On AVENGED SEVENFOLD’s second full-length trist, these guys put forth something so over-the-top that it practically defies all stabs of classification or comparison. Every aspect of the band’s affinity for heavy fucking metal has been been wrought through the processor of “taken to the extreme,” so much so that these guys wind up with 12 songs that span a mind-boggling 69 minutes! “Waking The Fallen” is a disc that’s like the packaging on a new version of Tide detergent: “now with more double bass! more singing! more layered guitars! more tempo changes! more gothic imagery! more! more! more!” The excess level on here is like HATEBREED putting out a 32 song cd – it’s just pure browbeating. And yet, I can’t help but be truly awestruck by “Waking The Fallen.” It’s like watching two armored trucks full with bags of cash collide, explode, and leave a virtual snow-storm of falling cash blanket the accident site. At first listen, the concept of a two part, 14 minute metal opus evokes some severe skepticism, but this disc’s ninth and tenth tracks, “I Won’t See You Tonight – Part 1&2″ are the defining points of a band that has no shortage of self-confidence. Thrilling vocals, galloping percussion, and enough guitar layers to sink a ship define the winning formula that AVENGED SEVENFOLD subscribe to, though recognizing that this band has a formula at all is somewhat of a stretch. As each song tends to wind, and wind, maybe do some unwinding, and wind again, I can’t help but wonder how the heck these guys even made it out of the studio with finished songs. However, it’s the corresponding vocal, and guitar hooks that maintain the glue from keeping this band’s collective inards from spilling out. Without the keen range of vocalist, “M. Shadows,” this band wouldn’t have a fighting chance at relevancy, but his glorious, overarching spirit is captivating to no end, and regardless of how long “Waking The Fallen” goes on for, he provides the impetus to keep one listening further. Even as an unabashed fan of this disc, “Waking The Fallen” still makes it difficult to take seriously. Not per se in the manner that “St. Anger” seems to mock everything that METALLICA had done during its formative years, but more so in the grandiosity in which AVENGED SEVENFOLD has chosen to expand and conquer. For many listeners with a weaker tolerance for such unstructured (yet sing-alongable) chaos, it may just be too much to take in all at at once. Nevertheless, “Waking The Fallen” is a real studio feat, and a blast to listen to if you’ve got the time and interest to devote to it.

Hopeless

www.hopelessrecords.com