Live Review

Avenged Sevenfold – Carling Academy, Liverpool

• 16th Oct 2007

When a band is successful, things change – it’s inevitable, ticket prices go through the roof, their t-shirts are everywhere and getting to see them live without sitting in row x is almost impossible.

It’s unfortunate but shit happens. The up-shot of it being that every once in a while a band or musician can play one off gigs in smaller venues in front of smaller crowds and in really can seem like an event.

People always talk about these intimate gigs – it’s because the small spectacle and closeness can mean more than the grand stadium stage.

Hours before the doors open at the Carling Academy and the streets adjacent are filled with teenagers, students, the odd slightly older person sporting an ‘Appetite for destruction’ t-shirt and ticket touts -ah yes- lots and lots of touts, y’see tonight is sold out. Properly sold out, no-one is selling tickets be it on the street or eBay or at the ticket office. Everybody is expecting something special tonight and wants to be there to see it.

Considering there is only one support tonight, Glamour of the Kill, could quickly and easily be reduced to a footnote.

Its welcome then that they have some serious songs and seem hell-bent on making the crowd listen. Coming out to the Terminator theme and then proceeding to deliver an accurately paced set; some people are almost caught off guard, but quickly move from the back to the front to witness music not too dissimilar to James Hetfield coming home early to find the Misfits in bed with Danzig but y’know – romantically. Glamour of the Kill know what they want to say how they should put it across and have the talent to execute it live, tonight resulting in an excellent rendition of ‘Rise from your Grave’.

And then through the football chants, raised high devil horns and even higher expectations come Avenged Sevenfold, a guy to the left sums up the moment better than anyone, “That’s fucking Sevenfold,” genuinely surprised to see them here.

What Avenged do best is create that grandiose metal anthem feel but then subvert it with a sleazily underbelly. ‘Critical Acclaim’ building and building until it when it breaks the audience have no choice but to yield.

Some say that Billy Idol has the best sneer in rock, but they’re wrong, as collectively Sevenfold sneer and embrace the eighties completely as they overdose, rehab and then dutifully re-offend musically. M.Shadows at times emulating Axl Rose’s ‘Oh yeah’s’ sometimes unintentionally but always with sincerity.

‘Seize the Day’ stands above as it potentially is an extremely difficult song to do justice to live but tonight it’s a complete success. Many of the audience cannot believe that they can get so close to the front and ‘The Beast and the Harlot’ helps the crowd into insanity.

It’s a short set, and this is highlighted when they pull out ‘Bat County’ it’s tinged with some sadness as people know it won’t be long before they leave. The subsequent encore of ‘Unholy Confession’ then is treated with abandon by crowd and band-M.shadows removing his glasses for the first time in the gig and the whole band visibly throwing themselves into the role. Even during the final moments of the song Synyster gates removes his hat and bassist Johnny Christ sports it- Avenged sevenfold are enjoying themselves.

When the music’s over, Shadows leans over to the crowd to shake hands, give and receive hugs and thanks from the audience. This is done all the time but it goes on for so long and he seems so happy to be there that it could only come from someone truly appreciative of his fans.

It’s like when the president is going through one of the smaller American towns and the people go crazy-no, that suggests Sevenfold are doing it for the sake of popularity-it’s more akin to when a general visits the front line to thank the troops for their support, and in this case the upcoming release of their upcoming album and subsequent tour will see Avenged Sevenfold’s next tour greeted with an army.