Minti's Music Review: Avenged Sevenfold's "Live in the LBC and Diamonds in the Rough"

Alright, so if your an Avenged Sevenfold fan, this is a definite must get. All around, I was not disappointed with any of the content. I rememeber when this was just announced, I heard a few people saying it was just a "cash in" from Taste of Chaos. I knew it wouldn't be, and they definitely did not disappoint.

First, I want to go on with a brief review of the Live DVD. Their live songs are amazing. After watching a few of the live videos from the City of Evil era and then watching this DVD, you can definitely see thier growth as a band. "Afterlife" was probably the most impressive of them, with Shadows doing some awesome vocals, while the Gates still doesn't let down with his blistering guitar stylings. "Scream"'s solo, as Gates said in the MVI, was his most difficult solo and knew he was going to have trouble with it live. He nailed the solo, but you can tell he still finds it difficult. I know someone out there who is a die-hard old school guitarist fan and hates newer guitarists who are good (i know someone like that...) who will probably use it to say he's bad and stuff. Let them have thier opinion, but from what I have heard Gates is doing all the stuff the old school guitar gods did, and then some. He has potential. Also remember, "Afterlife" is blistering awesome and "Scream", despite how it sounds, is all picked...neither tap at all.

During their lives shows, they show some recognition for their fans. Sure, its common to do that, but suprisingly, its not all that common. They even invited someone up to sing thier cover of "Walk" and then let him chill backstage afterwards. I also was really impressed by "Seize the Day". The song itself is awseome, but the fact that all the members did the vocals throughout the song, plus the camera and lighting effects made it really, really inspiring. "A Little Piece of Heaven" was also cool in that they all sang too.

Overall, this was a very impressive Live DVD. Definitely Avenged at their best. My only critique is the lack of Gates' live solo. That, however, is not a critique of the DVD, rather the entire tour. Gates is an amazing guitarist and I wish he still did live solos so people could see his talent.

Now, onto the B-side DVD: Diamons in the Rough.

The Track listing is as follows:
1) Demons
2) Girl I know
3) Crossroads
4) Flash of the Blade
5) Until the End
6) Tension
7) Walk
8) The Fight
9) Dancing Dead
10) Almost Easy (CLA Mix)
11) Afterlife (Alternate Version)

Each song on this B-Side is awesome. "Girl I Know" is a good and catchy song, but the reason this is probably my favorite song Diamonds in the Rough because of the sweeps the Gates does during the chorus. They are extremely fast, and unbelievably clean. The cleanest sweeps I have ever heard. I really don't think anyone can listen to them and say they are sloppy at all. "Dancing Dead" is a rather catchy song, while "Until the End" is another ballad song to add to A7X's repitoir that is reminiscent (at least to me) of Guns N' Roses style ballads. I can't put my finger on which one it reminds me of though. "The Fight" reminds me alot of "Lost", since they have similar premises. "Flash of the Blade" is from Kerrang's Maiden Heaven CD. While it is definitely not the best cover on that album, it is definitely one of the top 3 covers on that album. The vocal styles in that song remind me of Dee Snider's from Twisted Sister, probably the first time TS and A7X have been compared. Without a doubt, the alternate version of "Afterlife" is the best song on the B side. When the track listing was revealed, I assumed the alternate version was going to be the Raido edit version, with all the best parts cut out. I was very pleased to find out it wasn't. I really love how this song starts off with guitars and as the song progresses by sections, the guitars are taken away and they are entirely replaced by strings at teh very end. They both are present throughout the entire song. I call it the Easy Listening version of "Afterlife" even though it is remarkably similar to the original.

Overall, I am amazed by some of the songs that didn't make their self titled album. The fact that I was disappointed that some of these didn't make the actual album makes me really impressed by thier song writing skills. The song quality made this B side Really Impressive.

Overall, I would give this CD the same rating as I did thier Self titled: 5 Stars/5. I almost want to go higher because I actually like the B side alot more than their self titled, which is also funny, becasuse I sitll adore thier self titled as one of the best CD's I have ever bought. Overall, it is definitely a must buy for all AvengeD Fans.

No go out, get it, sit back, and enjoy.

The Ten Arguments of My Hatred for Led Zeppelin

DISCLAIMER Some people who may read this are Led Zeppelin fans who are also my friends. You know who you are, but know that these arguments are not directed towards you because you accept my opinions and musical tastes and even give my musical interests a chance, as I did yours. I thank you for respecting my opinions not only as a friend, but as a human being. This disclaimer also applies to others who respect the "Zeppelin-haters" opinions. I thank you all who show respect for us.

First off, I am not going to try to rant about them, it is simply just my personal opinions. If you agree or disagree, feel free to post your opinions in a comment.

First Argument: Led Zeppelin is Overrated.
If you are reading this, then I assume you know me enough to know that I am not a fan of much overrated things. (For example to set the idea, on the New Avenged Sevenfold Album, everyone hates the song Lost, but its my favorite song.) Well, at least overrated to the people I know. I may very well be in a mainstream group when compared to everyone, but for all intensive purposes, this argument only applies to people I interact with on a day to day basis.

I like being different. I personally don't see whats wrong with this, but that aside, I enjoy it. Out of all the people I know personally who love the Rock N' Roll genre, every single one loves Led Zeppelin. Now, I don't want to be the same as everyone else. When a discussion about music comes up, discussing Led Zeppelin is inevitable. While everyone else wants to discuss Zeppelin, Cream, and AC/DC, I want to discuss Avenged Sevenfold, Metallica, Iron Maiden, and DragonForce.

Don't get me wrong. This argument has nothing to do with their music, but it does, however, have everything to do with me being true to my unique self. This isn't the entire reason though and in fact, it is probably the weakest argument I make today. If I truly liked Zeppelin, then this idea of uniqueness would be thrown out so I could enjoy something that I like. But I don't enjoy it.

Second Argument: The Lack of Excitement
Stairway to Heaven. Dazed and Confused. The Battle of Evermore. Three songs in particular that stick out to me as boring. Like super boring. I can't listen to something that bores me. End of story. To further prove my point, I present you a simple argument:

No one enjoys boredom.
Led Zeppelin causes me boredom.
------- (Therefore)
I do not like Led Zeppelin.

Third Argument: The Hype
People hear the names Jimmy Page and Robert Plant and pretty much worship them as if they are gods. They go around saying that they are the greatest and no one compares to them....ever.

See, I do not agree with. Sure, I go around saying Synyster Gates, Kirk Hammet, and Randy Rhoads are amazing, and while I think that Randy is the best ever, I tell everyone that this is my opinion (and Page supporters even say my opinion is wrong, see the final argument). I also go around saying Synyster Gates is amazing, but I also say that he is not the best, but has potential to go down in history as one of the greats. While I praise those I believe are the best, I also disprove them by looking through the eyes of everyone else (for example, the Synyster Gates line).

While their fans do have the right to admire them and speak greatly of them, as I do with the above mentioned, I do not feel that they have the right to make a fact out of a simple opinion. To make it a fact is impossible as it is personal taste. And by criticizing someone for their tastes being "wrong" because they may not agree with the mainstream's beliefs shows that you would be a hypocrite who doesn't believe in someone having thier own thoughts. Well ladies and gentelmen, thats Communism. Last time I checked, I live in the good old USA, and have the right to speak my mind without persecution (freedom of speech).

Fourth Argument: Robert Plant
I hate his voice. It annoys me. I can simply solve this in another, simple argument.

No one likes being annoyed
I am annoyed with Robert Plant's voice.
Robert plant sings for Led Zeppelin
It is impossible to listen to a band without hearing their vocalist (with the exception of instrumental songs)
--------(Therefore)
I do not like Led Zeppelin on the premise that he annoys me and I cannot listen to Led Zeppelin without hearing his voice.

Fifth Argument: Jimmy Page
If you know anything about my friends and I, there is that one sub group in my group of friends that are guitarists. We cannot have one conversation without bringing up a guitarist at one point.

Out of all of said friends, they all believe that Jimmy Page is the best ever. And like I mentioned in argument Four, I think Randy Rhoads is. And even though these other friends listen to music I like, such as Iron Maiden and the Scorpions, they still are true to classic rock (even though I attemped to save them by introducing them to Avenged Sevenfold, which they accept and don't deny thier musical talent, especially Synyster Gates.) Once again, this leads to the first argument of being different and also the second argument by listening to what I like.

Sixth Argument: The Style
I do not like the bluesy style. It is too slow and is boring to me, and once again, as stated in the second argument, I do not like what bores me. One could aruge that I like Slash and Slash has a bluesy style. While I do acknowledge, I can assure you that he is the only bluesy guitarist that I enjoy. The reasons are unknown to me, but he has a style that is different from the classic bluesy styles of Page.

Seventh Argument: Lyrical Content
Once again, a personal preference. I do not think that any of their music's lyrical content is amazing. It seems generic to me. Sure, they throw in Lord of the Rings here and there. Big whoop! I personally think that bands like Avenged Sevenfold and DragonForce have much better lyrical content than Zeppelin. Once again, this is a personal preference. Its a simple matter of what interests me. For example, Avenged Sevenfold, during Waking the Fallen and City of Evil, had alot of the Biblical settings. Babylon. Refrencing Chapter Four in the Bible. The Apocalypse. These are all religious icons that appeal to my mideval geeky side. Another example is DragonForce, and I won't go into detail because thier name says it all (and so did my friend Bobby when he called DragonForce "D&D Metal"). If you have the urge to argue that I am wrong, then please stay tuned for the Final Argument.

Eighth Argument: Its a Bandwagon That Everyone Jumped On....
...and if you didn't jump on, you are considered less than a human being. Yes, I will accept the fact that even Slash found Jimmy Page to be an influence of his. But look at it this little diagram.

Jimmy Page ---influenced--> Slash ----influenced---> Synyster Gates

Looking at this diagram, how much has it changed? A great deal, mind you. Simply speaking here, yes Zeppelin influenced others who then put their own twist on it, then influenced others who did the same, and so on..... Sure, they may be a common influence, but that does not mean we all have to like their music. I think I may have strayed from my point slightly, but you get the idea.

Ninth Argument: "Without Led Zeppelin, we wouldn't have the music we have today"
People say this argument. They then believe that Led Zeppelin are the founders of music. They say that everything we hear today is taken from Led Zeppelin or inspired by it.

Hold on here. Something is wrong. You know what that is?

In case you didn't figure it out, here is my point. What evidence do they have in saying this. Sure, they influenced musicians and started the chain as I showed in the previous argument. But how can you say that another musician wouldn't have came along and revolutionized music in the same way? You can't. If you truly think that no other musician would have done the same thing, then let me ask you this. What evidence do you have? What is the basis of your argument? I thought so...no evidence. If you do happen to find a machine that lets us view alternate realities, give me a buzz. I would love to check out a few things. Then again, this won't happen so you have no basis in saying it wouldn't have happened.

Another argument is that people say modern bands do not pay homage to Led Zeppelin. Who said they had to? Last time I opened the Bible it did not say that on the first day, Led Zeppelin created the universe. No, God created the universe. Without evidence that Zeppelin would have been the only band to revolutionize music of that time, I owe nothing to them and neither do modern bands either. If that make them suck, then so be it. They have thier own fan base and sell their own records without paying homage to the overated Zeppelin. If one has to pay homage to them to be good, then I would love to see how many records you have sold? None? I thought as much. Moving on.

Tenth Argument: The Musical Content
I have been told by others that the musical content of Led Zeppelin is so deep that you need to actually listen carefully to get the genius of it and if you can't, you are not capable of understanding music this amazing. To me, this is a lame cop out. People who argue this are just trying to insult the intelligence levels of those who do not like Zeppelin. Sure, the musical content may be present, but I prefer music I don't need to be on drugs to find amazing.

Final Argument: The People
The final reason I do not like Led Zeppelin is the people who do like Led Zeppelin. If you ask anyone who likes Led Zeppelin about someone who doesn't, their automatic response is one of the following, and I know from experience. Listen carefully, I will disprove every one of them.

-How can you not like Led Zeppelin? Led Zeppelin created music, so you therefore hate music.
-You are just a coward for not liking something that everyone else likes.
-Led Zeppelin Haters are Gay in the literal meaning of the word.
-Plus a cornicopia of others that I can disprove, but will leave out to make this a PG blog.

And for the rebuttal:
-No, they did not creature music. Others, such as Elvis came before them. Do you mean to tell me that Elvis is not music? I think not.
-My exact reply when I heard this one was "WHAT???" If anything, it is the opposite. To dislike what everyone else likes takes serious balls.
-Last time I checked, I am interested in women.
-Once again, I have answers to these ones too, but I am going to keep it clean.

Zeppelin fans are also pompous. They say that anyone who dislikes Zeppelin is not a person. They also go about and say that our opinions are wrong. Let me say it again. OUR OPINIONS ARE WRONG. If it was a textbook fact, then fine, say I am wrong, but show me where it is written by scholars that Led Zeppelin is the greatest ever. Good luck because I am confident that you will not find it anywhere.

If I was put on this planet for more than terrorizing people and being the but of peoples jokes, it was to speak out against the persecution of opinions. In my opinion, people who do this are discriminators, and unlike Zeppelin fans, I will not say you are wrong if you don't agree.

Fans are also arrogant. Even friends of mine say that the Rolling Stones should not be the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame's Greatest Rock Band of All Time. I mean, yeah, they should. They obviously had some form of support for this. I am sure they didn't say, "Hmm, lets pick a band that no one likes to be the greatest band ever." No, people had to like them over Zeppelin. Fans of Zeppelin argue. And you know why? They cannot deal with the fact that thier false perceptions are showing them what is real, not what they want to see.

Yeah, Zeppelin may have the greatest fan base because of this (an opinion), but they are also the most arrogant and pompous too (once again, an opinion).

The Wrap Up: It's Fun
I have seen posts in blogs, forums, groups, you name it saying that music today is not music and sucks. Its an opinion. This ties in to the last argument, which is the one I am the most passionate about. But music is meant to be fun. If someone asked my why I like Avenged Sevenfold so much, you know what I would say. I would say:

"I like Avenged Sevenfold because they are amazing. Their song writing skills are genius (opinion) and Syn Gates is an awesome guitarist (opinion). But most of all, their music is fun. I actually enjoy listening to Avenged Sevenfold and am able to easily relax when I hear them (based on emotion.)"

Emotion. Isn't music supposed to appeal to your emotions? Its supposed to be entertaining. If I find it entertaining, then I like it. Once again, another simple argument.

People live for pleasure and absence from displeasure(actually a philosophical argument by John Stuart Mills and his "Greatest Happiness Prinicple")
Avenged Sevenfold causes me happiness when I listen to it.
Happiness is the primary consequence from pleasure.
Led Zeppelin causes me displeasure.
Displeasure's principle consequense is pain (not in the entirely literal sense)
-----(Therefore)
Avenged Sevenfold causes me pleasure, which is what people seek when living and so I will listen to this band because they cause me happiness. I will not listen to Led Zeppelin as they promote displeasure to me.

Lets face it. No one wants pain or displeasure. They want something they enjoy. This is the primary reason I do not like Led Zeppelin. Led Zeppelin annoys me (as stated earlier), which causes me displeasure, but Avenged Sevenfold, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Scorpions, DragonForce, Velvet Revolver, Guns N' Roses.... They all cause me to be happy.

So, if Zeppelin fans think that what I find enjoyable is wrong, who is truly the wrong one. The one who takes refuge in what he likes, or the one that finds people who have different pleasures than himself and crucifies them for their beliefs?

You answer it for yourself, but anyone with morals would say that the second one is wrong.

RIP: Kevin DuBrow

"Kevin DuBrow (October 29, 1955 – November 25, 2007) was an American rock vocalist, best known as the lead singer of the heavy metal band Quiet Riot. During Quiet Riot's commercial heyday in the 1980s, Dubrow was known for his on-stage charisma, gravelly bluesy voice, and suspenders."

Wikipedia.org-Kevin DuBrow

On a brief note, Kevin DuBrow was from Quiet Riot. Quiet Riot set the stage for heavy metal music with thier two most popular songs "Cum On Feel the Noize" and "Bang Your Head (Metal Health)." Shortly after those two songs were released, what we look at as modern Metal began to take its shape. In a bit of irony, Quiet Riot fell out of the limelight during this time.

Also from Quiet Riot was Randy Rhodes, the greatest guitar player to ever set foot on the planet (in my opinion). He is also dead, which will be discussed later when I do my research blog on Randy's Profile.

Kevin DuBrow is the second to die from Quiet Riot and will be remembered for his outlandish stage style, charisma, unique vocals, and of course, for being in Quiet Riot.

Avenged Sevenfold's Self-Titled Masterpiece

Avenged Sevenfold is probably one of the greatest albums this band has ever done. Even if you do not like this band, I recommend giving them a chance with this CD. If there is at least one song you like from Avenged Sevenfold's arsenal of music, I can guarantee it will be from this album. There are so many influences music references in this one album. Metal. Punk. Pop. Country. Jazz. Classical. Goth Rock. Just by having so many different influences, I have to say this is Avenged Sevenfold's greatest project. In fact, my friend Ray said "After listening to this CD, I no longer doubt Avenged Sevenfold's songwriting genius"

Also, once again, Avenged Sevenfold shows this genius by writing about topics that may not be the most embracing by society. Topics such as the nation (Critical Acclaim), the soldiers (Gunslinger), a deadly disease, most likely Cancer (Brompton Cocktail), and psychotic murders (A Little Piece of Heaven).

*****- Five Stars for creativity, uniqueness of songs, and amazing lyrics and themes.
(This is an achievement, because I only gave Waking the Fallen and City of Evil **** */2 because some the songs had a similar pattern)

Critical Acclaim - The first single on the CD. It has been released a while back and is an interesting piece of work. Its a metal song, but the verses are not sung, but conveyed as a rant about the state of the country. This is the first song that the Rev is featured vocally, but it won't be the last. Probably one of the most recognizable songs on the CD.

Almost Easy- This song was also released last month. Its a simple metal song that has an amazing video to accompany it. This song was supposed to be in the Transformers soundtrack, but was not complete. Plain and simple modern metal style. This is easily the most recognizable song on the album.

Scream- Played at the Scream awards recently. Originally, I thought this song was going to be a throwback to the Sounding the Seventh Trumpet and Waking the Fallen era. It is not, however. I really do not know how to describe this song. It is similarly to Almost Easy, only heavier.

Afterlife- One of my favorite songs on the CD. With a very interesting orchestral introduction. The gold of the song is definitely the chorus. Its extremely catchy and paints a beautiful imagery. This was heard on Loveline last week. The guitar solo is another song to the list that shows just how amazing Synyster Gates is.

Gunslinger- Another song that has a country/cowboy feel. During the intro, I can't help but think of 'Blaze of Glory' by Bon Jovi. After a few verses of acoustic cowboy-Esq guitar, the metal kicks in and holds until the end. When analyzed, the lyrics represent the Soldiers in Iraq.

Unbound (The Wild Ride)- The greatest part of this song is the sixteenth note chromatics on the piano during the verses. The guitars take this eventually also. I actually think that this song is a throwback to City of Evil, specifically 'Betrayed'. Not many people may catch this, but it is a reference that I cannot really explain, but I feel in the music.

Brompton Cocktail- An interesting song, none the less. It opens with a high pitched guitar part that sounds almost synthetic and an interesting drum part. When the electric guitars kick in. This song has a feel that I can only describe as a mix of heavy blues and metal. This is also the saddest song on the album. To understand this, you must understand what a Brompton Cocktail is. A Brompton Cocktails an elixir made from morphine or heroin, cocaine, highly-pure ethyl alcohol, and sometimes chlorpromazine (Thorazine) or even cannabis and Advil liquigels given to terminally-ill individuals, especially cancer patients, to relieve pain and promote sociability near death. When you hear the lyrics "I'm not running away, been fighting this for so long." and "I won't struggle on", it really sets the tone as depressing.

Lost- The intro is reminiscent of 'Critical Acclaim' except that it has guitar play that is mimicked by the second. This pattern holds true, even when the thrash metal and drum part kick in. The majority of this song has a light thrash sound with a very interesting chorus of M. Shadows and The Rev with the talk box distorting their voices slightly. It has an amazing effect and is probably my favorite chorus on the entire album. The slight voice distortion is what makes this my favorite song.

A Little Piece of Heaven- I looked at the title and thought "Oh, OK, another 'Seize the Day'-Esq ballad. After listening to this song, I was entirely wrong. This is probably the darkest song on the album. It is about love though, but it doesn't fit the ballad style at all. Its the opposite. Still, it is an amazing song, one of my favorites, if not my top favorite. The Rev and M. Shadows do an amazing duet at the end. The song itself is about a couple with a strong relationship. The man kills the woman because he was afraid of the relationship falling apart. It hints that the man was psychotic when it says "She was never this good in bed, even when she was sleepin'" and eventually is haunted by the spirit, as evident in the line "Now an angry soul comes back from beyond the grave, to repossess a body with which I'd misbehaved". Even though this topic is no laughing matter, it is still beautifully written and thus is the reason why the fans voted this song their favorite on the album.

Dear God- When I heard this song was a country song, I was horrified. But I was confident that Avenged Sevendfold would definitely switch it up a bit. And they did. Its beginning has a slight country feel. Halfway, a metal guitar part with the country part still going. Its in genius.