Life Is But A Dream… by Avenged Sevenfold | Album Review

The Orange County metal titans subvert expectations and explore existentialism on their latest album.

Listen to Life Is But A Dream…: Apple Music | Spotify

6, going on 7 years is the longest break Avenged Sevenfold has taken in between albums. Considered to be one of the reigning forces in modern metal music, the band has solidified itself as one of the genre’s class acts with projects such as Waking The Fallen and their 2007 self-titled album (arguably their best body of work IMO.).

Back in 2016, they surprise-released The Stage, the prog-metal-influenced album that saw them get a bit more expansive both in production and lyrical matter. Following a concept that dealt with mankind’s relationship with technology, A.I., and our society as a whole. It was clear back then that A7X wanted to go in a more adventurous route with their music, as they’ve pushed their grandiose/avant-garde visions even further with their latest release.

Weird, subversive, you name it. A7X’s new album is all that and more. It’s a smorgasbord of different sounds that can be overwhelming, yet A7X makes all these combinations work seamlessly. Life Is But A Dream… is the product of a band that not only wants to redefine itself but to break free from its traditional formula. Long gone are the days of their “verse-chorus-verse-dueling guitars” style of songwriting. In an interview with Blabbermouth, guitarist Zacky Vengeance had this to say in regard to the album’s experimentation:

We can’t do what we’ve already done, it would be boring to us. Fans think that they want it, but eventually it would get boring to them. We can’t just try and ride another big metal band’s coattails or stay in the shadows forever, because that’s not what we were meant to do; that’s not where our hearts are at.

The opener “Game Over” sets the tone for the rest of the album. This frenetic intro bounces between thrash metal, and these sudden segways into a more acoustic territory. It’s incredibly jarring at first, but things get weirder as the album continues. “We Love You” blends elements of techno with its thumping chorus section. The aptly titled “Cosmic” takes the band into the realm of space rock a la David Bowie, creating an incredibly spacey atmosphere with its orchestra-laden production. “Easier” at first starts off like a typical A7X song with a roaring guitar riff, before taking a turn into a more funk-inspired tune.

“Mattel” and lead single “Nobody” are possibly the only two “traditional” sounding songs on the album, but they even have their own surprises as well. Particularly “Mattel” with its synth-infused guitar solo towards the end. LIBAD’s true experimental feats lie in the 3 song run of “G”, “(O)rdinary”, and “(D)eath”. Going from metal/country (“G”), a full-blown Daft Punk impersonation (“(O)rdinary”), to lounge jazz (“(D)eath”). This 3 track run is by far the most left-field sounding part of the album and perfectly segways into the album’s conclusion.

Lyrically, LIBAD takes cues from the writings of Albert Camus, exploring ideas of existentialism, and questioning our society as a whole. There’s a level of absurdity that can be felt through lead singer M. Shadows’ lyrics. As on “Mattel” where he sees himself and the world around him as manufactured rather than natural (“My vinyl skin provides protection, it holds in place my plastic bones.”). The nihilism of “Beautiful Morning” paints a picture showcasing how hollow and empty he feels. The same feeling continues on “Cosmic” and “Easier”, where the realization that nothing really matters starts to settle.

The aforementioned 3-track run switches the perspective to a parody of God and tells a strange tale about humanity that fits well with the album’s experimentation. “G” sees this deity regret creating mankind, showing a lack of care (“On the seventh day I thought about world peace, but I decided just to take it off.”). On “(O)rdinary” mankind has been deleted, leaving a lone robot that begs to have a soul as Shadows croons over a vocoder. “(D)eath” caps things off as humanity, this robot, or whoever has accepted death, or at least the idea of it.

Both conceptually and sonically, Life Is But A Dream… is an incredibly dense listen that throws a ton of curveballs at you. I can already see it dividing fans once again as they previously did with 2016’s The Stage. However, as a listener, I will always appreciate it when artists try something new or reinvent their sound as opposed to sticking to the same formula. Safe to say I enjoyed the album for what it offers. Production-wise, I loved how left-field and surprising many of the songs were. While lyrically the themes of existentialism fit well and will most likely have me questioning my own existence as the year goes by.

For my final rating, I’m giving Life Is But A Dream… a solid 8/10. As one of the bigger metal albums to come out this year, Avenged Sevenfold took a pretty bold move to subvert expectations here, but I’d say it was worth it. In the 7 years they took off, they came back with a fresh new sound that they hopefully will continue to expand upon with future releases.

Final Rating: 8/10.

Favourite Tracks: Game Over, Mattel, We Love You, Beautiful Morning, Easier, G, (O)rdinary.