Avenged Sevenfold - City of Evil Review

On Avenged Sevenfold's City of Evil the guitar work redeems most of the flaws, with both guitarists being shred machines, who can outplay most other contemporary metal bands. Their fluid, blistering sweep picking and neo-classical tinged soloing gives Yngwie Malmsteen a run for his money, and their dual-guitar harmonies are nothing short of Iron Maiden-esque. The vocals aren't bad and it seems that with this album, they've paid homage to classic metal by really dedicating time to their instruments, and putting a lot of thought and variety into the music. They aren't terribly original, but are a full-fledged metal band.

Yes, the guys look ridiculous and dress like fools but probably much less ridiculous than most 80's metal bands. They have a good ear for melody and harmony, and can construct some very catchy songs. The guitar work and sense of melodic direction make up for many of the flaws and this band can be taken seriously, if nothing else, for their stellar guitar work.

Definitely not a bad effort.