Life Is But a Dream...

Writing and recording for Life Is But a Dream... commenced in 2018 and was completed in 2022. Recording took place at Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles, producer Joe Barresi's House of Compression studio in Pasadena, California, and Costa Mesa Recording Studios in Costa Mesa, California.{{cite AV media notes|title=Life Is But a Dream...|others=Avenged Sevenfold|year=2023|type=liner notes|publisher=Warner Records}} The band had finished recording much of the album's material by the end of 2020, though the COVID-19 pandemic prolonged the album's recording stage, primarily due to concerns about traveling. The band also expressed dissatisfaction towards the idea of releasing the album without being able to promote it with a tour.{{Cite web |last=Carter |first=Emily |date=December 30, 2020 |title=Avenged Sevenfold's M. Shadows: "You want to put your stake in the ground and be on the right side of history" |url=https://www.kerrang.com/avenged-sevenfold-m-shadows-my-year-2020 |access-date=March 15, 2023 |website=Kerrang!}}

Lead vocalist M. Shadows claimed the album was 70 percent complete in February 2021, with items such as mixing and recording orchestral sections still needing to be done.{{Cite web |last=Carter |first=Emily |date=February 26, 2021 |title=M. Shadows: The new Avenged Sevenfold album is "70 per cent done" |url=https://www.kerrang.com/m-shadows-the-new-avenged-sevenfold-album-is-70-per-cent-done |access-date=March 15, 2023 |website=Kerrang!}} The band recorded with 78-piece San Bernardino Symphony orchestra at the Sony Scoring Stage in Culver City, California. The recording of the orchestral sections was completed in February 2022, with drummer Brooks Wackerman touting on social media that the album was now 90 percent complete.{{Cite web |last=Carter |first=Emily |date=February 10, 2022 |title=Avenged Sevenfold's new album is "90 per cent" done as they finally record orchestral parts |url=https://www.kerrang.com/avenged-sevenfolds-new-album-is-90-per-cent-done-as-they-finally-record-orchestral-parts |access-date=March 15, 2023 |website=Kerrang!}} Andy Wallace, the band's longtime mixer, finished mixing the album in September 2022,{{Cite web |date=September 29, 2022 |title=Avenged Sevenfold Completes Mixing Long-Awaited New Album |url=https://blabbermouth.net/news/avenged-sevenfold-completes-mixing-long-awaited-new-album |access-date=March 15, 2023 |website=Blabbermouth.net}} with Wackerman stating on social media that the album would now be ready for release in 2023.{{Cite web |last=Carter |first=Emily |date=September 7, 2022 |title=Brooks Wackerman confirms new Avenged Sevenfold album "next year" |url=https://www.kerrang.com/brooks-wackerman-confirms-avenged-sevenfold-album-next-year |access-date=March 15, 2022 |website=Kerrang!}}

Musically, Life Is But a Dream... has been described as avant-garde metal{{Cite web |last=David |first=Maximo |date=May 31, 2023 |title=Album Review: Avenged Sevenfold – Life Is But A Dream... |url=https://boolintunes.com/reviews/album-review-avenged-sevenfold-life-is-but-a-dream/ |access-date=May 31, 2023 |website=Boolin Tunes}}{{Cite web |last=Wearn |first=Justin |date=June 2, 2023 |title=Album Review: Avenged Sevenfold - Life is But A Dream... |url=https://thisdayinmetal.com/album-review-avenged-sevenfold/ |access-date=June 7, 2023 |website=This Day In Metal}} and progressive metal.{{Cite web |last=Mills |first=Matt |date=June 2, 2023 |title=Loving the new Avenged Sevenfold album? Here are the 10 records you need to listen to next |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/what-to-listen-to-after-avenged-sevenfold-life-is-but-a-dream |access-date=June 2, 2023 |website=Metal Hammer}} Lyrically, the album was inspired by the writing and philosophy of Albert Camus, with existentialism and absurdism being two major themes throughout the album. Camus' 1942 novella The Stranger was particularly influential on the lyrics for songs like "Nobody".{{Cite web |last=Bell |first=Sadie |date=March 14, 2023 |title=Avenged Sevenfold announce new album Life Is But a Dream, their first release in years |url=https://www.altpress.com/avenged-sevenfold-nobody-listen/ |access-date=June 7, 2023 |website=Alternative Press}} Shadows and guitarist Synyster Gates created a demo for "Nobody" after being inspired by a painting, also titled "Nobody", created by Wes Lang, who later led the art direction and created the cover art for Life Is But a Dream...{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AgX2mtuvvM?t=362 |title=Inside the Mind of M. Shadows |date=May 30, 2023 |type=YouTube video |publisher=Rock Feed |time=6:02 |access-date=June 8, 2023}} M. Shadows has also stated about the band's direction that the album's music was greatly inspired by electronic music and hip hop.{{cite web | url=https://loudwire.com/avenged-sevenfold-name-surprising-electronic-hip-hop-influences-life-is-but-a-dream-album/ | title=Avenged Sevenfold Name Surprising Electronic + Hip Hop Influences | website=Loudwire | date=May 16, 2023 }} Shadows and Gates were also largely inspired by their experiences with psychedelic drugs, particularly 5-MeO-DMT.{{Cite web |last=Kennelty |first=Greg |date=March 27, 2023 |title=Avenged Sevenfold Vocalist Explains Why "Nobody" Is A Single, How Psychedelic Drugs Influenced New Album |url=https://metalinjection.net/news/avenged-sevenfold-vocalist-explains-why-nobody-is-a-single-how-psychedelic-drugs-influenced-new-album |access-date=June 8, 2023 |website=Metal Injection}}

Avenged Sevenfold began teasing new material in February 2023 with an online scavenger hunt that began with their social media accounts being supposedly hacked, claiming that certain upcoming appearances at music festivals were canceled.{{Cite web |last=Carter |first=Emily |date=March 3, 2023 |title=New Avenged Sevenfold teaser tells fans: "Time to go touch some grass..." |url=https://www.kerrang.com/new-avenged-sevenfold-teaser-tells-fans-time-to-go-touch-some-grass |access-date=March 15, 2023 |website=Kerrang!}} The scavenger hunt was centered around a Reddit user named "Libad5343", the suspected hacker of the band's social media accounts, and their blog, which included articles written with ChatGPT and images generated by DALL-E 2.{{Cite web |date=March 14, 2023 |title=Avenged Sevenfold Announces 'Life Is But a Dream...' Album, Shares 'Nobody' Music Video |url=https://blabbermouth.net/news/avenged-sevenfold-announces-life-is-but-a-dream-album-shares-nobody-music-video |access-date=March 15, 2023 |website=Blabbermouth.net}} Eventually, one of the clues featured coordinates leading to The Ritz, a music venue in San Jose, California, which had "Libad5343 Presents Nobody" written on its signage, with a hidden phrase instructing people to meet at the venue at midnight on March 6, 2023.

Upon the scavenger hunt being completed, fans were rewarded with an unlisted YouTube video that had a countdown set for 8 a.m. PT on March 14. Soon after, the band confirmed the legitimacy of the countdown video.{{Cite web |last=Carter |first=Emily |date=March 13, 2023 |title=Avenged Sevenfold fans have found a secret countdown video |url=https://www.kerrang.com/avenged-sevenfold-fans-have-found-a-secret-countdown-video |access-date=March 14, 2023 |website=Kerrang!}} The lead single, "Nobody", was released on March 14, accompanied by a stop motion music video directed by Chris Hopewell. On the same day, the band also revealed the details for Life Is But a Dream..., including its release date and cover art, which was designed by Wes Lang.

The album's second single, "We Love You", was released on May 12.{{Citation |title=Avenged Sevenfold – We Love You |url=https://genius.com/Avenged-sevenfold-we-love-you-lyrics |access-date=2023-05-12}}{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Paul 'Browny' |date=2023-05-11 |title=Avenged Sevenfold's New Track 'We Love You' Is A Ensemble of Genres, Time Signatures and Clutter |url=https://wallofsoundau.com/2023/05/12/avenged-sevenfolds-new-track-we-love-you-is-a-ensemble-of-genres-time-signatures-and-clutter/ |access-date=2023-05-12 |website=Wall Of Sound |language=en-US}} Three weeks before the album's release, certain fans were able to hear the album early at an "immersive" paid listening event. The event took place at Area15 in Las Vegas, from May 11 to May 14, 2023.{{cite web |last1=Hartmann |first1=Graham |title=Avenged Sevenfold Announce Life Is But a Dream 360-Degree Listening Parties |url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/avenged-sevenfold-announce-life-dream-360-degree-listening-parties |website=Revolver |date=April 21, 2023 |access-date=16 May 2023}} The band announced on May 11 that they would also play a surprise concert, their first in 5 years, at Area15 the next day. The concert featured the live debut of the two singles, as well as album opener "Game Over".{{cite web |last1=Enis |first1=Eli |title=Avenged Sevenfold's First Show in 5 Years: See Videos and Setlist |url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/avenged-sevenfolds-first-show-5-years-see-videos-and-setlist |website=Revolver |access-date=16 May 2023 |date=13 May 2023}}{{cite web |last1=Enis |first1=Eli |title=Avenged Sevenfold in Las Vegas: See Wild Photos of First Show in 5 Years |url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/avenged-sevenfold-las-vegas-see-wild-photos-first-show-5-years |website=Revolver |access-date=16 May 2023 |date=13 May 2022}}

Life Is But a Dream... was released on June 2, 2023, through Warner Records in both digital and physical formats.{{Cite web |last=Iahn |first=Buddy |date=March 14, 2023 |title=Avenged Sevenfold announces eighth studio album, live US dates |url=https://themusicuniverse.com/avenged-sevenfold-announces-eighth-studio-album-live-us-dates/ |access-date=March 15, 2023 |website=The Music Universe}} It is the band's first studio album to be released through Warner since Hail to the King (2013), as they released The Stage (2016) through Capitol Records following a legal battle with Warner Music.{{Cite web |last=Summan |first=Yasmine |date=July 12, 2021 |title=7 Times Musicians Battled Their Record Labels |url=https://loudwire.com/musicians-battled-record-labels/ |access-date=March 15, 2023 |website=Loudwire}} Life Is But a Dream... includes 11 different color variations for its vinyl release, most of which are exclusive to a respective retailer.{{Cite web |title=Life Is But A Dream... Vinyl Offerings |url=https://www.avengedsevenfold.com/libad |access-date=March 15, 2023 |website=Avenged Sevenfold}}

{{Music ratings

| MC = 87/100{{Cite web |title=Critic Reviews for Life Is But a Dream... by Avenged Sevenfold |url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/life-is-but-a-dream/avenged-sevenfold/critic-reviews |access-date=July 3, 2023 |website=Metacritic}}

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/life-is-but-a-dream-mw0003944653|title=Life Is But a Dream... Reviews – Avenged Sevenfold|last=Z. Yeung|first=Neil|date=June 12, 2023|website=AllMusic|access-date=June 27, 2023}}

| rev2 = Blabbermouth.net

| rev2score = 8.5/10{{Cite web|url=https://blabbermouth.net/reviews/life-is-but-a-dream|title=Life Is But a Dream...|website=Blabbermouth.net|date=May 29, 2023 |access-date=June 2, 2023}}

| rev3 = Classic Rock

| rev3score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}{{Cite web |date=June 2, 2023 |title=Avenged Sevenfold: Life Is But A Dream Classic Rock album review |url=https://www.loudersound.com/reviews/avenged-sevenfold-life-is-but-a-dream-review |access-date=June 3, 2023 |website=Classic Rock |author=Merlin Alderslade}}

| rev4 = Distorted Sound

| rev4score = 6/10{{Cite web|url=https://distortedsoundmag.com/album-review-life-is-but-a-dream-avenged-sevenfold/|title=ALBUM REVIEW: Life Is But A Dream – Avenged Sevenfold|date=May 31, 2023|last=Brown|first=Tasha|website=Distorted Sound|access-date=June 5, 2023}}

| rev5 = Ghost Cult

| rev5score = 9/10{{Cite web|url=https://www.ghostcultmag.com/album-review-avenged-sevenfold-life-is-but-a-dream/|title=ALBUM REVIEW: Avenged Sevenfold – Life Is But A Dream...|last=Hill|first=Charlie|date=May 31, 2023|website=Ghost Cult Mag|access-date=June 6, 2023}}

| rev6 = Hysteria Mag

| rev6score = 9/10{{Cite web|url=https://www.hysteriamag.com/avenged-sevenfold-life-dream|title=Life Is But a Dream...|website=Hysteria Mag|date=May 29, 2023|first=Tiana|last=Speter|access-date=June 2, 2023}}

| rev7 = Kerrang!

| rev7score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.kerrang.com/album-review-avenged-sevenfold-life-is-but-a-dream|title=Life Is But a Dream... – Avenged Sevenfold|website=Kerrang!|date=June 1, 2023|first=Sam|last=Law|access-date=June 2, 2023}}

| rev8 = Metal Hammer

| rev8score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.loudersound.com/reviews/avenged-sevenfold-life-is-but-a-dream-album-review|title=Life Is But a Dream... – Avenged Sevenfold|website=Metal Hammer|first=Dave|last=Everley|date=May 26, 2023 |access-date=June 2, 2023}}

| rev9 = Sputnikmusic

| rev9score = 4.5/5{{Cite web |date=June 2, 2023 |title=Review: Avenged Sevenfold - Life Is But a Dream... |url=https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/87043/Avenged-Sevenfold-Life-Is-But-A-Dream.../ |access-date=June 2, 2023 |website=Sputnikmusic |author=Simon K.}}

| rev10 = Wall of Sound

| rev10score = 7/10{{Cite web|url=https://wallofsoundau.com/2023/06/02/avenged-sevenfold-life-is-but-a-dream-album-review/|title=Avenged Sevenfold – Life Is But A Dream (Album Review)|last=Trevan|first=Kelsey|date=June 2, 2023|website=Wall of Sound|access-date=June 5, 2023}}

}}

Life Is But a Dream... received critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 87, based on four reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".

Sam Law of Kerrang! praised the album's diversity in styles and musical elements as well as its adventurous nature, writing, "In the process of shedding any lingering preconceptions about genre, consistency and the basic rules of songwriting, [Avenged Sevenfold] haven't just made an album that's more out-there than any they've put their name to before – they've delivered a set of songs that are simply far more fun." Merlin Alderslade of Classic Rock wrote, "With Life Is But a Dream..., Avenged Sevenfold haven't just transcended their metal peers for good, they've also created their definitive artistic statement," describing it as "bloody fantastic".

Simon K. of Sputnikmusic praised the album, noting that the music was very different from mainstream rock and metal, and a bold departure from the band's usual style. He wrote, "Ultimately, Life is But a Dream.. is the real deal. Avenged [Sevenfold] didn't come up with a half-baked idea here and got cold feet halfway through its development, they see this through to the end. This will piss people off, there's no doubt about that, but I think it's an album that will be looked on very fondly in ten years' time."

In June 2023, Alternative Press published an unranked list of the top 25 albums of the year to date and included this release, calling it "an experimental record that leaned into the unpredictability of pushing boundaries and bending genres".{{Cite magazine |language=en-US |magazine=Alternative Press |issn=1065-1667 |url=https://www.altpress.com/best-albums-2023/ |title=25 best albums of 2023 so far |date=2023-06-23 |access-date=2023-10-25}}

{{Track listing

| all_writing = Zachary Baker, Brian Haner Jr., Matthew Sanders, Jonathan Seward, and Brooks Wackerman, except where noted{{cite web |title=New Avenged Sevenfold album features music & lyrics written by The Rev |url=https://www.1057thepoint.com/music-news/new-avenged-sevenfold-album-features-music-lyrics-written-by-the-rev/ |website=The Point |access-date=5 June 2023 |date=25 May 2023}}

| headline = Life Is But a Dream... track listing

| total_length = 53:21

| title1 = Game Over

| length1 = 3:46

| title2 = Mattel

| length2 = 5:30

| writer2 = {{hlist|Baker|Haner|Sanders|Seward|James Sullivan|Wackerman}}

| title3 = Nobody

| length3 = 5:53

| title4 = We Love You

| length4 = 6:15

| title5 = Cosmic

| length5 = 7:31

| title6 = Beautiful Morning

| length6 = 6:32

| writer6 = {{hlist|Baker|Haner|Sanders|Seward|Sullivan|Wackerman}}

| title7 = Easier

| length7 = 3:37

| title8 = G

| length8 = 3:37

| title9 = (O)rdinary

| length9 = 2:52

| title10 = (D)eath

| length10 = 3:19

| title11 = Life Is But a Dream...

| note11 =

| length11 = 4:29

| writer11 = {{hlist|Haner}}

}}

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Avenged Sevenfold

• M. Shadows – lead vocals (1–10), production, orchestration
• Zacky Vengeance – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1–10), production, orchestration
• Synyster Gates – lead guitar (1–10), production, orchestration, piano (1–3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11), Mellotron (1, 6), flute (1), Rhodes piano (2, 5, 10), Wurlitzer organ (2), synthesizer (6, 7, 10), Hammond organ, harmonica (6), lead vocals (6)
• Johnny Christ – bass (1–10), production, orchestration
• Brooks Wackerman – drums (1–10), production, orchestration

Additional musicians

• San Bernardino Symphony – orchestra
• Anthony Parnther – orchestra conductor
• Noah Gladstone – orchestra contractor
• Jason Freese – synthesizer (3–5, 8–10)
• Brianna Mazzola – background vocals (8)
• Taura Stinson – background vocals (8)
• The Rev – bridge melody (2), lyrics (6)

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Additional personnel

• Joe Barresi – production, engineering (all tracks); additional mixing (1, 2, 5–7, 10)
• Andy Wallace – mixing
• Dan Malsch – mixing
• Bob Ludwig – mastering
• Adam Michalak – orchestral recording
• Jun Murakawa – additional recording
• Nick Fainbarg – additional recording
• Brian Rajartnam – recording assistance
• Bruce Jacoby – drum technician
• Wes Lang – cover art
• Ines Velasco – orchestral transcriptions
• Marc VanGool – guitar technician

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{{Reflist}}

{{Avenged Sevenfold}}

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Category:Avenged Sevenfold albums

Category:Avant-garde metal albums

Category:2023 albums

Category:Albums postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Category:Warner Records albums