Hail To The King
Warner Bros
Hail To The King is what happens when a band tries to consciously write a ‘classic’ album. A lot of work went into constructing the album around the framework already set by the likes of Metallica, Black Sabbath and Guns N’ Roses and so, like a high school essay, Avenged Sevenfold’s sixth album makes some fine points about the forefathers of modern metal, but neglects to say it in their own words. This Means War has more than a dash of Metallica’s Sad But True flavouring its sound, and to mention it the album cover is mostly black. Just a thought.
Aside from an iffy reference section to make any English teacher tut-tut, Hail To The King’s biggest crime is that it’s boring. While some choice guitar work is littered through the rest of the album is hammed up with bog-standard lyrics and way too many GNR-style ballads (is one too many?). If you’re a fan of slow-tempo dull as shit drumming you’re in luck, Hail To The King boasts about 60 minutes of the same dun tsch beat over and over. Fans should dig the album with Doing Time and Coming Home offering a few highlights, but new listeners may struggle to find a reason to not just listen to Avenged’s influences instead.
_ BRENDAN HOLBEN
