Waking the Fallen

Waking the Fallen is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold, released on August 26, 2003, by Hopeless Records. It is the band's first full-length album with new lead guitarist Synyster Gates and bassist Johnny Christ.

Waking the Fallen
Studio album by
Avenged Sevenfold
ReleasedAugust 26, 2003
Recorded2003
StudioNRG Recordings, North Hollywood, California
GenreMetalcore[1]
Length68:45
LabelHopeless
ProducerAndrew Murdock, Fred Archambault
Avenged Sevenfold chronology
Sounding the Seventh Trumpet
(2001)		 Waking the Fallen
(2003)		 City of Evil
(2005)
Singles from Waking the Fallen
  1. "Unholy Confessions"
    Released: August 2, 2004
Waking the Fallen: Resurrected

The album was released as a double 12-inch gray marble vinyl in 2008 in the US.[2] It was certified gold on July 15, 2009, even though it only sold 3,000 copies on its first week of release. As of August 2014, the album has sold over 693,000 copies in the United States.[3] The song "Eternal Rest" appears on Kerrang!'s "666 Songs You Must Own" and was featured on the soundtrack to the movie Saw IV (2007).

Musical style

This is the first release by the band to feature lead guitarist Synyster Gates, the record also features some guitar solos.[4][5] The record is notable among fans due to M. Shadows' slightly higher pitch in his voice and high notes he sings on songs like "I Won't See You Tonight" (both parts). The album also leans more towards heavy metal rather than punk rock, with comparisons to melodic death metal, thrash metal and power metal.[6][7]

Reception and legacy
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Blender[8]
Drowned in Sound7/10[9]
Louder Sound(reissue)[10]
Sputnikmusic3.0/5.0[11]
Ultimate Guitar

Waking the Fallen was highly acclaimed. Robert L. Doerschuk from Allmusic wrote "And whether attacking a riff in unison or in harmonized parts, the double-threat guitars of Synyster Gates and Zacky Vengeance do their duty like search-and-destroy commandos -- in and out fast, leaving devastation in their wake. Especially noteworthy -- and note-heavy -- is the guitar solo that blazes through the last moments of "Second Heartbeat" and the head-spinning single-stroke virtuosity of the Reverand throughout the album."

It received a positive profile in Billboard, with the magazine comparing Avenged Sevenfold to bands like NOFX, Iron Maiden, and Metallica.[12] In other profiles, the album also received comparisons to the Misfits and further comparisons to Iron Maiden.[13] "Chapter Four" was featured in video games such as NASCAR Thunder 2004, Madden NFL 04, and NHL 04, which helped the band get recognized and sign a contract with Warner Bros. Records. Overall reviews on Ultimate Guitar were very positive and along with 2016's The Stage has the highest overall rating of any Avenged Sevenfold studio albums on Ultimate Guitar.

Metal Hammer magazine put Waking the Fallen on No. 6 spot of their 100 Greatest Albums of the 21st Century list in 2016.[14]

Videography

A live performance video was shot at Warped Tour 2003 for the first single from Waking the Fallen, "Second Heartbeat". A video was made for the second single "Unholy Confessions" on March 6, 2004, using live footage set to the studio track. It featured the fans before and during an Avenged Sevenfold concert. According to vocalist M. Shadows, it was requested by their new label, Warner Bros. Records, in order to publicize the band before their 2005 album City of Evil.

This video was the second attempt at a video for the track. The previous attempt was a concept video created the previous fall (2003). The band was not happy with the final product, however, and opted to re-shoot the video, this time as a live performance. The new video went into rotation on MTV2's Headbangers Ball.[15]

Anniversary

In March 2014, vocalist M. Shadows revealed in an interview with Loudwire that the band had plans in the works to put something out for the overdue 10th anniversary of Waking the Fallen:[16]

We’re going to put something together for the 10 year anniversary of ‘Waking the Fallen,’ which is about 11 or 12 years now. We’ve been trying to think of something we could put together and we found some old demos that we did with Teppei [Teranishi] from Thrice before we even did that record.... We also found some old footage with [late drummer] Jimmy [Sullivan] playing some old shows at The Henry Fonda Theater in L.A., and the Ventura Theater. We’ll put together a cool DVD and some demo tracks and re-release ‘Waking the Fallen’ for newer fans of the band that haven’t gotten that or don’t know about the history of the band.

— M. Shadows, Loudwire interview, March 2014

Waking the Fallen: Resurrected was released August 25, 2014.[17]

Track listing

All songs credited to Avenged Sevenfold.[18]

No.TitleLength
1."Waking the Fallen"1:43
2."Unholy Confessions"4:44
3."Chapter Four"5:43
4."Remenissions"6:07
5."Desecrate Through Reverence"5:39
6."Eternal Rest"5:13
7."Second Heartbeat"7:01
8."Radiant Eclipse"6:10
9."I Won't See You Tonight (Part 1)"8:59
10."I Won't See You Tonight (Part 2)"4:45
11."Clairvoyant Disease"5:00
12."And All Things Will End"7:41
Total length:68:45
iTunes deluxe version bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
13."Eternal Rest (Live from Ventura Theater - January 2004)"5:28
14."Second Heartbeat (Demo Version)"6:20
15."Unholy Confessions" (music video)4:54
16."We Come Out at Night" (live video at Warped Tour)4:46
Total length:90:13
Waking the Fallen: Resurrected
No.TitleLength
1."Waking the Fallen: Resurrected"2:51
2."Second Heartbeat (Alternate Version)"6:20
3."Chapter Four (Demo Version)"6:24
4."Remenissions (Demo Version)"6:12
5."I Won't See You Tonight (Part 1) (Demo Version)"6:07
6."I Won't See You Tonight (Part 2) (Demo Version)"5:28
7."Intro/Chapter Four (Live In Ventura)"7:10
8."Desecrate Through Reverence (Live In Pomona)"5:44
9."Eternal Rest (Live In Pomona)"5:17
10."Unholy Confessions (Live In Ventura)"5:16
11."Second Heartbeat (Live In Ventura)"7:08
12."I Won't See You Tonight (Part 1) (Live In Ventura)" (Exclusive bonus track)8:38
13."I Won't See You Tonight (Part 2) (Live In Ventura)" (Exclusive bonus track)4:58
Total length:77:24
  • "Desecrate Through Reverence" is mistakenly written as "Desecrate Through Reverance" in the reissue's booklet.
  • A slightly longer version of the live versions of "Eternal Rest" was released on the Hopelessly Devoted To You Vol. 5 sampler in 2004. The Resurrected version is mistakenly said to be from Pomona.
  • The alternate version of "Second Heartbeat", which is the same as the demo version, can also be found on Hopelessly Devoted To You Vol. 4, released in 2002.

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[18]

Charts and certification
Chart (2003) Peak
position
US Independent Albums[19] 12
US Top Heatseekers Albums[19] 15
Chart (2014) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[20] 34
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[21] 35
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[22] 48
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[23] 237
US Billboard 200[24] 10

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[25] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[26] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[27] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Hill, John. "25 Best Metalcore Albums of All Time". Loudwire.
  2. "Avenged Sevenfold - Waking The Fallen". Discogs.
  3. "Ariana Grande Nabs Second No. 1 Album with 'My Everything,' Brad Paisley Debuts". Billboard. September 3, 2014.
  4. Allmusic review
  5. "Avenged Sevenfold "Waking the Fallen" Album Review". Paul's Awesome World. January 27, 2012. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012.
  6. "Avenged Sevenfold". Chad Bowar. Retrieved December 28, 2012.
  7. "Avenged Sevenfold - Waking The Fallen". www.punknews.org.
  8. Blender review
  9. Hocking, Matt (September 29, 2003). "Album Review: Avenged Sevenfold - Waking The Fallen". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  10. Bezer, Terry (September 16, 2014). "Avenged Sevenfold: Waking The Fallen Resurrected". Louder Sound. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  11. M, Jordan (August 30, 2014). "Review: Avenged Sevenfold - Waking the Fallen | Sputnikmusic". sputnikmusic.com. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  12. "Artists to Watch: AVENGED SEVENFOLD". Billboard. "Orange County, Calif.'s Avenged Sevenfold stands at a crossroads. In one direction is the present and future: the current punk/metal hybrid known as 'screamo.' In the other, the past: influences of such punk bands as NOFX and Bad Religion; the '80s-metal dynamic of Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Metallica; and a touch of goth."
  13. "Avenged Sevenfold members carve a new niche with old sound", The Bradenton Herald, accessed via LexisNexis. September 18, 2003. "Their long bangs and black eye makeup draw comparisons to the Misfits. Their cryptic lyrics are similar to Iron Maiden. The guttural vocals and machine-gun percussion sound like early Metallica. And the guitar riffs are reminiscent of Crimson Glory."
  14. "Metal Hammer's 100 Greatest Albums Of The 21st Century. - Avenged Sevenfold". avengedsevenfold.com. July 16, 2016. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  15. "Headbanger's Ball spawns second compilation". BPI Entertainment News Wire. "Here is the 'MTV2 Headbanger's Ball, Volume 2' track list... Disc one... 'Unholy Confessions,' Avenged Sevenfold." August 2, 2004.
  16. "Avenged Sevenfold Plan 'Waking the Fallen' Reissue, New DVD". Loudwire. March 27, 2014.
  17. "Avenged Sevenfold To Release Waking The Fallen: Resurrected August 25". Hopeless Records. June 24, 2014.
  18. Waking the Fallen: Resurrected liner notes. Hopeless Records. 2014. p. 9.
  19. "Waking the Fallen Awards". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved September 3, 2014.
  20. "ARIA Australian Top 50 Albums". ARIA. Archived from the original on September 6, 2014. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
  21. "Austriancharts.at – Avenged Sevenfold – Waking The Fallen" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 3, 2014.
  22. "Officialcharts.de – Avenged Sevenfold – Waking The Fallen". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 3, 2014.
  23. "Waking The Fallen: Resurrected" (in Japanese). oricon ME inc. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
  24. Caulfield, Keith (September 3, 2014). "Ariana Grande Nabs Second No. 1 Album In Less Than A Year". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved September 3, 2014.
  25. "Canadian album certifications – Avenged Sevenfold – Waking The Fallen". Music Canada. Retrieved June 17, 2012.
  26. "British album certifications – Avenged Sevenfold – Waking The Fallen". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved December 18, 2012. Select albums in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Waking The Fallen in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  27. "American album certifications – Avenged Sevenfold – Waking The Fallen". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
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