In spite of this, the band carried on with the help of Mike Portnoy, formerly of Dream Theater, on drums. The success of the single "Bat Country" helped propel the album to number 30 on Billboard's Top 200.

For their 2001 debut, Sounding the Seventh Trumpet, they stuck to a strict metalcore aesthetic but had shifted to a more modern rock and heavy metal direction by 2005, with City of Evil. In 2013, Avenged Sevenfold released the album Hail to the King, which featured new drummer Arin Ilejay of Confide. Avenged Sevenfold is a five-piece metalcore band that achieved mainstream success with their unique fusion of metal, punk-pop, and post-hardcore that put impressive musicianship on display. One of the most influential metalcore bands of the early 21st century, Avenged Sevenfold went through many stylistic and introspective shifts on their way to becoming a commercial success story. The band enjoyed global popularity and has been singled out as a pioneering force in the New Wave of American Heavy Metal.With the release of their self-titled fourth album in 2007, Avenged Sevenfold found success in the mainstream before the untimely passing of drummer James "The Rev" Sullivan in 2009. They're paper sleeves, so take extra care when taking them out for the first time, and then put them in anti-static sleeves and you should be ok.

When they started their band in 1999, the members were still in high school in Huntington Beach, California. Shadows (vocals), Zacky Vengeance (guitar), Synyster Gates (guitar), James Owen “The Rev” Sullivan (drums), and Johnny Christ (bass) to make a name for themselves with their aggressive mix of metal, hard rock, and punk-pop. Even though the band had no religious message or goal, their name comes from the Bible story of Cain and Abel and the verse "You shall suffer vengeance seven times over. The band's accomplishments were recognized when they took home the "Best New Artist" trophy at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards .He was replaced by Brooks Wackerman, who would man the kit for the band’s 2016 studio album, The Stage. My 2022 re-issue copy also has "CB" (Chris Bellman) engraved in the dead wax, as another user reported under the comments of the 2013 first issue of this vinyl. They dropped Nightmare in 2010 and once again managed to cast a spell on audiences all over the world. If you're as dedicated to heavy metal as we are, you'll want to add this A7x merchandise to your collection!