Life Is But A Dream…

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Synyster Gates – lead guitar (1–10), production, orchestration, piano (1–3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11), Mellotron (1, 6), flute (1), Rhodes piano (2, 5, 10), Wurlitzer organ (2), synthesizer (6, 7, 10), Hammond organ, harmonica (6), lead vocals (6) Thematically and musically, Life Is But A Dream… is destined to become a modern day masterpiece. Conceptual works are nothing new for Avenged Sevenfold. This record sets a very high bar for them, and could be seen as the record that showcases their best work throughout change. A little like Radiohead did with Kid A or U2 with Achtung Baby. It takes a lot of talent to put together so many different styles of music. It takes a lot more talent for it not to sound cluttered and confused. Avenged Sevenfold have nailed it on one of the finest records of 2023; it is both grandiose and immersive. We had so much influence from hardcore and punk but also heavy metal, and that was the big boys’ league, right?”, says Shadows. “The hardcore and punk bands we loved were the bands we could go and see at shows. Then there was Metallica and Pantera and Guns N’ Roses, and things happening on a much larger scale. We were big dreamers; we always had grand ambitions to do things differently. But to say there’s a masterplan when you’re 17, that’d be giving us too much credit. We were just dumb kids who put all their eggs in one basket and said: OK, let’s see how this goes.” Things get shitty,” he adds. “You have deaths all the time, and though you know that it’s gonna happen, there will be a point where you lose everybody you love – if you live long enough – or you’ll die yourself. There’s one of two options there. You need to be prepared for that, and you need to know what it means.”

We know what we want it to sound like but it’s not traditional” says Shadows. “We want the bow to be sharper here, the mic to be further down the tuba because we want to hear the breath instead of the softer sound. Whatever it was, we were able to get with a team that allowed us to do that.” There’s something admirable in the desire to broaden the boundaries of heavy metal. Explore things which other bands may never have dared to. A certain masked band is currently dominating the metal scene for having done that very thing. Though where there are success stories, there are casualties. Hoping they don’t err on the side of the latter, metal heavyweights AVENGED SEVENFOLD encourage us to step through the looking glass of 2016’s The Stage and immerse ourselves in Life Is But A Dream… .

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That’s not even my best vocal performance,” he counters. “But that was the one that felt real, right? I think that’s an important aspect of making stuff like this. It’s a completely different philosophy from our old, old, old stuff which had to be perfect, and powerful, or whatever. I think there’s something more endearing and cooler in the long-term of having a real performance that isn’t perfect. I’m in a place now where it doesn’t bother me at all – I love it. I’d rather we have what we have than the perfect take that might technically be better.”

Just going into his studio, it’s like walking into the temple of time in Zelda. The world stops. You just feel like you are in this void.”David, Maximo (May 31, 2023). "Album Review: Avenged Sevenfold – Life Is But A Dream..." Boolin Tunes . Retrieved May 31, 2023.