Life Is But A Dream…

Product Information

Enis, Eli (May 13, 2023). "Avenged Sevenfold's First Show in 5 Years: See Videos and Setlist". Revolver . Retrieved May 16, 2023.

Game Over opens the album and musically sets the tone for the record in that it flits between styles and genre. There is the folky intro reminiscent of early Sabbath interludes and there is the punky thrash that evokes The Misfits. M. Shadows also lays down his marker vocally. His delivery is doused in drama, and he doesn’t let up throughout playing the parts of the characters depicted during the album. M. Shadows joins us refreshed and renewed, straight from his latest vocal lesson and brimming with excitement for the release of ‘Life Is But A Dream…’, the long awaited new album from Avenged Sevenfold. Mixing together dance influences, heavy riffs and a 78 piece orchestra, it is a sprawling near-concept album exploring that biggest subject of all – what it truly means to be alive and live life to the fullest. best albums of 2023 so far". Alternative Press. June 23, 2023. ISSN 1065-1667 . Retrieved October 25, 2023. Ultratop.be – Avenged Sevenfold – Life Is but a Dream..." (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 11, 2023.Australiancharts.com – Avenged Sevenfold – Life Is but a Dream...". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 9, 2023. Brown, Tasha (May 31, 2023). "ALBUM REVIEW: Life Is but a Dream – Avenged Sevenfold". Distorted Sound . Retrieved June 5, 2023. AVENGED SEVENFOLD's next two albums, 2010's "Nightmare" and 2013's "Hail to the King", took them from underground status to revered, buoyed by chart-topping singles such as "Hail to the King", "Nightmare" and "Welcome to the Family". Then, AVENGED SEVENFOLD changed their sound yet again with 2016's surprise release, "The Stage", which introduced a prog edge to their meat-and-potatoes heavy metal sound. Bell, Sadie (March 14, 2023). "Avenged Sevenfold announce new album Life Is But a Dream, their first release in years". Alternative Press . Retrieved June 7, 2023.

Although an already common saying associated with nursery rhymes, Shadows aimed to encourage the listener to think deeper about these deceptively simple phrases and maybe even redefine its meaning for them. When reflecting on Life Is But A Dream… in all its spectacularly gutsy glory, perhaps Mike Shinoda says it best of all. Chatting with M. Shadows about the record and giving his assessment, the Linkin Park man recently told Avenged Sevenfold’s singer of the band’s non-conformist approach that it’s like a “splat”. Bear with him on this one – it’s a compliment, honest. These overwhelming thoughts had been weighing heavy on their minds after a little nudge into that headspace. Or, more accurately, a rather powerful propellant: the psychedelic 5-MeO-DMT. Hill, Charlie (May 31, 2023). "ALBUM REVIEW: Avenged Sevenfold – Life Is But A Dream…". Ghost Cult Mag . Retrieved June 6, 2023. Death is right there and it’s not supposed to be a sad thing”Shadows explains. “You’re here now I’m reminding you that you need to shape up. You need to live your life and do what you want to do. And if you take the record too seriously lyrically, then you are not doing that. We’re having fun making music and it’s our art and there is a message but we can have fun doing it as well.”Relating to the orchestra on their level, he cites Stravinsky’s ‘The Rite Of Spring’ as a key reference point – disrupting the norms through music and allowing the orchestra to find comfort in that idea. After his existential crisis, Shadows is eager to establish just how much Avenged Sevenfold have evolved since that commercial peak. For a band that are used to headlining arenas, Life Is But a Dream is a particularly radical and mischievous piece of work. Citing the likes of Radiohead’s Kid A, Kanye West’s Yeezus and Weezer’s Pinkerton as benchmarks, Shadows says he is perfectly happy to alienate swathes of his band’s audience with the new record’s most jarring, juxtaposed moments. Swisscharts.com – Avenged Sevenfold – Life Is but a Dream...". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 11, 2023. Such a difficult listen, I liked The Stage, but maybe they should have left this music at the Ayahuasca retreat they attended. So disappointing considering it’s been a 7 year wait for new music……," one person criticized.