awe at this song. I still am to this day. That all i can really say about this song.
- Welcome to the Family: This song is worthy of Metal royalty. The sick intro and the... I don't know exactly how to explain it. My favorite part is bridge, Avenged make a lot of amazing bridges, and the bridge makes me tear up a little. There is little at what i can say about this song to. With out over thinking the 3 minutes of the song. Save Me is nice all you have to do is listen to it two or three times to get your ideas, this not so much.
- Danger Line: This is the song that made me want to learn piano, fo realz. It's such a beautiful song and the way they pulled this off it, makes me tear up. yes I begin to cry at its beauty. And I get this chill that makes me cry when I listen to it. I'm crying while I'm typing this up right now. The guitar solo makes, for me a little breather from crying after hearing his vocals that are extremely touching. But that ends when I hear "the whistler", as credited in the album, whistles and the drums/piano fadeout.
- Buried Alive: The first time I heard this I didn't think much of it but after hearing it, and actually listening to it I love it. This songs intro gives me a chill, almost like the one from Danger Line. And the chorus makes it blood pumping. The first and second verses just "rip me apart". The violins make it all that much better and more emotional. After the second chorus at about 3:51 it holy shit. That's all I can say. at 4:14 the harmony part makes up one of my FAVORITE guitar solos. The post solo at like 4:58 is awesome, especially live, but the rest of the song is blood pumping and aggressive. I love the way this ends on a fast beat and then stops, and the faster beat is picked up on Natural Born Killer, and the opposite for Danger Line into Buried Alive, one starts softer and the other begins softer
- Natural Born Killer: This song is an 'iffie. There are days I like it more than others. The drums sound too much like Almost Easy, so I really only get the whole thing out of the song when I listen to the album front to back. The 1st solo is also pretty cool
- So Far Away: This song is good. I feel like an asshole because this is every one's favorite song because it's about The Rev. Well FYI I remember listening to Avenged and liking them, not enough to say i was a fan, when I was in 7th grade. 2 years before he died. Now so many people love him and didn't know about the band till after he died. I honestly love this song. It makes me cry, not as much as Gunslinger, but it is still touching. The best part I think, that makes me begin to tear, is the second acoustic solo at 3:28. That, along with the video, and also the drums make me begin to tear. I hate myself for not being a big enough fan to be affected by The Rev and I will always feel that way.
- God Hates Us: If you look at this album as one big picture it could be looked at as a nightmare. The beginning of title track is soft, like falling into your sleep, then it picks up, your in your nightmare, then the bad dream begins to faze as you hit Danger Line and you are at peace when Buried Alive comes along. But the nightmare picks up at the end of Buried Alive and into Natural Born Killer. This fazes off and for all of So Far Away the nightmare becomes a beautiful dream. So sound asleep right? wrong. This song has its eerie intro and is the 1st climax of your night mare. The solo the vocals the everything is terrific. Then it just cuts to the same eerie intro as the outro.
- Victim: This is picking up as the peaceful part of your big dream and stays this way until the end. This was a different song where I didn't appreciate it till I actually listened to the album in its whole. Which quick fact, I have played this album, looking at my iTunes play, at least 20 times. The solo is sick, one of my all time favorites EVER, and the vocals are cool. This is just a awesome song. I think the best part is after the solo from 3:54-4:54. That is my favorite minute and then goes into another awesome solo. I also love the bongos and I think the ending is better with that part, but i think it's perfect that way because it is just how it began
- Tonight the World Dies: This is arguably one of the most eerie songs Avenged has ever done. This song took more than one listen to appreciate it. but it is great. The solo good blues and twang. The beginning and end work perfect and it's great and the acoustic guitar makes the song all that much creepier.
- Fiction: This song is to king of i didn't think i would like it because of piano. That changed after I heard Danger Line finding a new love for piano. And after listening to it's beautifulness for real. It is, to me, like they are singing to each other and trying to grab out to each other but can't reach. I guess you could look at it, if you run about 100 miles with it, according to my way of the way it sounds like they are reaching out to each other. It could be like Dear God, roughly like god watch out for my girl and take care of her while I'm away and not around, combine with Afterlife, The guy dies and doesn't want to be dead and wants to return to his life back on earth and escape, concept wise if you use my take on, not fiction's story but the way the lyrics and the atmosphere from voices, strings, piano, bass and drums it's like they are singing to each other because they are brothers. but at 3:33 comes one of the most touching parts of any song, EVER, with the organ breakdown and them singing. Looking at my take on how it sounds, the are coming to grips that they won't see each other.... yet
- Save Me: This song is orgasm worthy. I remember seeing this as the either worst song or the most mother fucker song I've seen by Avenged. This was before hearing it. When i listened to the album, in pieces on Soundcloud, as i said earlier. But I talked to Stevie about it and after that I tryed, this fall, to beat Save Me to school. If I moved my but it'd be a 15 minute walk but i tried to get home in under 11 minutes. Never did but that makes this song that much more meaningful to me. Ok so here is the part about the music. The intro guitar takes off, your dream is over this is a bitter sweet wrap up. So sit down bitch and take it. At 1:23 how the lead guitar picks up, that my friend is jizz your pants worthy. The great intro/build up to any song. He doesn't even start singing until 2:02. And the chorus is touching the vocals take over but if you actually listen to the instrumentation through out the album its sick. I love that they use the whisper type thing, much like Critical Acclaim and Welcome to the Family. Ok 4:49 another amazing build up to a well... amazing solo. This song gets better every time I listen to it. I seriously am having trouble sitting down and not attempting to jam along. The ''breakdown'' at 5:48 is another thing that helps this get into the next part of the song. The cowboy-ish arpeggios Syn plays at 6:08 are, I feel the best way ever to slow down and build up for another solo. At 7:35 is where it gets into full swing and back to the original verse type just wanting to get fucked in the asshole. This part makes it seem like there is going to be a big solo, the intro guitar riff even comes in but It is just as good if not better that it's the way that it is and slows down into part of what helps prove this beautiful song. Now the tearjerker in this song starts at around 9:29 where it is the GREATEST way to end a 10+ minute song.
Overall Nightmare deserves a 100/10. These guys deserve more success for their skills. Everyone thinks their cool or they are good because of 1 or 2 songs. Well they can get raped by Save Me and see if they actually only like 1 or 2 songs anymore. This album has so much more that I can offer but this is the best I ca do for now.
