Background

The band formerly consisted of five best friends who grew up in Orange County, California. They never expected to make it big, just enjoyed playing with each other during high school. The guys released their first album in 2001. It essentially was a flop, but they could care less. They kept playing and in 2003 they released another record, "Waking the Fallen." This got the attention of some popular radio stations, but every year the band accumulated more and more fans. In 2005 the band released "City of Evil," which put them on the map. Their fast-paced harmonics, lightning fast drum and guitar solos, and mezmorizing vocals got the attention of thousands of music fans. From there it was history; they released a self-titled ablum in 2007, were constantly featured with other artists, and began to tour for years on end. In December of 2009 tragedy struck. The drummer, known as "The Rev," passed unexpectedly. For many months it was thought the ride was over for the band that many considered, "the greatest rock band no one has ever heard of." Around four months after death struck the band released a statement stating they would make one last record in memory of The Rev. It was fittingly titled "Nightmare." After one week it took the top spot on the Billboard Top 200, dethroning Eminem after his five week stint at the top. It was official; Avenged Sevenfold had made it big. They currently are touring around the globe, trying to please fans from all over by delivering the music that there fallen brother had worked on with them for countless hours. The band got The Rev's favorite drummer, Mike Portnoy, to fill in full time for them and show no signs of slowing down the tour cycle as they just announced another leg starting in the beginning of 2011.

Recommendation

If you are someone who likes hard rock music, with fast guitar riffs and mind-boggling drum solos this is the band for you. Avenged Sevenfold is notorious for creating tracks that do not fit the mold of the traditional three minutes, with one chorus, and one solo. These guys know how to create a story within a song, consistently creating music that extends into the five to six minute range. In their latest album, their final song takes eleven minutes to complete, but after listening to it you would never guess it. I had the pleasure of meeting two of the guys from the band, and what they made even more appealing is how nice and down to earth they were. They weren't jerks or stuck up, just regular guys who never get sick of meeting fans and talking about every day things. I would definitely recommend this band to anyone, and have already converted family members and friends alike. Just listen to any of their newer music and you will be astonished! I say newer because even the band admits their first album was terrible.