Sounding the Seventh Trumpet

Sounding the Seventh Trumpet is the 2001 debut from Avenged Sevenfold, originally released on Good Life Recordings before being picked up by Hopeless Records. Recorded in November 2000 on a shoestring budget of $2,000, the album is a historical anomaly in the band's catalog, featuring Zacky Vengeance on lead guitar for the majority of the tracks (Synyster Gates joined later and only appears on the re-recorded version of 'To End the Rapture'). The recording process was famously rapid, with Jimmy 'The Rev' Sullivan tracking all drums in a single take. Sonically, the album is rooted in the metalcore and skate-punk scenes of Southern California, characterized by M. Shadows' extensive use of harsh vocals, a style he would largely move away from following vocal surgery years later. While critics at the time noted its 'schizophrenic' nature, the album has since been recognized as a foundational text of the 2000s metalcore movement, blending European death metal influences with American hardcore energy.