M Shadows – Vocals

Synyster Gates – Guitar

Zacky Vengeance – Guitar

Johnny Christ – Bass

The Rev – Drums

             

            Avenged Sevenfold takes another step in what seems like to be a career that is going to be very hard to kill. With the A7X dead bat flying all over the place it’s also flying off the shelves with the newest release from the band. The CD/DVD combo pack features a live show from the 2008 Taste of Chaos tour filmed in Long Beach, Cal on April 10^th. The CD that comes along with the live show features tracks that have been previously unreleased as well as a few covers and redone tracks. The DVD spans 102 minutes or roughly an hour and 45 minutes, featuring 12 tracks and many singles. The show begins with the huge single “Critical Acclaim” and add in other tracks like “Afterlife,” Scream,” “Seize the Day,” and the huge single that propelled them higher than high “Bat Country.” It does its job in taking you closer to the band during the show. It zooms up on all the members while showing the entire stage and the crowd. M. Shadows vocals are very clear as well as the backing and supporting vocals throughout the whole set. The picture is super clear with all of the lights and pyrotechnics going off. The sound is superbly done as you can hear every note and drum beat played. They also get the crowd going nuts for the very onset. The camera work in places is where it gets a bit fuzzy. In some instances it is blurry as the camera man has a hard time focusing on their target. Of their four albums they hit 3 of them during the show. Waking the Fallen was represented with 2 tracks as City of Evil had 3 and Avenged Sevenfold was featured 6 times. When they brought up a fan to sing with the band while they covered “Walk” was one of the coolest moments I have ever seen. The bonus content is a must see, as they did intro videos in every city over the tour. Overall the DVD is excellent in picture and sound quality. The vocals are very clear as well as the music. The camera work was great for the most part with blurry moments from time to time. They also slowed the video in spots which was a very cool touch. The band didn’t however give the amount of energy that I was expecting. M. Shadows was moving a lot, jumping from time to time, but the rest of the band simply walked around on stage without crazy antics that I was expecting and hoping for.

            The CD portion to the set features 11 tracks of songs that were either previously unreleased and/or covers and other versions of tracks. It begins with the track “Demons” that is a high impact blast of vocals and music. The multiple vocals during the track follows the normal for the band, but the effects on them are unique. The drums are very cool as well as the guitar solos, which is normal for the band. The track could have easily been the last couple of albums. Next up is the track “Girl I know” which is a four and a half assault on your ears that fans will crave for. The lyrical content is a set that listeners will grab a hold of and absorb like no other. “Crossroads” is an insane track with a great set of guitar riffs and soaring drums. The vocals are similar to other track that have been on the other albums, which may be the reason that it was left off them. Next up is the cover of Iron Maiden’s “Flash of the Blade,” which is nicely done as “Until the End” slows the tempo down like a “Seize the Day.” It’s a decent b-side that has parts of brilliance, but just don’t get the job done completely. “Tension” is a cool sounding track with heavy bass lines dropped in that seem to lead the track down the road to the chorus where the guitars pick up the pace. Spinning off seventh is the cover of Pantera’s “Walk.” You can’t help but get into it because of the music that is nearly perfect. Of course you can’t hit the vocals right on, but it’s a decent shot at the tune. “The Fight” is a guitar filled track that they give their all at. The dark sound to the vocals will intrigue listeners as “Dancing Dead” is more upbeat and with raging guitars and pop sounding vocals. A different version of “Almost Easy” is next on the album as the album concludes with an alternative version of “Afterlife” that gives you a new appreciation for the song. Overall the CD potion of the set is very good. All of the songs are done live which gives you a different outlook of the tracks. Since most of them haven’t been released before it really doesn’t give you the full picture of the songs, but enough of a taste to want to hear the studio versions too. It’s a very nice addition to the Avenged collection. As a set it is a must have for fans, especially for those who were at the Long Beach show.

 

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

 

Track List:

           

(DVD)

1.      Critical Acclaim

2.      Second Heartbeat

3.      Afterlife

4.      Beast & the Harlot

5.      Scream

6.      Seize the Day

7.      Walk

8.      Bat Country

9.      Almost Easy

10.  Gunslinger

11.  Unholy Confessions

12.  A Little Piece of Heaven

(CD)

1.      Demons

2.      Girl I Know

3.      Crossroads

4.      Flash of the Blade

5.      Until the End

6.      Tension

7.      Walk

8.      The Fight

9.      Dancing Dead

10.  Almost Easy (CLA Mix)

11.  Afterlife (Alternate Version)