Retro Review: Avenged Sevenfold - Diamonds in the Rough
Let it be noted that this is not new material from Avenged Sevenfold but rather a collection of rarities and unreleased material. While the band has been taking quite a long time to work on a new record, they have at least graced their fans with several bonuses releases. We're going to take a deeper dive here and see whether any of this material is worth the time.
1) Demons - Outstanding track falling on the bands heavier side post-2003, hard to believe this didn't make a record
2) Girl I Know - Very solid both instrumentally and vocally with a great solo at the midway point, the lyrics are admittedly cheesy on this track
3) Crossroads - The songs kicks off with a instantly impressive shreddy riff and some really nice melodic tremolo picking, a pleasant surprise to hear the band using a bit of metalcore after they had moved on from it
4) Flash of the Blade - A very nicely done Iron Maiden cover, paying tribute to one of their biggest inspirations
5) Until the End - A beautifully done semi-ballad, a dreamy guitar solo and piano for a deeper atmosphere
6) Tension - A quite unusual track for Avenged Sevenfold, a heavy bass grooves kicks off with some 80's style synth, a deeply emotional solo like only Syn can do
7) Walk -Pantera is by far the biggest influence on the heavy side of A7X so this cover makes perfect sense
8) The Fight - Some really nice dual guitars which is a signature of Avenged Sevenfold
9) Dancing Dead - The insane solo with it's metalcore back beat completely make this song, the guitar work is impeccable as always
10) St. James - This song feels like it was made to be played in bars, it is a very reflective track
11) Set Me Free - A heartfelt ballad like only Avenged Sevenfold can do, they excel at these types of tracks making them feel more genuine than most metal bands are capable of
12) 4:00 - A somber intro into a mellow rhythm, this track feels a bit like filler, probably because it was
13) Lost It All - A great final original track with influences from thrash and groove, another one that's hard to imagine was cut fro a record
14) Paranoid - A great rendition of the Ozzy track and a good choice to end this rarities album
In all, you have to take this record for what it is, if you're expecting to hear the best tracks the band has ever made, you're in the wrong place. This is an album off cut and bonus songs as well as several covers. When taking that into account for the grading, this is a very nice listen. I'm glad we got to hear some of this dazzling guitar work and most of the material is very much worth seeing the light of day. With all that being said, we're giving this record a very strong 4 out of 5 stars
