- Country: US (California)
- Genre: Industrial Rock / Electronic Rock / Electronica
- For fans of: Bring Me The Horizon, Motionless in White, Atreyu
AVENGED SEVENFOLD – Statica | Metal Territory
Avenged Sevenfold were never a band afraid to annoy their audience. From the metalcore of the early years to the more commercial Rock of “City of Evil”, the experiments of the self-titled record and then the Progressive Metal of “The Stage” and “Life Is But a Dream…”, they always showed that they don’t want to stay in a particular mould.
Their new EP, “Statica”, takes this logic even further. This time Avenged Sevenfold leave the guitars and the classic Metal element quite far behind and step fully into the world of Electronica.
And if you’ve followed their course in recent years, this move doesn’t come exactly out of nowhere.
Avenged Sevenfold enter the digital world
“Life Is But a Dream…” had already shown that the band is more interested in strange ideas, electronic sounds and music that doesn’t fit easily into one category. “Statica” continues from there, but this time the electronic element is at the centre.
The EP lasts only about 18 minutes and consists of four tracks. The positive thing is that it listens much more easily than last year’s “Magic”. There are plenty of sounds that recall video games, synths and electronic effects, but behind all that there is still an effort to have proper rhythm and songwriting.
The title track “Statica” has a quite catchy drum pattern and a simple synth sound that repeats plenty. It isn’t bad as an idea and it’s certainly not a shapeless electronic noise. It just doesn’t have the depth we’re used to from Avenged Sevenfold.
The same happens on “Rejoice” and “Ashes”, where there are some good rhythmic moments that keep the songs alive.
The guitars have almost disappeared
And here lies perhaps the biggest problem for an old fan.
Synyster Gates and Zacky Vengeance find a few good riffs, especially on “Rejoice”, but the guitars no longer have the role you expect from a band like Avenged Sevenfold.
Synyster Gates is a guitarist who has learned to stand out through his playing. Here, though, most of that personality is left aside. It is understandable, since we’re talking about an electronic EP, but it is still somewhat disappointing.
Brooks Wackerman‘s drums are among the most interesting points. They don’t reach his most impressive moments on “Life Is But a Dream…”, but they give the songs a real pulse and help them not simply float within the synths.
M. Shadows in another version
M. Shadows‘ vocals have also gone through quite a bit of processing. Clean vocals, autotune and various electronic effects make his voice sound more robotic.
Within this particular musical environment it works. The problem is that something fitting the sound doesn’t necessarily mean it’s also pleasant to hear again and again.
And somewhere here “Statica” starts to lose ground.
The four compositions don’t have any truly strong point that makes you want to return immediately. There are good moments, there are interesting rhythms, there are some sounds that draw attention, but hardly any song stays in your mind after the EP ends.
An experiment that will probably stay an experiment
I won’t say that Avenged Sevenfold were wrong to release “Statica”. The opposite. In an era when many big bands play it safe so as not to disappoint their audience, Avenged Sevenfold keep doing what they want.
From metalcore to mainstream Rock, from Heavy Metal to Progressive and now Electronica, they have managed to change direction without asking anyone’s permission.
That in itself deserves respect.
The thing is that here the idea is more interesting than the final result.
“Statica” feels more like a detour than a new chapter for the band. It is interesting as a move and shows once again that Avenged Sevenfold aren’t afraid to try something strange, but musically it doesn’t have the same power as the best moments of “The Stage” or “Life Is But a Dream…”.
“Statica” and “Rejoice” are the two tracks I keep most, mainly because of their rhythms. Nevertheless, if you expect from Avenged Sevenfold riffs, solos, powerful guitars and that distinctive feel that made them stand out, here you’ll probably be searching quite a bit.
For a short electronic break, the EP has its interest. For something you’ll want to put on the player again and again, hardly.
And maybe that is ultimately the most important thing about Avenged Sevenfold: you never know what they’ll do next. This time, though, their daring is simply greater than the songwriting. 2/10 generously
Tracklist
- Statica
- Rejoice
- Ashes
- Magic
