''Sounding the Seventh Trumpet'' is the debut studio album by American
heavy metal band
Avenged Sevenfold
Avenged Sevenfold (abbreviated as A7X) is an American heavy metal band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1999. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist M. Shadows, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Zacky Vengeance, ...
, released on July 24, 2001, through
Good Life Recordings
Good Life Recordings is a Belgian independent record label which was founded in 1996 by Edward Verhaeghe, who had been the lead vocalist of Nations on Fire. The label specializes in hardcore punk bands. It has released albums by the majority of the ...
.
The album was later reissued on March 19, 2002, through
Hopeless Records,
featuring a slightly different cover art. Although the album only sold 300 copies in its first week of release, it has sold 370,000 copies worldwide, with 310,000 sold in the United States, as of November 2010.
The title 'Sounding the Seventh Trumpet' takes its name from the
Book of Revelation
The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament (and consequently the final book of the Christian Bible). Its title is derived from the first word of the Koine Greek text: , meaning "unveiling" or "revelation". The Book of R ...
,
specifically referencing chapter 11 and the sounding of the last (seventh) trumpet, showing the end of the world. Valary DiBenedetto (
M. Shadows
Matthew Charles Sanders (born July 31, 1981), known by his stage name M. Shadows, is an American singer and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist and a founding member of heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold. In 2017, Shadows was voted third in th ...
' future wife) performs vocals on the track "The Art of Subconscious Illusion."
The album was released on
vinyl
Vinyl may refer to:
Chemistry
* Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer
* Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation
* Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry
* Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl m ...
for the first time in 2008 in the US.
Production
''Sounding the Seventh Trumpet'' was recorded in eight days in November 2000, with a budget of only $2,000. When the band members got into the studio,
The Rev
James Owen Sullivan (February 9, 1981 – December 28, 2009), also known by his stage name the Rev (shortened version of ''the Reverend Tholomew Plague''), was an American musician, best known as a member of the heavy metal music, heavy metal ...
recorded all the drums in one take, and the other members of the band added their parts to what he had laid down. Zacky Vengeance played lead guitar originally. When
Synyster Gates joined the band in early 2001, they recorded a heavy metal version of "To End the Rapture", with Gates playing lead guitar. This version was first seen on the ''
Warmness on the Soul'' single, and was later featured on the re-release of ''Sounding the Seventh Trumpet''. This is the only album to feature bassist Justin Sane, who is also credited as playing piano in the original releases. He was briefly replaced by Dameon Ash as a touring bassist during the album's touring cycle, who was then replaced by
Johnny Christ
Avenged Sevenfold (abbreviated as A7X) is an American heavy metal band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1999. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist M. Shadows, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Zacky Vengeance, ...
.
Release
The release date of this album's initial version is theorized in many sources. On the band's official website, it's given as January 31, 2001. However, on archived versions of the website, news updates explain that the album, distributed by Lumberjack Distributions, was originally planned for a late April 2001 release. Due to unknown reasons, it had to be pushed back multiple times, at first for a June 10, then for a June 20 release. A
Loudwire
''Loudwire'' is an American online media magazine that covers news of hard rock and heavy metal artists. It is owned by media and entertainment business Townsquare Media. Since its launch in August of 2011, ''Loudwire'' has secured exclusive ...
article about the album's 17th anniversary gives July 24 as the actual release date.
It was later rereleased on March 19, 2002.
Reception
''Sounding the Seventh Trumpet'' was generally well received by critics.
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
rated the album three stars out of five and wrote: "''Sounding the Seventh Trumpet'' is a magnificent album that is suitable for any fan of metal music, as Avenged Sevenfold has a firm grasp on all that is extreme." The review also praised the tracks "Darkness Surrounding" and "We Come out at Night" as being "...excellent
metalcore masterpieces, as the vocal harmonies add to these cuts to evolve the songs into fully atmospheric sonic blasts."
Videography
Avenged Sevenfold later released the ''Warmness on the Soul'', which featured a video for the single "Warmness on the Soul". The video depicted the band wandering through city streets as M. Shadows' wife, Valary, searches for them.
Track listing
All songs are written by Avenged Sevenfold, except where noted.
* The
Hopeless Records rerelease features a heavy metal version of "To End the Rapture", featuring new bandmate
Synyster Gates on lead guitar.
Personnel
;Avenged Sevenfold
*
M. Shadows
Matthew Charles Sanders (born July 31, 1981), known by his stage name M. Shadows, is an American singer and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist and a founding member of heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold. In 2017, Shadows was voted third in th ...
– vocals, acoustic guitar, keyboards
*
Zacky Vengeance
Avenged Sevenfold (abbreviated as A7X) is an American heavy metal band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1999. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist M. Shadows, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Zacky Vengeance ...
– guitar
*
The Rev
James Owen Sullivan (February 9, 1981 – December 28, 2009), also known by his stage name the Rev (shortened version of ''the Reverend Tholomew Plague''), was an American musician, best known as a member of the heavy metal music, heavy metal ...
– drums, backing vocals, sound effects, piano
* Justin Sane – bass, piano
;Session musicians
* Valary DiBenedetto – additional vocals on "The Art of Subconscious Illusion"
*
Synyster Gates – lead guitar and backing vocals on reissue's "To End the Rapture"
;Production
* Recorded at Westbeach in Hollywood, California
* Produced, engineered, and mixed by Donnell Cameron and Avenged Sevenfold
* Assistant engineering by Henrah Kruzchev
* Mastered by Ramon Breton and Avenged Sevenfold at Oceanview Mastering
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sounding The Seventh Trumpet
Avenged Sevenfold albums
2001 debut albums
Hopeless Records albums
Good Life Recordings albums