Avenged Sevenfold at Hollywood Amphitheater in St. Louis, Missouri on September 25th, 2023.
Photos and Review by The Pit Magazine Contributor Sevauna Photography
As the sun set behind the venue, it was finally time for the main act, Avenged Sevenfold. Fans were strapped in for two hours unforgettable of rock and heavy metal. Formed in 1999 in Huntington Beach, California, they began with metalcore for their first two albums. The release of their third album “City Of Evil” evolved the band to more traditional heavy metal. Just as their popularity was growing, formal drummer Jimmy Sullivan passed away in 2009. Despite this tragedy, they continued with Mike Portnoy to release their 2009 fifth album “Nightmare.” Their current style with their most recent album release “Life Is But A Dream…” is more towards progressive metal. This was a highly anticipated release after a seven-year hiatus.
Lead singer M. Shadows sat middle stage as a silhouette while beginning visuals including their iconic Deathbat pumped the fans. Once the lights finally hit him he had his head down in a ski mask. The beginning acoustic guitar chords of “Game Over” came on. Once Shadows’s hard vocals came in he ripped off his mask and the venue filled with cheers. Their setlist was an extraordinary journey through their entire discography, with each song having its own sound and mood. Heavier pieces such as “Afterlife” and “Hail to the King” had the metalheads banging and rock hand signs up.
The show came to a 180 for a remembrance speech for Sullivan before “So Far Away.” The crowd roared hearing Shadows speak about him under his nickname “The Rev.” He went on to say “Being that age and losing someone is like the coldest water being splashed onto you, having no clue people can actually leave this place and never come back. We can look up to the sky and remember how they made us feel while they were here”. This gave a deeper connection to the song with flashlights up in the air.
Of course, the band was able to bring the energy back up for the rest of their electric set. The iconic guitar stings and high hats intro of “Nobody” rumbled the venue of screaming fans. It was elongated like many of their songs for a guitar and drum solo. They ended off the night with an encore with Shadows’s ski mask back on. Once the eight-minute “A Little Piece Of Heaven” came to a close, a piano solo ended the night. The audience was left exhilarated with their hair knotted from head banging and voices gone from yelling along through the night. The night of metal mastery was unforgettable, and I hope everyone has the chance to experience Avenged Sevenfold live.
Photos by The Pit Magazine photographer Sevauna Photography in St. Louis, Missouri. ©2023.
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