by Caitlyn Jones

Created on: April 01, 2009

Avenged Sevenfold is an American rock band. With great beats and awesome vocals, the band has risen in the public eye and has several great hits. Also known as A7X.

The band, Avenged Sevenfold, was formed in 1999 in Huntington Beach, CA. Made up of 5 men, the current members are as follows.

M. Shadows: lead vocals, keyboard, guitar, organ, synth (1999 - present)

Zacky Vengeance: rhythm and acoustic guitars, backing vocals, piano (1999 - present)

The Rev: drums/percussion, backing vocals, piano (1999 - present)

Synyster Gates: lead guitar, backing vocals, piano, keys, synth, organ (2000 - present)

Johnny Christ: bass, backing vocals (2002 - present)

Former band members include:

Dameon Ash: bass (2001 - 2002)

Justin Sane: bass, piano (2000 - 2001)

Matt Wendt: bass (1999 - 2000)

This band falls mainly under the categories of hard rock, heavy metal, and metal core. If loud beats, and some screamed lyrics are not your cup of tea, Avenged Sevenfold is probably not your type of band.

The band's name is a reference to Genesis 4:24 in the Bible. This is where Caine is sentenced to life in exile for murdering his brother. The exact words can be found in line 24 and are as follow "If Caine shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold." Several of their songs also make biblical references; such as "Chapter Four" (referring to the 4th chapter of Genesis) and "Beast and the Harlot" (from the book of Revelation). Even their album "Sounding of the Seventh Trumpet" gets its name from the book of Revelation. Yes, even hardcore bands can have some religious ties.

The band has two well-known albums: "City of Evil" and the self titled "Avenged Sevenfold"

"City of Evil" was released in June of 2005. This album became the band's first gold record. In this album, the screamed vocals took a backseat, and a new side of the band was seen. This album included singles such as "Bat Country," "Burn It Down," "Beast and the Harlot," and "Seize the Day."

"Avenged Sevenfold" (the album) was released in October of 2007. It debuted at #4 on the Billboard with about 94,000 copies sold. On this album, several singles include "Critical Acclaim," "Almost Easy," and the well known song "Afterlife" (a personal favorite of mine. If you haven't heard it, you should check it out; just a thought).

In 2006, the band had the privilege to play at Ozzfest alongside such great names as Disturbed and System of a Down. By 2008, they had also headlined at the Taste of Chaos tour for bands such as Bullet for My Valentine. To date, they are still in the public eye, doing shows, and giving interviews.

Often associated with Buckcherry, Good Charlotte, Death by Stereo, Korn, and many other bands. Their labels include Warner Bros., Hopeless, and Good Life Recordings.

I hope this gives you some insight into this great band. Go ahead, take a listen.

Want to learn more? Visit the band's official website: http://www.avengedsevenfold.com/

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