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

Album Review: Avenged Sevenfold-Nightmare

Avenged Sevenfold has really went through a rough time creating this record. In the early stages of the record their drummer Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan died. After The Rev's shocking death Avenged Sevenfold regrouped and has called upon Dream Theater's Mike Portnoy to record the drums on Nightmare. Nightmare has been dedicated to the memory of The Rev and as a fan of the band it pains me to say that this record is really not too enjoyable.

Nightmare starts off with the title track. Its very much done in the typical Avenged Sevenfold style. Nice riff,dizzying guitar work and its a pretty good song. Sadly the record for the most part is a downward spiral after that. Their is way too many slow songs on this record. Slow is not Avenged Sevenfold's forte. Songs like "Victim" and "Fiction" are really tedious,boring tracks that are just straight up weak songs. I know Avenged Sevenfold is a mainstream band and they have always had ballads but they blew it out of porportion this go-round. What saves the record from being completely awful is the talent of Synster Gates and Mike Portnoy. The guitar solos are flawless and well executed as usual and Portnoy does an excellent job on the drums on this record. There is also a few songs here that rise way above the rest and are really good. If there more tracks like the fantastic,heavy "God Hates Us"(by far the best song on the album) or the mid paced,tempo changing "Buried Alive" then this record would most likely would have been very good.

I really did want to like this record and I have an enmorous amount of respect for Avenged Sevenfold coming out and making this album following the tragic death of The Rev. You can absoultely feel the emotion that was put into this record and I commend them on that. Sadly the songs for the most part just aren't good. A lot of weak songwriting and boring songs cancel out the few gems that are to be found on this record.This record is a big letdown and is by far the worst thing this band has ever done.

2.5/5 Stars

Standout Tracks

1.God Hates Us

2.Buried Alive

3.Natrual Born Killer