When I saw that a surprise EP had become available from Huntington Beach quintet, Avenged Sevenfold I was initially excited. Then I listened to it…
This is so much farther away from even previous album Life Is But A Dream and, given how great a voice lead singer M. Shadows possesses, I simply cannot fathom the stylistic choice to make him sound like an actual robot. Autotuned to hell and only recognisable due to his unmistakable southern accent. This four track EP, put as kindly as possible, is just not good.
I have adored this band for over two decades and am more than open to giving new directions a chance, after all, it’s hard to argue that Hail to the King is in remotely the same vein as Sounding the Seventh Trumpet. However, the dip in quality the band has experienced over its last two releases is staggering. On my first playthrough of ‘STATICA’ I had assumed it was one of those AI generated bands with the same name that streaming services sometimes offer up. The only track with any semblance of replay ability would be ASHES, it does at the very least have some good guitar work. But I wouldn’t say I recommend it by any means, just it’s the least unlistenable of the four.
In a time where the rock and metal landscape is perhaps stronger than ever, with return singles from huge artists like Chiodos and From First To Last this week alone, the timing of this couldn’t have come at a worse moment. It will likely get lost in the mix of all the other excellent releases and as a long time listener, that in and of itself is sad. But it’s entirely of their own doing and they only have themselves to blame.
As ever, you all are perfectly entitled to your opinion if you do enjoy this, everyone has their own views and I’m not going to pretend my review is the only one that matters. But from a completely personal standpoint, I think this one should’ve stayed an idea in the studio, and it’s not one that needs a track-by-track breakdown for our thoughts to come through.
My rating for this is a generous, if you can call it such, 3/10.
Ryan Norton is DSR/CBC’s primary music critic. Living 90 minutes out of London, he’s privy to one of the most iconic music scenes in the world, giving him an ear for something unique.