Avenged Sevenfold: Nightmare Review
Review Summary: Even if Avenged Sevenfold has previously been able to get above these issues, Nightmare's best parts fall short of being perfect.
If there's a liminal space between a strong comeback and stale mediocrity, Nightmare by Avenged Sevenfold more or less finds it. The future didn't look promising for Nightmare. Nightmare's chances didn't appear good given the dreadful rut the band got themselves into on their self-titled album and the less than great "Nightmare" and "Buried Alive" previews in the weeks preceding up to the album's release. However, even Avenged Sevenfold's solid albums have weak spots (such as the bro-downs in "Thick and Thin" by Sounding the Seventh Trumpet), (The monotonous tempo of "Desecrate Through Reverence" by Waking the Fallen, or the awkward songwriting of "Betrayed" by City of Evil) The best parts of Nightmare aren't quite strong enough to cover Avenged Sevenfold's shortcomings, despite their past success at doing so.
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Nightmare is a difficult album to get into for two main reasons, both of which detract from a number of otherwise strong songs. Avenged Sevenfold have always performed at their best when they concentrate on playing catchy melodic metal (or metalcore), especially when they use guitar harmonies that are influenced by Iron Maiden. When they gain weight, the effects are as expected less than satisfactory. Although it is clear that they are fans of Pantera and Metallica, their use of chunky, down-tuned groove riffs in songs like "Nightmare," "Welcome to the Family," "Buried Alive," and—most notably—"God Hates Us—sounds awful now. The album's length, which is Nightmare's second major flaw, is intimately tied to this issue. The majority of Nightmare's rockers are only approximately five minutes long, yet they do not flow as naturally as they could due to Nightmare's sixty-six minute run being shorter than both Waking the Fallen and City of Evil. Guitarists Synyster Gates and Zacky Vengeance do switch back into their melodic tendencies in choruses, instrumental breaks, and the like, providing for a much more interesting listen (with the exception of "God Hates Us" and "Buried Alive"). Granted, provided you can get through the shoddy attempts at groove-influenced metal.
Apart from "God Hates Us," the second half of Nightmare is where things really start to pick up. Avenged Sevenfold embraces both acoustic pieces and ballads while eschewing the occasionally remarkable, occasionally unfinished metal style introduced earlier. Slower songs by the band are typically hit or miss, ranging from amazing ("I Won't See You Tonight, Pt.") to good ("Warmness on the Soul") to downright terrible ("Dear God"), but this time they are excellent. It's timely for an album that's rife with macho metal posturing. Particularly noteworthy is the Alice in Chains-inspired song "Tonight the World Dies," which relies more on a stifling atmosphere than great instrumental play. It's a much-needed breath of fresh air with the piano-heavy "Fiction," the ominous power ballad "Victim," and the unadorned "So Far Away."
Avenged Sevenfold's brief rebirth may be attributed primarily to their renewed inspiration. Their self-titled album's most aggravating feature was that it appeared as if they weren't really trying, which was evident in the terrible results. Nightmare is a very different product; even while it still contains a few very dubious passages, it is still worth listening to because it is clear that an effort was made. Nightmare is, in a sense, Avenged Sevenfold's most significant album. It serves as a tribute to The Rev following the sad death of the drummer and provides solace for the other members of the band. It has a very solid track record in this area. However, it simply isn't as wonderful as Waking the Fallen, City of Evil, or even Sounding the Seventh Trumpet, and it is unknown whether it will continue to hold listeners' attention in the way those albums did.
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