#A7X foREVer

[bfmva7x]

I'm too emotional...

[queenoffists]

How long did I expect love to outweigh ignorance?

By that look on your face, I may have forced the scale to tip.

[zachiyeb]

I THOUFHT THIS WAS A METAL BAND WHY AM I CRYING MY EYES OUT

[eternaltaire]

what happens in vegas stays in vegas

bat country - avenged sevenfold

[ambreiiigns]

just spent a good 20 minutes crying my eyes out over so far away by avenged sevenfold i have regressed to when i was 13 and extremely attached to this band

[ssynys1er]

🫶🏻

[fireincario]

Gunslinger

[marthawrites]

MARTHA! Have you listened to the new a7x album!??

AHHHH I haven't yet! But now I know the next thing I'm gonna listen to!!

What's your fave on it so far?!

[b-etter]

It's by the sea and at nights end

That's when the sin and swill begin

That's when he had that certain light inside his head

For every whisper he would scream

For every draught he'd share a drink

For every sorrow there's a light from our St. James

[bfmva7x]

#not Johnny looking small af there.

[raduniversitycashtree]

Please right now all Avenged Sevenfold fans add me!! We need to reunite!! 😂 I’m buying my ticket this Friday to see them at Madison Square Garden NY

[pepsi-maxwell]

when he likes a7x but not deftones 🤮👎

[xafire-inside]

He who makes a beast out of himself Gets rid of the pain of being a man

Caught here in a fiery blaze, won't lose my will to stay I tried to drive all through the night The heat stroke ridden weather, the barren empty sights No oasis here to see, the sand is singing deathless words to me

Can't you help me as I'm startin' to burn (all alone) Too many doses, and I'm starting to get an attraction My confidence is leaving me on my own (all alone) No one can save me, and you know I don't want the attention

As I adjust to my new sights The rarely tired lights will take me to new heights My hand is on the trigger, I'm ready to ignite Tomorrow might not make i, t but everything's all right Mental fiction, follow me, show me what it's like to be set free

Can't you help me as I'm startin' to burn (all alone) Too many doses, and I'm starting to get an attraction My confidence is leaving me on my own (all alone) No one can save me, and you know I don't want the attention

So sorry you're not here I've been chained too long, my vision's so unclear Now take a trip with me But don't be surprised when things aren't what they seem

Caught here in a fiery blaze, won't lose my will to stay These eyes won't see the same after I flip today

Sometimes I don't know why we'd rather live than die We look up towards the sky for answers to our lives We may get some solutions, but most just pass us by Don't want your absolution 'cause I can't make it right I'll make a beast out of myself, yeah Gets rid of all the pain of being a man

Can't you help me as I'm startin' to burn (all alone) Too many doses, and I'm starting to get an attraction My confidence is leaving me on my own (all alone) No one can save me, and you know I don't want the attention

So sorry you're not here I've been sane too long, my vision's so unclear Now take a trip with me But don't be surprised when things aren't what they seem

I've known it from the start All these good ideas will tear your brain apart

Scared, but you can follow me I'm too weird to live, but much too rare to die

[thepaperqueendom]

The more Avenged Sevenfold songs I try to learn on guitar, the more I learn to hate Syn.

Like... fucking WHY, Idiot Jazz Man?!

[theold-ultraviolence]

More sentimental blabbering about Avenged Sevenfold, because apparently it's easier than working on my last essays, oops...

I've been waiting nearly 7 years for them to release new music, and holy fuck, I would've waited 10 years, the wait was so, absolutely worth it and proof that meaningful things as this are worth waiting for. This album struck a chord in me that I wasn't expecting and it unleashed a ton of feelings and reflections and ultimately it reminded me of how much I love this band, how much they mean to me, and how deeply I hold them in my heart. I know it feels absolutely crazy to say this about a band, but truly, their music hits a very special place in me that I can't explain.

A7X is actually the reason why I joined tumblr in the first place around 2010 (I've been here for an insane amount of time, I know) I joined because when I first listened to them and then became a fan (2008 - 2009) I didn't know ANYONE at all that liked them, and they were my LIFE, they were all I wanted to talk about. I've never cried at the death of a musician like I did with Jimmy, the drummer. So I was desperate to find community, also because I was slowly stepping into the worst time of my life (my teens) and this band was my salvation and comfort through middle school and high school. I could list all the lyrics from all the songs that have spoken to me during very specific memories, and how, through time, I keep discovering new meanings, and the songs change their significance/symbolism for me. Also, it was through A7X that I discovered Oingo Boingo, which, if you know, you know.

They're just, my comfort band, my all-time favorite band, like, if I was in a situation where I could only pick one band to listen to for the rest of my life, it would definitely be them. It's absolutely insane that they've been with me for around 15 years. Their music just hits differently, they're always experimenting and breaking out of their own mold and Synyster Gates is the best guitarist in the WORLD I fucking SWEAR, HE IS A GOD. The way they keep reinventing themselves and expanding through genres while keeping their characteristic sound is just so brilliant.

When they disappeared they had started to slip out of my radar because it had been sooooo damn long. But their timing right now couldn't be more perfect. They literally came when I needed them the most, when the year had become toughest for me and I needed something to give me hope and bring back a little spark and joy. And they absolutely have. Things aren't great in my life. I'm tired and sad all the time, constantly anxious. But this masterpiece of an album? somehow the narrative and the progression of the music echo what I've been through this year, and I swear with each album they always have something to teach me. I feel like this is an album I will forever hold close to my heart precisely because of the timing and what it means. It's hopeful and brutally honest, painful and melancholic at times, but there's this sense throughout the album about life being a neverending cycle and being brave, facing the reality of death. There's this bit in the song '(D)death' towards the end where it sounds like the soundtrack during a battle scene, or where the hero marches bravely through their death, and then 'Life is but a dream...' drips with yearning but a kind of peace and it's just such a touching track. It's a piano composition and it brings me to tears.

Idk where this rant came from, but I'm just still in awe with the album. I can't believe I get to experience it, and it IS truly an immersive experience, I've never ever heard anything like it before. Seriously, EVER. It's just magical. IT'S SUBLIME. I just feel so lucky and happy to get to listen to it and bask in it. Idk what may happen from here to October, this year I've learned that life can change in the blink of an eye. But I hope I make it, because I know that the experience of seeing them live will be amazing, and also extremely gratifying. Because the first time I saw them I didn't have a good time at all because of the people I went with, and also I've grown so much. Last (and only) time I saw them was in 2013!? it's crazy to think about 2013 me. I'm a totally different person and in certain aspects, I'm still exactly the same. I'm still the same crazy ass fangirl for this band I was back then. I just LOVE THIS ALBUM I WANNA SCREAM ABOUT IT.

[gifsbysimplysonia]

Feliz cumpleaños to my favorite lead singer who for some reason is still wearing the American Eagle Dip Dye flannel I bought him in 2018 🥰 that Rafaela threw to Diony who has always been SO kind to me and my friends when it came to a7x. What a run on sentence 😄 And after the cut is way more nonsensical but intensely personal rambling about this dude. You've been warned.

I been a fan of this dude for coming up on 18 years now- wtaf!!!! And for a very nice stretch of time, I was extremely blessed to see him after shows to talk for a minute or three (though to be honest, i was tongue tied most of the time and just 👀 lol).

At that time in my life, people I admired didn't treat me that great. I was constantly looked at or treated in a way that made me extremely self conscious; I was constantly the oldest fan at shows without kids and I've always been fat and not too attractive in the face. Then I'd be meeting musicians or wrestlers I was so excited to be supporting only to have them act like it was a chore to take a photo with me or keep a distance when doing so...only to hug and smile and be super enthused when moving onto the skinny pretty fans next in line. My self esteem was non existent.

Then I met this dude for the first time, on a sunny warm day in April 2006, Houston Texas. He waved me and my friend across the street, signed our stuff, was fine to take photos with us, and when it was my turn he put his arm around me without hesitation. That one tiny gesture that I'm betting he didn't think about at all meant so much to me. All he did was treat me like he treated everyone else (which I saw that night after the show as he was the only one from the band to come to the group of fans waiting around, and he signed all the things and took so many photos), and something in my heart shifted a bit. Spesh after I looked down and realized he was barefoot? Dude stood there for 4 or 5 minutes, in bare feet, on warm concrete as he signed stuff and took pics before he went onto his bus. Liiiiiiike....

After that, every run in was the same or better as his behavior remained consistently kind and respectful. For me and my friends, Shadows became a kind of unofficial mascot cuz if we didn't see any of his band mates after a show, we seemed to always see him. He always was attentive to whomever was speaking to him, and even when it was the same question for the one millionth time (when are you gonna scream again?!?! 🙄), he would patiently answer. Dude constantly made time for fans, and even in the more recent years when the band wasn't touring, he has demonstrated that he cares A LOT about fans and wants to try and give them the best experience possible (even if they fight him tooth and nail).

I haven't had the pleasure of seeing him face-to-face since April 2011 and to be an absolute brat for a moment 😫😫😫 But my 2 besties got to meet the band when their last album, The Stage, was released. I think October 2016 but, like, don't quote me cuz I'm the worst with dates if they aren't on my list, ha. There were meet n greets in NY and LA; @psycholunatics went to NY and @jillybean1217 went to LA and both had wonderful experiences. I'm always grateful when my besties are treated like the Queens that they are🙏🏼🙏🏼

Back in January 2018, my friend at the time Rafaela went with me to a show in Green Bay Wisconsin despite not being a fan of the band (forever grateful to her for helping me drive AND for being the one to use her magic to make stuff happen, as she did for me CONSTANTLY in life). Thanks to her, the American Eagle Dip Dye flannel I bought him - cuz his other ones at the time looked wrecked:

Got into the hands of their tour manager. And IMAGINE MY ELATION AND DISBELIEF when HE WORE IT THE NEXT DANG NIGHT?!?!? From my IG post at the time it happened:

I'm cringe and I know that. But, like, joy? Is so difficult to find so when I find it, I have a habit of clinging to it like a crab. Cuz it often seems to come out of nowhere, so randomly, and for SO LONG I believed myself to be a person who wasn't WORTHY of good things happening to them, or who was conditioned by how I was treated to think I wasn't WORTHY of basic respect. And honestly, this dude is just someone who has been SO consistently kind and things he had NO CLUE would mean anything to me (like wearing this shirt) would happen & hit me at times in life I really needed a pick-me-up or reminder that there is good in the world.

Since January 2018, my friends and I have spotted the flannel out in the world 13 times, with the 13th being JUST LAST WEEK at a show in Canada. I will forever be impressed with Shadows actually keeping and wearing stuff til he can't wear it anymore (that white Metallica tee? Who knows which one I mean? 😄) AND I will forever shake my head in disbelief anytime I see him wearing this American Eagle Dip Dye flannel cuz like....🥰

Here's wishing him the happiest of birthdays, sending him gratitude for the person that he is and the extreme generosity he's shown myself and my friends repeatedly, and hopes for him receiving all of the good he sends to so many other people 🙏🏼💜

Happy Birthday and thank you for everything, M Shadows 🎊🎉🎂🥳