Personnel: Synyster Gates (guitar, piano); Zacky Vengeance (guitar); The Reverend (drums).

Audio Mixers: Mudrock ; Andrew Murdock.

Recording information: Third Stone And Mates.

Photographer: Lisa Johnson .

Where Avenged Sevenfold's debut, SOUNDING THE SEVENTH TRUMPET, announced their unique metalcore sound, their follow-up, WAKING THE FALLEN, perfects it. The band manages to sound both more melodically accessible-drawing on classic metal and dark, Alice in Chains-like harmonies-and more punishing-wielding a death metal-influenced crunch. The writing and performances are stepped up, too, yielding an album that consistently matches its sonic architecture with memorable vocal melodies and dizzying guitar leads.

The title track opener invites the listener in with its ominously atmospheric feel, setting the stage for the pummeling to come on tracks like "Unholy Confessions" and "Reminissions." Frontman M. Shadows alternates between throat-shredding screams and hook-laden melody lines with ease, while the band's dual lead guitar attack offers up no shortage of grinding riffs and solos spilling over with superhuman technique. Add to these a rhythm section capable of splitting skulls, and one is left with an album of undeniable power.

Mudrock's dry production focuses almost all of Waking the Fallen on Avenged Sevenfold's greatest strength. That, of course, would be performance, and the band delivers with unflagging aggression and precision. Never mind the lyrical ennui or throat-scrape yowling; there's more to this music than generic cliché. When he wants to, M. Shadows can passionately project in a way that turns even the grim "Desecrate Through Reverance" into an almost bouncy little melody. (Incidentally, Reverance? Remenissions? Reverand? Maybe doomsday is around the corner, but isn't there still time to run song titles and soubriquets through a spell check?) And whether attacking a riff in unison or in harmonized parts, the double-threat guitars of Synyster Gates and Zacky Vengeance do their duty like search-and-destroy commandos -- in and out fast, leaving devastation in their wake. Especially noteworthy -- and note-heavy -- is the guitar solo that blazes through the last moments of "Second Heartbeat" and the head-spinning single-stroke virtuosity of the Reverand throughout the album. ~ Robert L. Doerschuk