50 Most Underrated Albums of the 2000's (So Far): #26

26.Avenged Sevenfold-City of Evil (2005)

City of Evil is widely known as the record that launched Avenged Sevenfold into super-stardom, in large part due to the mainstream success of single "Bat Country". What City of Evil should be known for is being one of the best pure heavy metal/hard rock records to come out since the dawn of the new millennium. City of Evil saw Avenged Sevenfold pretty much abandoning the metalcore sound they favored on their first two records for a more old-school heavy metal/hard rock approach. The change in sound worked out beautifully for them as the subpar harsh vocals from M. Shadows are no longer in the equation and the unbelievable strength of their instrumentation is pushed into the spotlight. While the first half has some great fast-paced ragers including "Beast and the Harlot" and "Burn it Down", its the complexity of the seven-minute plus epics on the second half of this record that ultimately make City of Evil such an exhilarating listen. The last five tracks are simply astonishing with an abundance of great guitar leads, wild drumming and prominent bass lines that should silence anyone that believes that Avenged Sevenfold lacks talent as a band. City of Evil was a successful reinvention of sound for Avenged Sevenfold and as of right now, is the last consistently great record they put out.


Standout Tracks
1.Sidewinder http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9lKttA3K5o
2.Beast and the Harlot http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fM3ylFs3hs
3.The Wicked End http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VM4vNmSXkM

Best Albums Of The Decade(2000-2009): #74-73

74.All That Remains-The Fall Of Ideals(2006)

All That Remains's breakthrough album is a hell of a record. The Fall Of Ideals moves at a blistering pace with tracks that are full of tight guitarwork,melodic choruses and all around intensity. All That Remains has crafted one of the essential metalcore records of the past 10 years. This is their crowning acheviement and their stepping stone to the wildly sucessful band they have become.

Standout Tracks 1.The Air That I Breathe 2.This Calling 3.We Stand

73.Avenged Sevenfold-City Of Evil(2005)

I expected some shit for putting this record on the list. Avenged Sevenfold is one of the most hated bands in the metal/hard rock scene mainly because of their image and really corny stage names. I will admit their image and stage names do both suck but their music(outside of their new record Nightmare) I enjoy. City Of Evil in particular, is an amazing record. Synster Gates's guitarwork is absoultely crazy. Tracks like "Sidewinder" and "Beast and The Harlot" are where Gates's furious fretwork is at its finest. In addition to Gates's guitarwork, the Rev puts on a damn clinic on the drums. For Avenged Sevenfold, this record is their fastest recorded to date as well as their best.

Standout Tracks 1.Sidewinder 2.Beast and The Harlot 3.Blinded In Chains