WARNER
Inspired by a profound existential crisis and its DMT-fuelled aftermath, Avenged Sevenfold’s eighth album was one of the weirdest records ever made by a huge, mainstream band. Adecade ago, they were riding high with Hail To The King’s on-the-nose homages to Metallica and Guns N’ Roses. In stark and wondrous contrast, Life Is But ADream… had more in common with Disco Volante-era Mr. Bungle and the multigenre madness of hyperpop icons 100 gecs than any conventional metal band. From opener Game Over’s scattershot circus thrash and the lurching, industrial grind of Nothing, to (O)rdinary’s beatific funk-pop and the title track’s florid piano epilogue, it unfolded as a single, 53-minute blizzard of joyous, liberated creativity. The dream lives.