Avenged Sevenfold

When Metallica titled their 5th studio album after themselves, it was (and still is) colloquially referred to as the "Black Album", thanks to their choice in cover color. For sanity's sake, I think we should just refer to today's suggestion as the "White Album".

Album: Avenged Sevenfold
Artist: Avenged Sevenfold

Because I previously referred to this album in a fun factoid on here, I felt obligated to actually follow up on it. Well, that and I feel that anyone who calls his/herself a fan of (modern) rock better have at least heard of this masterpiece.

The "White Album" is rather short in length, featuring only ten different tracks. Yet, after you've listened to it, you'll probably think that you just listened to ten different bands. And honestly, that's not as much of a hyperbole as you want it to be.

Without describing in immense detail the specifics of each individual song, I'd like to list off some of the more "different" styles/influences/instruments/sounds featured in this album.
- orchestral backgrounds & melodies
- symphonic backgrounds & melodies
- country music
- organ solo
- vocal choir
- child vocalist(s)
- autotuned vocals
- harmonic scale
- "tribal" sounding percussion

I'll just stop there.

However, that list does omit the important fact that in addition to all of those ridiculous aspects, Avenged Sevenfold turns in a sensational rock performance, complete with outstanding drumming, amazing vocals, and some of the greatest guitar playing I've heard in a while.

Some standout tracks include;
• The entire album.

The "White Album" is not so much a record as it is an experience. Not in the sense that it's an emotional roller-coaster (that would be Nightmare) or anything like that, but instead that it's something you have to listen to in its entirety to fully appreciate it. For instance, if you listen only to "Afterlife", you might think this just another traditional rock album. Or, if you randomly select "Dear God", it would seem a country album.

The effort level put into this album is tremendous, leaving it standing head-and-shoulders above most of its counterparts. It's remarkable not just for what it contains musically, but what it represents. It was a leap off of the figurative music cliff for these guys, a huge risk to take for a band in a relatively young stage of their career. They wanted to push the envelope on what they could produce, not knowing how well it would be accepted. Plain and simple, that's a sign of a band making music for the sake of making music (not money). The fact that it turned out amazing is just a [really good] bonus.

I strongly recommend giving the "White Album" a listen, but definitely be prepared for the numerous double-takes that will occur when you stop headbanging only to find yourself caught up in a heartfelt county ballad.