Hard to believe it's about to be 10 years since this album came out so I thought I would write about it to a bunch of strangers on the Internet spills some of my thoughts on each song individually and while I'm not trying to convince anyone state my case for this being THE best avenged album.
The stage
The first song on the album was certainly a harbinger of things to come. The intro from brooks is chef's kiss I love the lyrics to this song they sound so good while actually speaking some real stuff and the rest of the boys are in top form one of my favorite syn solos for sure only being eclipsed by another song later on this list.
Paradigm
I love the whole concept of this song as well and the screams from matt after he says final paradigm sound so good with the style of this song you can put this in the first half of nightmare and it wouldn't miss a beat well aside from the lyrical content anyways
Sunny disposition
Those freaking saxophones man putting them on there was pure genius like how do you even think of that another master class performance from brooks which really can be said for the album as a whole I like how softly the song ends it makes the next song hit so much harder than it already does
God damn
The shortest song on the album but doesn't feel that way this song Will have kicking and fist pumping at work it's just a hit in the face and I can feel the burst of energy from it I love it
Creating god
Damn the boys really saw the coming of ai that's so crazy to listen to specially nowadays this is a perfect end to the first half of the album
Angels
I love the somber sound this song is going for one of Matt's stronger performances I feel it's perfectly placed between creating god and simulation and it acts as an break of sorts that allows you to catch your breath for the latter half of the album I'm always a sucker for songs that get you in your feels and this one is certainly that
Simulation
What a kick ass way to kick off the next half of the album I think the concept of the song itself takes it to the next level or it could just be me being a huge fan of existential concepts like these
Higher
I feel like this song doesn't get talked about enough easily top 10 song by them yet another master class by brooks and the section where Matt sings meet you in the stars tonight so hypnotic
Roman sky
I actually had to look up who this song was about back then once I read about it it added more to the song paired with the orchestra this definitely a top 2 ballad from them
Fermi paradox
I like how Matt's vocals in this song kinda take a backseat to the syn and wackerman show featuring the best solo on the album and the second best drumming on the album (by a very very thin margin) very underrated song
Exist
What hasn't been said about this song yet another masterpiece by brooks but the song as a whole is absolutely crazy it's definitely an experience plus i also love watching star talk so the fact they got ndt to record something for them was top tier
You can put any song on this album against all their other work and they will hold up on their own this album has no song that can be skipped it's nothing but bangers all the way through i feel like sure people can say they hate this album but of the opinion that's it's just not your time yet everyone is in top form here matt sounds a little older but it's never detriment to the work as a whole and while I love libad(second best album by them argue with your mom) this album still sounds like the avenged we all grew up on just more mature in all aspects with that being said it's time i talked about the man of the hour Mr brooks fucking wackerman talk about the straw that stirs the drink what an absolutely unforgettable debut from beginning to end he absolutely killed it on every single song they let him cook so hard it's been 10 years and I still can't believe it he came in at the best time matt still had most of his voice I'm not saying his voice is bad though don't misunderstand (saw them in August in Dallas) but you can tell now the vocal injuries he has sustained have definitely affect his tone now and add to that how they are experimenting with new sounds (I don't hate statica) looking back we can definitely say that the stage also represents the last album were the boys still sounded like the boys feels kinda like the end of an era of sorts but man did they go out in a blazing glory put this album against any other of theirs with no bias and it's so clear to see it's their Magnus opus.(and no I'm not a new fan I've been listening to them since 07) I will always keep looking forward to what they release and support it even 10 years later I still have the same opinion I did back then that this album is gonna be really difficult to top. And don't even get me started listening to this album on LSD is an absolute experience 100/10 recommend and if you made it all the way here thank you for reading all this word salad