Unholy Confessions

"Unholy Confessions" was written by members Zacky Vengeance, M. Shadows and Synyster Gates. The main riff was written by Vengeance, and had been floating around for a while before the rest of the band completed the song, and the chorus and lyrics were written by Shadows.

The band has stated that the song's writing process was different than that of other tracks. Sanders recalled the song's writing process: "Zack had a riff that he had been playing over and over and over in the garage. We would jam on it a little bit but we didn’t really know what to do with it. Then we left for tour – it was some sort of [suicide awareness initiative] Take Action Tour or something. We were staying at our booking agent’s house in Chicago and we said, ‘Let’s write a song.’ So we all wrote in separate rooms. We’ve never done that since! I came up with the chorus for 'Unholy Confessions' and we kind of put it on the backburner. When we got back home to Orange County, we had that riff and we had the chorus; we just needed some stupid, meaty breakdown! [laughs] And that part of the song came together. We put the dumb-dumb breakdown with the riff, and then we [already] had this chorus… it’s funny how those things happen; it’s like a moment in time."{{Cite web |last=Hammerpublished |first=Metal |date=2021-03-05 |title=The Story Behind The Song: Avenged Sevenfold’s Unholy Confessions |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/avenged-sevenfold-unholy-confessions-story-behind-song |access-date=2025-04-12 |website=louder |language=en}}

Musically, "Unholy Confessions" is characterized by its "razor sharp" guitar riffs. The song was one of the first Avenged Sevenfold songs to predominantly feature clean singing.The song variously makes used of screamed vocals, chugged breakdowns, harmonized dual lead guitar lines, and choruses. Lyrically, the song is about a couple who find out they are both cheating on each other. According to Metal Hammer, "even the lyrics were metal, managing to make a story seemingly about a shitty relationship sound like something out of a power metal track." M. Shadows assessed: "I don’t think it was a real-life inspiration, other than things I was dealing with. When you’re a kid, you are just pulling from your own angsty little heart, and that’s kind of what that was."{{Cite web |last=Hammerpublished |first=Metal |date=2021-03-05 |title=The Story Behind The Song: Avenged Sevenfold’s Unholy Confessions |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/avenged-sevenfold-unholy-confessions-story-behind-song |access-date=2025-04-12 |website=louder |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Terich |first=Jeff |title=See Avenged Sevenfold Play Crushing "Unholy Confessions" Performance in 2003 |url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/see-avenged-sevenfold-play-crushing-unholy-confessions-performance-2003/ |access-date=2025-04-12 |website=Revolver |language=en-US}}{{cite web |date=26 June 2010 |title=AVENGED SEVENFOLD 'WAKING THE FALLEN': HOW BAND'S BIGGEST RISK LED TO HUGE SUCCESS |url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/avenged-sevenfold-waking-fallen-how-bands-biggest-risk-led-huge-success |access-date=11 October 2022 |website=Revolver Mag}}{{cite web |date=January 27, 2012 |title=Avenged Sevenfold "Waking the Fallen" Album Review |url=http://www.paulsawesomeworld.com/2012/01/27/avenged-sevenfold-waking-the-fallen-album-review.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120712025957/http://www.paulsawesomeworld.com/2012/01/27/avenged-sevenfold-waking-the-fallen-album-review.html |archive-date=July 12, 2012 |publisher=Paul's Awesome World}}

The band, along with director Thomas Mignone, filmed the song's concept video on December 7, 2003,{{cite web |title=Avenged Sevenfold prepare to shoot video |url=https://lambgoat.com/news/2902/avenged-sevenfold-prepare-to-shoot-video/ |website=Lambgoat |access-date=26 October 2022 |date=30 November 2003}}{{Cite web|date=2004-01-02|title=Avenged Sevenfold website|url=http://avengedsevenfold.com/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-09-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040102041357/http://avengedsevenfold.com/|archive-date=2004-01-02}} featuring the band performing the single at an abandoned warehouse. After a few months, they posted on their website's blog about their discomfort with the video, and the decision to re-shoot the video. The concept video eventually got released on YouTube, along with the 2014 re-release of Waking the Fallen.

In February 2004, the band shared the plan to film the new video, which was this time a live performance.{{cite web |title=The Story Behind The Song: Avenged Sevenfold's Unholy Confessions |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/avenged-sevenfold-unholy-confessions-story-behind-song |website=Louder Sound |date=5 March 2021 |publisher=Metal Hammer |access-date=11 October 2022}} The video was directed by Greg Kaplan.{{cite web |title=Avenged Sevenfold: Unholy Confessions |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13012036/ |website=IMDb |access-date=16 April 2023}} The video also features many fans filming at their homes getting ready for the show, whether by promoting, driving to the concert, among other things. The performance was shot on March 6, 2004, at the Henry Fonda Theatre.

"Unholy Confessions" is widely regarded as one of the band's best songs.{{cite web |title=FAN POLL: 5 BEST AVENGED SEVENFOLD SONGS |url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/fan-poll-5-best-avenged-sevenfold-songs#1-unholy-confessions |website=Revolver Mag |date=5 February 2020 |access-date=11 October 2022}} In 2020, Louder Sound and Kerrang ranked the song at number six and number two, respectively, on their lists of the 20 greatest Avenged Sevenfold songs.{{cite web|url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-20-best-avenged-sevenfold-songs-ever/2|title=The 20 best Avenged Sevenfold songs ever|first=Merlin|last=Alderslade|work=Louder Sound|date=February 5, 2020|accessdate=March 23, 2022}}{{cite web|url=https://www.kerrang.com/the-20-greatest-avenged-sevenfold-songs-ranked|title=The 20 greatest Avenged Sevenfold songs – ranked|first=Sam|last=Law|work=Kerrang|date=May 29, 2020|accessdate=March 23, 2022}}

Bobby Oliver of Alternative Press Magazine wrote: "The riff, the riff, the riff. There are many like it in metalcore, but this one is Synyster Gates’ blazing melody, which announced the shredder’s presence as a blistering force in the band for the next 20 years."{{Cite web |last=Olivier |first=Bobby |title=20 essential Avenged Sevenfold songs that will turn you into a fan |url=https://www.altpress.com/essential-avenged-sevenfold-songs/ |access-date=2025-04-12 |website=Alternative Press Magazine |language=en-US}}

The staff of Metal Hammer called the track an "absolute, iron-clad anthem", and expressed their belief that "for many Avenged fans of a certain age, [the track is] the definitive A7X anthem." They wrote, "A simple song it may have become, but the fact is that 'Unholy Confessions' struck a chord with a young metal crowd that had so far been weaned on nu metal and shiny, Gothenburg-influenced metalcore. Even at that early stage, Avenged felt just a little different from those around them, and the hype train began to roll."{{Cite web |last=Hammerpublished |first=Metal |date=2021-03-05 |title=The Story Behind The Song: Avenged Sevenfold’s Unholy Confessions |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/avenged-sevenfold-unholy-confessions-story-behind-song |access-date=2025-04-12 |website=louder |language=en}} According to Avenged Sevenfold frontman M. Shadows, “I wouldn’t say 'Unholy Confessions' is a well-written song by any means. But at the time it worked, and it became what it is... nostalgia!”{{Cite web |last=Hammerpublished |first=Metal |date=2021-03-05 |title=The Story Behind The Song: Avenged Sevenfold’s Unholy Confessions |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/avenged-sevenfold-unholy-confessions-story-behind-song |access-date=2025-04-12 |website=louder |language=en}} The track is routinely used to close the band's live sets. According to Sanders: "It’s kind of like our 'Hit The Lights'. It’s one of the first things people heard, it’s a throwback at the end. We’ve tried ending with other things but it goes over well and I think it’s one of those things where, at the very end of the night, to throw things back to 2003 or whenever that came out, is pretty cool. There’s no science behind it, it’s just what we do!"{{Cite web |last=Hammerpublished |first=Metal |date=2021-03-05 |title=The Story Behind The Song: Avenged Sevenfold’s Unholy Confessions |url=https://www.loudersound.com/features/avenged-sevenfold-unholy-confessions-story-behind-song |access-date=2025-04-12 |website=louder |language=en}}

;12" single{{cite web |title=Avenged Sevenfold – Unholy Confessions |url=https://www.discogs.com/release/2258269-Avenged-Sevenfold-Unholy-Confessions |website=discogs |access-date=11 October 2022}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Side A

| title1 = Unholy Confessions

| length1 = 4:43

| title2 = Eternal Rest

| length2 = 5:12

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Side B

| title1 = Eternal Rest

| note1 = Live at the Ventura Theatre; recorded January 3, 2004

| length1 = 5:16

}}

;DVDr

{{track listing

| title1 = Unholy Confessions

| note1 = Music Video

| length1 = 4:50

}}

;Promo single

{{track listing

| title1 = Unholy Confessions

| length1 = 4:43

}}

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.{{cite book|title=Waking the Fallen: Resurrected liner notes|year=2014|publisher=Hopeless Records|pages=9}}

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Avenged Sevenfold

• M. Shadows – lead vocals
• Zacky Vengeance – guitars
• The Rev – drums, percussion
• Synyster Gates – guitars
• Johnny Christ – bass guitar

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Production

• Andrew Murdock – producer, mixing engineer
• Fred Archambault – co-producer
• THE GATEKEEPERS - recording
• Ai Fujisaki – assistant engineer
• Tom Baker – mastering engineer
• Mike Fasano, Bruce Jacoby, Al Pahanish – drum tech
• Stephen Ferrara – guitar tech
• Larry Jacobson Company – management
• Ryan Harlacher – booking
• Scott Bradford – legal representation

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{{Certification Table Top}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|artist=Avenged Sevenfold|title=Unholy Confessions|award=Gold|type=single|relyear=2004|certyear=2021|access-date=March 19, 2021}}

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{{Avenged Sevenfold}}

Category:2003 songs

Category:2004 debut singles

Category:Avenged Sevenfold songs

Category:Songs about infidelity