new Avenged Sevenfold album 'Life Is But A Dream' broke me... | Album Reaction 

This album was good. Haters gonna hate.

This album is what happens when an extremely talented group of individuals get bored making the same stuff and say F it and chuck everything at a wall and it somehow works decently lol. Its definitely not going to hit for everyone but its really grown on me the more i listen.

If people would stop expecting them to release another “Bat Country” …. They could actually appreciate this album. It’s so good 😭😭😭

“wHy DiD tHeY nOt MaKe An aLbUm LiKe NiGhTmAre?” What’s fun with making the same stuff? Loving this album

First listen was weird, but I love this album. Mattel is by far, my favorite song on this album. Game Over is second fav. Cosmic and Nobody are also pretty epic. We Love You grew on me.

In my opinion this is the best album they’ve ever made. I can completely understand why some hate this album, but I for one love it

I am obsessed with it since the release. I heard the first 2 singles and was confused and thought it was just them having a pretentious take of prog but the whole album was all over the place yet knitted tightly and they were not afraid of showing their influences all throughout the genre of music. It also has a great replay value.

I absolutely adore this album and I’m sorry others didn’t hear it the same as me it’s amazing

Man I love this album. They throw everything they've ever wanted.

It took a minute but by the 3rd listen it hit me......DAMN THIS IS A GOOD ALBUM!

Man, it's like people forget that people in bands can be, in essence, wacky, experimental, artistic, and expressive. When I sit to listen to their discography, it's super nice to see the change in music expression and influence. They went from metalcore rawr band, to jocks, to shredders,to stadium band, to prog metal and then to this. I love the stability and marginal progress and evolution bands like Trivium and ABR are producing, but this is different. And in the grand scheme of things , this is not even incredibly avant garde. People need to chill.

Typical wage war generic boring metal fans calling it trash, didn't expect anything else from the most close minded music community.

This album is fucking brilliant. It's candy for prog enthusiasts.

Great Reaction! Metalheads hate it. Musicheads Love it. I think people will love the songs more if they think of the 3 aspects: Music, Concept, Lyrics Love how they are heavily circling around Absurdism and Existentialism. Here are my thoughts for the songs: 1. Game Over - Meaninglessness of Life 2. Mattel - Simulation. Much like a continuation to The Stage album concept 3. Nobody - Realization that we are "one with the universe" and a "nobody" in the grand scheme of things 4. We Love You - Most say it's about capitalism. But I interpret the song as representation of human ego and the illusion of choice 5. Cosmic - Cycle of Life and Death. The idea that we are all made up of the same cosmic energy - we do not go away. We just take up a new form or has been in a different form in our past lives. Written in beautiful love song 6. Beautiful Morning - Inner struggle to find meaning. The character they are trying to portray in this song is everyone's worst day for their life. 7. Easier - Surrender 8. G - Story of Creation. And God is contemplating that he made an error to create humans and just wants to delete what he made. 9. Ordinary - While people commit suicide, a curious AI wants to have a soul and live. Thus the electronic vibe 10. Death - Suicide 11. LIBAD - Closing the curtains

It's a conceptual album. It's definitely a fun album to listen to and makes a lot of sense with things that are going on these days, especially with fake AI generated bs. Couldn't have asked for anything different. Took me a few listens, but I see what they were going for, and I love it.

Cosmic is their best song ever, and I was an angsty teenager listening to City of Evil on my family roadtrips lol

I found it kinda fun to watch chat give every song either a 3 or under or a 7 or higher, with almost no in between. Also, what this really proves to me is how much understanding the songs, and the idea behind the album, helps you enjoy it, at least for me.

As a pothead I love this album

I enjoy a good amount of the record, especially Cosmic and the back half. The problem I have are all the drop g# chugfest metal, metalcore, and deathcore purists calling it shit because they actually tried something bold. These are the same dudes who eat up anything Wage War, Polaris, Sleep Token, etc. release. Meanwhile, these guys put out an album that is a mix of Sinatra, Pink Floyd, Daft Punk, Kanye, older A7X, and a number of other artists, but some people are just writing it off because it’s different, uncomfortable at first, and not what they expected. If you don’t like it, you don’t like it, but half of the haters aren’t even giving it a chance. I listen to just about everything I can, and metal fans are undoubtedly the most close minded fan base of them all, which is why we’re stuck with so many boring ass artists in the genre who, when they eventually make a change, basically always go pop or butt rock. Also, anyone saying the mix sucks does not know music. I’d give it like a 3.5/5 after like four listens. The stand outs are Cosmic and (D)eath for me. (O)rdinary is also a cool funk song.

I do agree that some of the ideas don't mesh together super well all the time, but weird transition and genre changes are what made songs like the Summoning incredibly popular. Now granted A7X went a little crazier with it than Sleep Token, but all the weird ideas together have a certain charm and I like that they even thought to put them together.

What you’ve got to understand about avenged is they’re one of the only big bands who isn’t trying to sell out commercially. This album is nothing like anyone has ever heard before. It has influencies from so many different genres, we all (as A7x fans) got the jist that they were going to go Down the more proggy route after the stage. They are never going to replicant waking the fallen and we have to respect that. Syn Gates orchestrated this whole album they’re just trying to break the mould. This album is nothing we’ve ever heard before. Yes there’s songs we won’t like but the composition of each song is unbelievable in musical terms.

I hated this album because of the two singles. I finally gave it a try a couple of weeks ago. I've listened to the whole album at least a dozen times since. It's a masterpiece

I mean, for a person with your preferences, it's actually great that you found that many things to praise about an album so out there. It's not for everyone, but its adventurous nature is really charming

It's actually a really insane album lol. Insane literally. I feel every song is unique and a whole different genre, and every song reminds me of a different band which i've listened to in the past. But i think they could mix it better for sure

I wholeheartedly love this album and I think it's their best project to date, imo it's better on the 2nd 3rd listen however, I can 100% understand how people see this as a goofy album lmao I had an absolute blast watching this entire reaction, your chat seemed to be giving it a fair chance too. even if some didn't end up liking it

This is SOOO A7X channeling Frank Zappa... "G" is proof of that. The female vocals in the pre-chorus, and the chorus. The deep voice that Matt uses in the verses... It's like "I'm The Slime".

Ppl judging this album for what it isn't: a radio hit. This is a conceptual album talking about the meaning of life and ppl judge it like a album you can play to chill with your friends.

this album is not weird if you look at the lyrics to know the context

Masterpiece. Such a Pink Floyd move of them, and I already said that the last album, but this one is even MORE diverse. This is avenged sevenfold’s “The Wall”

More bands should try to make a progressive album! I really dig this album 😊

When I saw them play We Love You live they had these loud bass drops that honestly made you feel like you were at a rave all of a sudden. It was so cool. Everyone was dancing lol

Ita a wierd album at first listen, but it really does get better each listen, and grow on you..

It does fuck. We are currently living in a world of everyone trying to be Lorna Shore or fucking Sleep Token. This rips.

i love when people say "this aint a7x" as if they care, a million times better when artists follow the music instead of try to recreate something from a different part of their lives. avenged will create much better music far longer into their careers doing it this way imo. syn has too much talent for it to be wasted doing the same thing over and over. i appreciate this and the last album a ton. so much new ideas and it feels much more like the music was conceived in the moment instead of in a meeting. taking a feeling or emotion and running with it while being able to switch gears at any point so your always on your toes. gets much better every listen

Why do people not like Cosmic? It's a masterpiece.

since you know what i think about the album : (irony : on) To be fair, you have to have a very high IQ to understand "Life is but a Dream" by Avenged Sevenfold. The music is extremely experimental, and without a solid grasp of advanced music theory most of the songs will go over a typical listener's head. There's also the concept of the record, which is deftly progressing throughout the full album, while their influences draw heavily from Metallica, for instance. The fans understand this stuff. They have the intellectual capacity to truly appreciate the depths of these songs, to realize that they're not just good, they say something deep about LIFE. As a consequence, people who dislike Life is but a Dream truly ARE idiots. Of course they wouldn't appreciate, for instance, the effortless agility with which the band seamlessly fuses Prog, Metal, Pop and Funk, or how M. Shadows' vocals puts even the most acclaimed opera singers to shame. I'm smirking right now just imagining one of those addlepated simpletons scratching their heads in confusion as Matt's genius lyrical storytelling unfolds itself into their ears. What fools, how I pity them.

People saying the sound inspirations are 'ripoffs' is such a cope. Yes, Beautiful Morning sounds like it was inspired by Alice in Chains. And that's nowhere near a bad thing. People waited 7 years and genuily were expecting The stage/Nightmare/City of Evil the sequel. That expectation not being met is on you, not A7X. Seeing the chat "This is NOT Avenged Sevenfold" at the tail end of the video sent me. You don't get to decide that. Have we not learned from all the crying about bands like Metallica and Linkin Park 'changing their sound' not doing anything productive for the overall health of the genre? Mattel, Beautiful Morning, We Love You, Nobody, and G ALL go hard. Just because it's different and subverted your expectations doesn't make it bad. Yes we're all entitled to our opinions, but folks in the chat were declaring subjective opinion like they were concrete facts. At that point, you're not saying an opinion. you're stating a falsehood to cope. This album isn't perfect, Easier is a hard listen, but again albums at best like 7.5-8/10. No where near the garbage people think it is.

i love the beetle dude in chat at 11:32 saying "this is NOT avenged sevenfold" bro yes it is💀💀 it’s got their name on it they wrote it they recorded it they released it😭😭 just because it’s not the avenged music you wanted doesn’t mean it’s not avenged music, get over yourself

Powerful album, even with all the delicate pretty songs. Beautiful work. It's amazing!

IM IN LOVE WITH THIS RECORD

Check out Cosmic a couple more times. The first time I heard it, it was very "meh" for me, but after the 4th listen I just started crying, it was wild. Now I'm of the opinion that it's the most beautiful track they've made to date.

Ordinary is fucking amazing. Yeah it is a a7x song and that makes it even better

This album is a masterpiece

i hate when people say “tHiS iSnT a7x” like oh so you made the group? you get to decide what is and isn’t avenged?

Bands evolve and mature and some people get it or not. I get it. I'm now 49 and so I can relate to their new sound.

People came in with hard set expectations of what they wanted. Avenged made the music they wanted to make and its so good but people don't like it because its not Afterlife 2 13:40 is exactly what I mean. They didn't try to do anything, they just wrote the music they wanted to make simple as that and saying a lot of it like ordinary and life is but a dream don't work just because you wanted beast and the harlot 2 but they gave you a near masterwork of a piano piece or an absolutely bopping funk song is just personal bias. They're true musicians, it doesn't matter if they want to make Jazz, funk, whatever, they'll just do what they want now which is great. Assigning a genre or saying they cant make this or that type of music just because they're "avenged sevenfold" is just limiting. Imagine someone you don't know walking up to you in the street and starts telling you that you cant do what you want to do because they don't like it.

As a huge Between the Buried and Me and prog metal fan, this album is fantastic to me. These guys are awesome musicians and composers and they're at a point where they really aren't doing this for mass appeal, they're writing the music that they want to write and play. Matt said in an interview that they don't mind playing the old City of Evil/Self Titled songs, but they were written by 20 year olds, and they're just over that now. Let's also not forget that despite their commercial success in the 2000's and 2010s, they had a ton of haters and were pigeon-holed into the emo/poser metal genre. These guys are true music fans at heard and now have the freedom to write and play what they want. Bands do change over time, there is no winning when they do because tons of people want to live in the past or haters will hate because of the band name on the album. G.O.D is their best work IMO by far, it's so easy to listen to and I've listened to it at least a dozen times.

I’ve been listening non stop this album is pure gold. People who hate on this have no appreciation of art in music and just wanna bang their heads against the wall forever for classic metal. 😂

I personally think this album is great especially on a deeper level and understanding the story it is telling. I think you missed that whole part. Its truly a great album and tells a beautiful story.

Dude this album is brilliant

I absolutely love this album. I got to see them for the first time after being a fan for over 7 years and I loved hearing these bangers live. I even got a Zacky V pick!

Ok, I respect you giving this album a go even knowing you probably weren't going to like it, but the chat sucks. They were constantly looking for comparisons to other bands. Even though they're probably modern metalcore fans, which is pretty ironic.

(D)eath could 100% be a 007 James Bond movie intro lmao

It is incredible that you think it is over produced, because it is more grounded than other metal records today. And The the mixing is suberb. It is done by the guy who invented modern metal mixing. Andy Wallace The best on The world.

listening to cosmic jus made me cry and think about how far they have come, ik the rev is proud

This album is Art.

Cant wait for the next album where they should bring their experimental things all together and create another album where it’s more polished (not mixed because they like that messy sound)

I think "G" is the song that stands out the most to me out of the album just because I was so surprised as to actually wtf that song is

Mattel goes hard as FUCK

instead of taking whatever this album is giving you, you are bringing your own expectations, thats whats wrong with people who are not finding this record to their taste. imo, this is a brilliant record, who cares if it is not metal or rock. Good music is good music.

Ok so for those in the back. This album is about how fake life is. Mainly pertaining to simulation theory. Once you get this the album becomes easier to swallow. I enjoy this album. I like that a7x is going with concept albums

cosmic is a masterpiece... dude, my girlfriend that dont like much metal put it as our song because she watched me cry listening to it lol

This album is honestly really growing on me, it’s super weird and it’s gonna throw off a lot of fans who are more into the mainstream side of A7X. It’s definitely not for everyone but I’m kinda diggin it overall.

It’s a great album, I respect peoples opinions but I think they would like it more if they understood the deeper meanings of each of the songs and how they go together and send a wake up message to the world

A7X is making music they want not what they think we want

Such a good album but it’s just one of those albums that you have to listen to front to back to get the full effect, I think the only songs I ever really put on individually are game over, Mattel, and cosmic

You could say haters gonna hate but most of us who have been listening to A7X for 2 decades don't know when we'll get something relatable again. Their last album was 7 years ago. If they released albums more regularly, it wouldn't be such a big deal to most of us.

Honestly, I don't understand the amount of hate this album is getting, like it's okay not to like something but people are dogging on it so hard. Even if you don't like it, the one thing you should be at least able to appreciate is the fact that they did something different and tried their best to be creative. To be honest, from what I've seen this is like the cilantro of albums. Some people think that it taste great and a lot of people think it might just taste like soap in their mouth.

I’m gonna get hate from this, but I feel like this album is kinda like so weird that it’s good. Yeah it’s not perfect or even close to it but I think you have to give it props for being unique and them trying something new and crazy. I’d take this crazy album over the new sleep token album that I thought was boring and annoying. Nothing wrong if you love or hate both of those albums

Cosmic starts: fyytek: why is it so long wow, if there was ever a smoothbrain question.

For me this is personally one of the most interesting, introspective, artistic, bravest albums that came out in the past 10 years.. it is so damn beautifully depressing.. The lyrical journey and the album as a whole really hits once you open your mind to the craziness. Once it doesn't strike you as weird you will get to enjoy the real album!

I really tried with this album, went into it with no expectations. Listened to it 3 times all the way through before I just gave up on it. For me there’s no cohesion whatsoever, feels less like an album experience and more of a carnivals playlist. The mix really bothered me for some reason too, Matt’s vocals just didn’t hit the spot for me like they usually do. Easy 2/10 for me, can’t say I’ll ever voluntarily listen to it again

lmao people are sweating trying to prove their musical intellect discussing this album...

Distracts me that i dont belong here anymore. I feel this to my core 😑😵

Its a f*cking GREAT album🫶🏼🤟🏼🦇

Love a7x for so long. This was an interesting first listen but still enjoyed it. Now am obsessed

Think outside of the box. The album isn't only about the music, but fine art as well.

Some of you guys want artists to stick to one sound and it shows. Biggest problem with the music industry today is that all these cookie cutter artists never take any risks. Probably should've seen this coming after the Stage, but this album is great.

Best album to grace this channel for sure 🤷‍♂️

glinting beetle in chat got some problems

The reason a lot of people hate the new album is because a lot of them were not real fans.

The song G kinda remind me of the song YYZ by rush. Some of the stuff on this album reminds me of rush

I absolutely fuckin loved it

Im on like a 10th listen and it just keeps getting better for me

Some of the hate this album is getting is unfortunate... much of it for being different, and I say this as someone who thought of myself as highly resistant to change. First of all, if they only did the same thing constantly it would be boring... let's be honest, hearing A7X do electronic spacey music then at the end an original 1930's Christmas jazz was kind of awesome, all in their original style still. Thing is they also went back to some of their old styles... like Cosmic has a very similar progression to I Won't See You Tonight except so much more modern and interesting, Mattel even felt a bit City Of Evil in places. There are some things I'd have tweaked were I in their place, but in the end I was definitely satisfied grateful and will be listening to this many more times.

Some songs you gotta listen to again because you know what to expect. It's like watching movie or a show again, you'll notice things you didn't the first time and probably find a different meaning in the song from what you had initially. At least give Easier and the GOD trilogy another try.

..."never going to comeback to this album again" just resumes my impression

"It's not A7X" they can be whatever the fuck they want to be. Just because someone started off working at mcdonalds doesnt mean they should keep working there the rest of their life if they don't want to.

Bros, let other people not like it. People have their own opinions, and it's such a different album that you can't expect everyone to love it. Even avenged fans like me. I'm not really a fan at all. But I'm not gonna hate others if they like it, because I understand that some people may love it.

We may not find man's at the dawn of time, as the roses bud again.

Good art is thought provoking.

Loved the start of the album, just wasn’t really a fan of how it ended off and it had me asking a lot of questions. Will say game over, mattel, and g where my favorites while everything else was weird but pretty interesting. It’s like If Daft Punk Pink Floyd and SOAD had a baby. Plus I got the Spotify vinyl so it makes for a cool keepsake.

I felt the same confused feelings you felt by listening to this weird stuff

people are overhating this album

Talked over the whole thing man, gotta listen to it. Not just listen but pay attention.

I've only listened to it once through so it's kinda weird to me compared to their normal sound, but I didn't like the new singles at first and now I love them

Very experimental and out there but I love when artists do that. They challenge themselves while also challenging the listener and can be very gratifying for both. There will be mixed reactions like we’ve been seeing but I’m sure this album will be more appreciated as time goes on

This is the first piece of avenged sevenfold media I’ve ever enjoyed

I like def things

I knew Bogdan wouldn’t like this album that much lol. I respect his opinion and have followed him for a long while now but I’ve always known him to like more regularly structured, chuggy and breakdowny stuff. Not a bash on him though, everyone is entitled to their own opinion