10 Rock And Metal Albums From The 2000s The Critics Got Wrong

Avenged Sevenfold are one of the biggest metal acts on the planet, and though critics have enjoyed a lot of their work, they weren’t particularly fond of the band’s self-titled record. Sputnikmusic gave the album just one star, and Popmatters ended their review by describing the band ‘as a handful of amateurs’.

Given some of the band’s best-loved material is featured on this record, such a comment hasn’t aged particularly well. ‘Afterlife’ and ‘A Little Piece of Heaven’ – which were both written exclusively by the Rev – remain fan favourites to this day. The latter is especially commendable for how experimental it is, featuring a range of orchestral instruments and a twisted fairy-tale woven into the lyrical content.

Granted, some of the experimentation on this album didn’t pay off. The use of autotune on ‘Lost’ was not a wise move, and ‘Unbound (The Wild Ride)’ – though interesting in places – doesn’t manage to get off the ground.

But these two songs are the exceptions. The vast majority of the tracks build upon the sound presented on the band’s previous album whilst still offering plenty of sizzling guitar sections.