On Oct. 7, Loudwire.com ran a story on mysterious sightings of the Avenged Sevenfold Deathbat logo in cities such as London, Paris and Berlin. This included an Instagram post by WWE superstar Chris Jericho of the logo spotted near the Rogers Centre in Toronto. This was enough to pique the curiosity of fans who have been anticipating new music from Avenged Sevenfold since “Hail to the King” in 2013.
A week after the sightings, the band released an official video for “The Stage.” Shortly after, Jericho, a friend of the band, posted on his Instagram that the band’s new album would be called “Voltaic Oceans” and be released on Dec. 9, the post was quickly taken down as if he leaked the information.
It turns out this was a setup for the band’s surprise release of their seventh studio album, “The Stage,” on Oct. 27. The release of the album was announced shortly after the band had an unannounced performance on the roof of the iconic Capitol Records building in Los Angeles, which was streamed live on multiple social media platforms.
Many of the band’s loyal followers were unhappy with “Hail to the King,” saying it seemed like more of a tribute record to the many inspirations for the band with tracks such as “This Means War,” which sounded similar to Metallica on the “Black Album” or “Doing Time,” which resembles early Guns N’ Roses. Many listeners who were expecting a “City Of Evil” or “Nightmare” type of record may be disappointed. Listeners might view “The Stage” as a safe record for the band, similar to recent albums by bands like Staind, whose first record was heavy, but successive releases have been tame in comparison.
Though many listeners will not think highly of this record, it shows how the band has grown as musicians since their first release. It also shows how improved M. Shadows is as a vocalist, once he dropped the screaming vocal style of the band’s first two albums and actually began singing on the “City Of Evil” album.
The band also added two new elements to this record, such as on “Sunny Disposition” which is a mid-range song for the band of the heavy scale and it includes a brass section. Additionally, the records final song, the nearly 16-minute “Exist,” closes with instrumentals over a spoken-word portion, written and performed by famed astrophysicist, Neil deGrasse Tyson.
While “The Stage” may disappoint some longtime fans, there is still much to like about this record. The songs still include Synyster Gate’s signature solos and the addition of Brooks Wackerman brings a drumming style to the band that is very comparable to that of the late Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan, who was a big fan of Wackerman during his days with Bad Religion.
Many may feel the best part of “The Stage” is the setup to the surprise release, including Jericho’s leaked title and release date, which fits well with a line from the title track “Tell Me a Lie in a Beautiful Way.”
Overall, this is a good record which will prove the band’s longevity, whether they choose to go back to the style of earlier releases or continue to play it safe.
