“Here's a band whose name I have a feeling will put many of my followers on this page off, and would have put me off too at one point, but my preconceived notion of them was corrected in '05 with the release of the magnificent 'City of Evil' album. I assumed A7X was a emo or screamo band for kids for a while due to their name, early photos and the fans I'd seen, but they turned out to be more of a legit, kickass metal band channeling the likes of Guns 'N' Roses (for instance, 00:49 in, and what a bassline!) to Iron Maiden and beyond, and doing it well. The musicianship speaks for itself, especially with the highly regarded Synyster Gates on lead guitar (check out his breathtaking gypsy jazz demonstration for Guitar Center's Master Class Series last year: https://youtu.be/DzOV_FBVORk), and I fell in love with the spirit, energy, and shameless commitment to the melodramatic concept and theatrical feel of the album. (continued in comments a la @debutch)”

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