- Country: USA (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 their 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 they do not want to stay in one particular mold.
Their new EP, “Statica”, takes this logic even further. This time Avenged Sevenfold leave the guitars and the classic Metal element fairly far behind and step firmly into the world of Electronica.
And if you have followed their trajectory in recent years, this move does not exactly come 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 does not fit easily into one category. “Statica” continues from there, but this time the electronic element is at the center.
The EP lasts only about 18 minutes and consists of four tracks. The positive side is that it is much easier to listen to than last year’s “Magic”. There are plenty of sounds reminiscent of video games, synths and electronic effects, but behind all of it there is still an effort to have a real rhythm and song.
The title track “Statica” has a fairly catchy drum pattern and a simple synth sound that repeats a lot. It is not bad as an idea and it is certainly not a shapeless electronic noise. It just does not have the depth we are 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 some 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 are talking about an electronic EP, but it is still somewhat disappointing.
Brooks Wackerman‘s drums are among the most interesting points. They do not reach his most impressive moments on “Life Is But a Dream…”, but they give the songs a real pulse and help them not to simply float inside the synths.
M. Shadows in another version
M. Shadows‘s 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 does not necessarily mean it is pleasant to hear again and again.
And somewhere here “Statica” starts to lose ground.
The four compositions do not have any truly strong point that makes you want to come back immediately. There are good moments, there are interesting rhythms, there are some sounds that catch the attention, but hardly any song stays in your mind after the EP ends.
An experiment that will probably stay an experiment
I will not say that Avenged Sevenfold were wrong to release “Statica”. Quite the opposite. At a time 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 alone 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 are not afraid to try something strange, but musically it does not have the same strength as the best moments of “The Stage” or “Life Is But a Dream…”.
“Statica” and “Rejoice” are the two tracks I keep the most, mainly because of their rhythms. Even so, if you expect from Avenged Sevenfold riffs, solos, loud guitars and that distinctive feel that made them stand out, here you will probably be searching quite a bit.
For a short electronic break, the EP has its interest. For something you will want to put on the player again and again, hardly.
And perhaps that is ultimately the most important thing about Avenged Sevenfold: you never know what they will do next. This time their boldness is simply greater than the song. 2/10 lenient
Tracklist
- Statica
- Rejoice
- Ashes
- Magic
