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Sounding the Seventh Trumpet
Studio album by Avenged Sevenfold
Released	July 24, 2001 March 19, 2002 (re-release)
Recorded	November 2000, February 2001
Studio	Westbeach Recorders (Hollywood, California)
Genre	Metalcore skate punk
Length	51:59
Label	Good Life
Producer	Donnell Cameron Avenged Sevenfold
Avenged Sevenfold chronology
Sounding the Seventh Trumpet (2001) Waking the Fallen (2003)
Singles from Sounding the Seventh Trumpet
"Warmness on the Soul" Released: April 10, 2001

Sounding the Seventh Trumpet is the debut studio album by American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold, released on July 24, 2001, through Good Life Recordings. The album was reissued on March 19, 2002, through Hopeless Records, featuring a slightly different cover art. Although the album only sold 300 copies in its first week of release, it has sold 370,000 copies worldwide, with 310,000 sold in the United States, as of November 2010.

The title 'Sounding the Seventh Trumpet' takes its name from the Book of Revelation, specifically referencing chapter 11 and the sounding of the last (seventh) trumpet, heralding the end of the world. Valary DiBenedetto (M. Shadows' future wife) performs vocals on the track "The Art of Subconscious Illusion." The album was released on vinyl for the first time in 2008 in the US.

Production

Sounding the Seventh Trumpet was recorded in eight days in November 2000, with a budget of only $2,000. When the band members got into the studio, The Rev recorded all the drums in one take, and the other members of the band added their parts to what he had laid down. Zacky Vengeance played lead guitar originally. When Synyster Gates joined the band in early 2001, they recorded a heavy metal version of "To End the Rapture", with Gates playing lead guitar. This version was first seen on the Warmness on the Soul single, and was later featured on the re-release of Sounding the Seventh Trumpet. This is the only album to feature bassist Justin Sane (not to be confused with Justin Sane of Anti-Flag), who also played piano. He was briefly replaced by Dameon Ash during the album's touring cycle, who was then replaced by Johnny Christ.

Release

The release date of this album's initial version is theorized in many sources. On the band's official website, it is given as January 31, 2001. However, on archived versions of the website, news updates explain that the album, distributed by Lumberjack Distributions, was originally planned for a late April 2001 release. Due to unknown reasons, it had to be pushed back multiple times, at first for a June 10, then for a June 20 release. A Loudwire article about the album's 17th anniversary gives July 24 as the actual release date. It was rereleased on March 19, 2002.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Kerrang!
Ultimate Guitar	8.5/10

Sounding the Seventh Trumpet received mixed to positive reviews from critics. AllMusic rated the album three stars out of five and wrote: "Sounding the Seventh Trumpet is a magnificent album that is suitable for any fan of metal music, as Avenged Sevenfold has a firm grasp on all that is extreme." The review also praised the tracks "Darkness Surrounding" and "We Come out at Night" as being "...excellent metalcore masterpieces, as the vocal harmonies add to these cuts to evolve the songs into fully atmospheric sonic blasts."

Videography

Avenged Sevenfold later released the Warmness on the Soul, which featured a video for the single "Warmness on the Soul". The video depicted the band wandering through city streets as M. Shadows' wife, Valary, searches for them.

Track listing

All songs are written by M. Shadows and Zacky Vengeance, except where noted.

* The Hopeless Records rerelease features a heavy metal version of "To End the Rapture", featuring new bandmate Synyster Gates on lead guitar.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.

Avenged Sevenfold

• M. Shadows – vocals, acoustic guitars and keyboards
• Zacky Vengeance – guitars, backing vocals
• The Rev – drums, sound effects
• Justin Sane – bass, piano (Dameon Ash is credited on some pressings but didn't play)
• Synyster Gates – lead guitar on "To End the Rapture" (heavy metal version)

Session musicians

• Valary DiBenedetto – additional screams on "The Art of Subconscious Illusion"

Production

• Recorded at Westbeach in Hollywood, California
• Produced, engineered, and mixed by Donnell Cameron and Avenged Sevenfold
• Assistant engineering by Henrah Kruzchev
• Mastered by Ramón Bretón and Avenged Sevenfold at Oceanview Mastering
• Cover Art by Micah Montague
• Drum Tech by Mike Rose

Charts

References

1. ^ "17 Years Ago: Avenged Sevenfold Introduce Themselves With 'Sounding the Seventh Trumpet'". Loudwire.com. July 24, 2017. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
2. ^ "Sounding the Seventh Trumpet Avenged Sevenfold". Movie Trading Company. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
3. "Official A7X Homepage". March 1, 2001. Archived from the original on March 6, 2001. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
4. "Avenged Sevenfold Home Page". AvengedSevenfold.com. Archived from the original on March 6, 2001. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
5. "Avenged Sevenfold Sounding the Seventh Trumpet". Sputnik Music. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
6. "15 GREAT BANDS THAT SOUND TOTALLY DIFFERENT FROM THEIR DEBUT ALBUMS". Revolver Mag. March 21, 2022. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
7. "Avenged Sevenfold News". AvengedSevenfold.com. Archived from the original on May 19, 2001. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
8. ^ "Sounding the Seventh Trumpet - Avenged Sevenfold". Allmusic.
9. ""Sounding The Seventh Trumpet" by Avenged Sevenfold". spiegels.tv. Archived from the original on April 18, 2013. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
10. ^ "Avenged Sevenfold - Sounding The Seventh Trumpet CD Album". Cduniverse.com. March 19, 2002. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
11. Epstein, Dan (January 31, 2020). "'SOUNDING THE SEVENTH TRUMPET': AVENGED SEVENFOLD LOOK BACK ON EARLY DAYS, FIRST ALBUM". Revolver Mag. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
12. "A7X History". Avenged-sevenfold-america.webs.com. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
13. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved December 31, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
14. "Revelation 11:15 The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever."". Bible.cc. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
15. "Avenged Sevenfold - Fun Facts and Information". Funtrivia.com. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
16. "Sounding the Seventh Trumpet LP". Discogs.com. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
17. "Sounding The Seventh Trumpet Vinyl Record". A7X World. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
18. Enis, Eli (March 21, 2022). "15 GREAT BANDS THAT SOUND TOTALLY DIFFERENT FROM THEIR DEBUT ALBUMS". Revolver Mag. Retrieved November 7, 2022. The Rev's drumming on "Darkness Surrounding" — which he recorded in one take, along with the rest of the record — is fucking insane,
19. Childers, Chad. "21 Years Ago: Avenged Sevenfold Introduce Themselves With 'Sounding the Seventh Trumpet' Read More: 21 Years Ago: Avenged Sevenfold's 'Sounding the Seventh Trumpet'". Loudwire. Retrieved October 3, 2022.
20. ""You're Not Cooler Than Anyone": Avenged Sevenfold Write Letters Their Younger Selves". kerrang.com. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
21. Kerrang! issue 880 (November 24, 2001).
22. "Avenged Sevenfold: Sounding The Seventh Trumpet | Reviews @ Ultimate-Guitar.com". Ultimate Guitar. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
23. "Avenged Sevenfold - Warmness On The Soul - Vidéo Dailymotion". Dailymotion.com. September 25, 2006. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
24. Epstein, Dan. "'SOUNDING THE SEVENTH TRUMPET': AVENGED SEVENFOLD LOOK BACK ON EARLY DAYS, FIRST ALBUM". Revolver. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
25. Sounding The Seventh Trumpet. Hopeless Records. 2002.
26. ^ Sounding The Seventh Trumpet liner notes (Image).
27. "ウェイキング・ザ・フォールン/サウンディング・ザ・セヴンス・トランペット". Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved April 14, 2023.

• Avenged Sevenfold albums
• 2001 debut albums
• Hopeless Records albums
• Good Life Recordings albums
• Skate punk albums