Avenged Sevenfold

Left alone in the studio to record the album on their own, AS show their unbridled enthusiasm to be as inventive as possible as they run through a staggering amount of production enhancements: four songs have string arrangements; violinists, pianists, and vocalists make guest appearances here and there; "A Little Piece of Heaven" is a strange Mr. Bungle type number with sax, clarinet, trombone, and trumpet, and "Unbound (The Wild Ride)" throws in the most un-metal addition of all - a children's choir. Some of these enhancements help take the songs to the next level but most detract, and give the sensation of inappropriately mashed-up styles, like listening to a Dream Theater album on a boom box while a nearby clock radio plays Charlie FM. Vocalist M. Shadows, who required surgery on his vocal cords after Waking the Fallen shows that his training with Ron Anderson (vocal coach for Layne Staley, Axl Rose, and Chris Cornell) has been for the greater good. Rather than screaming or doing the metal growl, he sings in a few gritty voices, showing an obvious Mike Patton influence, and actually sounds pitch-perfect. His skills, and the entire band's technical ferocity, is flawless as ever, but just gets lost in a cluttered vision. 

- Jason Lymangrover - allmusic.com