A children's choir, a country duet, and a marching band all found their way onto a heavy metal record. The band was Avenged Sevenfold, and the record was their fourth studio album, simply titled Avenged Sevenfold. It arrived on October 30, 2007, a release that would mark both a bold reinvention and an unexpected farewell. The album was released through Warner Bros. and Hopeless Records, marking the band's final collaboration with the latter label. Originally planned for October 16, the release was pushed back two weeks to complete bonus materials and production.
The band takes the producer's chair
The most striking thing about the album was who produced it: the band themselves. For the first time, Avenged Sevenfold took full control of the studio, a risk that could have backfired. Instead, it gave them the freedom to slow things down. The songs on this record move at a noticeably more deliberate pace than those on their previous album, City of Evil.
That change in tempo was not a whim. Frontman M. Shadows explained that live performances had taught the band a lesson: groups with slower grooves simply sounded better in big venues. Opening for Metallica had reinforced the point. Avenged Sevenfold wanted to write music that would fill an arena, not just a club.
Avenged Sevenfold wanted to write music that would fill an arena, not just a club.
Critical Acclaim and its backlash
The album's first single, "Critical Acclaim," was also the first song written for the record. Its lyrics took aim at people in the United States who criticize each other without changing anything, and it touched on the undervaluing of soldiers. The perceived political message drew backlash, though bassist Johnny Christ later clarified that the song was about human qualities rather than any specific group.
Drummer The Rev was everywhere on the record. He wrote "Almost Easy" and sang co-lead vocals on a string of tracks, including "Critical Acclaim," "Scream," and "Afterlife." His presence gave the album a distinct character. Tragically, this would be the last Avenged Sevenfold album he recorded; he died during the making of the next one, Nightmare. The record also carried a deeply personal story in "Gunslinger," a song about a soldier missing his family and home during war. Its emotional weight added another layer to an album already rich with varied themes.
The band also stretched their sound in surprising directions. "Dear God" leaned into country territory, inspired by their friendship with the duo Big & Rich. On "A Little Piece of Heaven," orchestral strings and horns replaced the lead and rhythm guitars entirely. These choices could have alienated metal purists, but they showed a group unwilling to repeat itself.
The gamble paid off. The album debuted at number four on the Billboard 200 and won Best Album at the Kerrang! Awards in 2008. It later earned platinum status in the United States. Fans, too, embraced the record: in a Revolver poll, they named it the best in the band's entire discography. Avenged Sevenfold had bet on themselves and won. By 2014, the album had sold over 960,000 copies in the United States and more than 152,000 in the United Kingdom. It earned platinum certification from the RIAA and gold from the BPI, cementing its commercial success. The supporting tour, which began the day before the album's release, ran until August 2009.