Avenged Sevenfold – Live in the Lbc & Diamonds in the Rough

Earlier in my career as a music journalist, I coined a term that I have since used countless times: Avenged Sevenfold Syndrome. This affliction plagues bands that, for all intents and purposes, would, could be absolutely amazing save for one fatal flaw, the Douchebag Lead Singer. I have long believed that Avenged Sevenfold could be so much better; could be so much more than the radio-friendly guilty pleasure they have become. M. Shadows should give his resounding thanks to Synester Gates and Zacky Vengeance for the street cred lent by face-melting guitar solos that can still give me goosebumps. Johnny Christ is a good bassist, and The Rev is probably the most metal of the bunch. He keeps things tight and has the backup vocals reminiscent of some legitimate Norwegian heavy metal outfit. M. Shadows makes the band a part of my least favorite metal subgenre: bro metal. Get on your aviators, tighten up that bandanna, grab your iPhone and the keys to your lifted truck and head on over to the show, dude.

Given my skepticism and cynicism for the Orange County pretty boy beefcakes, what better person to review their new CD Diamonds in the Rough/DVD “Live in The LBC” combo? Never mind the fact that they would have to work a little bit harder to impress the anti-fan…that’s what a good band should set out to do, right?

As separate entities, I will admit that I was pretty impressed with the production value of “Live in The LBC”. ‘Twas a concert fit for the Best of the Bros: palpable love for the LBC, serious bank invested is the accompanying pyrotechnics, and even a brief break with some backup dancers/strippers. What they were doing there, I’ll never fully understand, but the crowd didn’t seem to care too much. Aside from all the glitz and glamour, the set was pretty standard. They played their hits (most notably “Bat Country” and “Beast and the Harlot”) very cleanly and true to the album and garnered a really energetic response from the immense crowd. At one point in the show, Synester Gates struck the familiar beginning bars to “Walk” by Pantera and Shadows pulled an enthused, shirtless concert-goer to sing along. As great of an opportunity as this was to play to the crowd and bestow a great experience upon some lucky fan, I had a hard time stomaching the stage full of frat boys trying their hand at one of the greatest metal songs of all time. Starting small probably would have been more respectful, as opposed to attempting to force their way onto Phil Anselmo’s elevated plane of existence. Nevertheless, the fans roared their approval and thrashed as best they could in such overpopulated quarters. I will give credit for the nicely executed encore, “A Little Piece of Heaven” which was accompanied by the animated music video on the two parallel jumbo screens. The song is still a bit poppy for my tastes, but I have a healthy amount of respect for any band that attempts to bring their sound to the borders of their paternal genre. Summarily, if you are a fan of Avenged Sevenfold and didn’t have the opportunity to make it to this show (or tour, I suppose) I would regretfully say that you missed out. The band delivers all that it promises, and puts on a performance that impresses even the Anti-Fan to a degree. Furthermore, if you are an A7X fan, I would highly recommend going out and buying the DVD to add to your collection. 

Of both the album and the concert footage, I was less enthusiastic about Diamonds In The Rough. I had previously read quotations from Avenged Sevenfold stating that their reasons for covering metal classics like Iron Maiden’s “Flash Of The Blade” and again, Pantera’s “Walk” were to introduce oblivious fans to some of the legends. A noble goal, but you know what would be an even better way to introduce the younger gen to Iron Maiden? By giving them an actual Iron Maiden album. Giving some kid a cheap knock-off of “Flash Of The Blade” is akin to introducing an ex-vegetarian into the world of carnivores with a hot dog instead of a filet mignon. Granted, when Avenged Sevenfold sticks to what they know (re: bro metal) they do a bang up job. “Until The End” has some beautiful guitar solos that mesh perfectly with the background strings during the chorus. Similarly, the last track, an alternate version of one of their other big hits, “Afterlife” is a variation that any A7X fan should want in their collection. Other notables were first guitar break after about 1:50 in “The Fight” for the squeaky clean style and the first 30 seconds of “Dancing Dead” for an intro reminiscent of a Phantom of the Opera-meets-metal crossover. Broadway metalcore? Nice work, gents—you may be onto something here.

I think the biggest problem I have with Avenged Sevenfold is that I never believed metal was something… well, cool. Metal was for the rejects, the outcasts, the kids who were too nerdy for everything else. (As a huge metal kid myself, I say that with both humility and love.) When A7X came out and effectively took metal from the outcasts and gave it back to the kids that picked on them, it’s fair to say that they were met with well-warranted criticism. Diamonds In The Rough and “Live in the LBC” didn’t quite make me a fan, but there was, without question, enough talent for me to respect them more as musicians and entertainers. In a world where the disposability of music is a genuine concern, it’s safe to say that Avenged Sevenfold has earned the right to play on.