They’ll take you to Bat Country and they’ve got a box that floats, and they master their craft
The “rock is dead” merchants love to tell you that all the big acts won’t be with us for much longer. And fair enough, its true that in three weeks time, in this very room, Black Sabbath are playing their last ever gig. Iron Maiden aren’t getting any younger, and AC/DC are probably close to their conclusion. But that vision of the apocalypse rather neglects the fact that the rock n roll world, just like always, keeps on turning and out with the old and in with the new is always the maxim.
Exhibit A for the defence is right here. In the shape of of five men from California, who have overcome tragedy, line up changes and the bottom falling out of record sales, to become probably the biggest of the new breed on the planet.
Avenged Sevenfold have been busy honing their craft for not far off two decades, and are now at the point where they can cheerfully knock out a career spanning set to 10,00o of their closest mates without batting an eyelid.
With “Space Oddity” ringing in their ears, a lavish stage set (which brilliantly includes what essentially is a box that floats from the back of the stage to the front and back again at a moments notice – and seemingly without a point), and a collection of songs that are perfect for arenas, AX7 are straight into their new album and its mighty title track. “The Stage” is typical of their work, in that its not typical big metal fayre at all. Pitched somewhere in between Iron Maiden and Guns N Roses, but with a mind that thinks things other bands don’t, they are one of the most original bands around.
“Afterlife” seethes, “Hail To The King” throbs and pulses with energy, while the mighty “Buried Alive” and the huge sounding “Nightmare” are slabs of music rather unlike anyone else attempts.
In-between, singer M Shadows – clad in rock star shades throughout – is an energetic, but convivial focal point, handing water around and chatting to the audience as if the venue was a tenth the size of the one they are in. His long standing bandmates, Zacky Vengeance, Synyster Gates and Johnny Christ have this polished rebellion thing sorted, with new drummer Brooks Wackerman fitting in smoothly too.
A lengthy set with enough peaks and troughs to remain thoroughly interesting and compelling, takes in the viscous anthem “Almost Easy” adds horns while it condemns the modern world in “Sunny Disposition” and ends its main body with the mighty ballad “Acid Rain”.
The encore is proof enough of the diverse nature of the work of this band. “Bat Country” is as catchy as you like, “A Little Piece Of Heaven” (dedicated here to the late drummer The Rev) is anything but, but is arguably even better and “Unholy Confessions” which concludes things is a white knuckle metal ride.
That in microcosm is what AX7 provide. They are bona fide arena rock stars, but they’ll do it their way, and because of them and bands like them, don’t let anyone tell you the future is anything but bright.
