 in a blistering opening that had the whole arena screaming along at the tops of their lungs. With more pyro and explosions than that Arnold Schwarzenegger film where he takes on an entire country (yes, I mean Commando) Sevenfold had the crowd in awe. "'Pin It")
REVIEW: AVENGED SEVENFOLD AT PLYMOUTH PAVILIONS (06/11/10)
Since 1992 when the mighty Pantera took to the stage it could be argued that there haven’t been many metal bands of such enormity or with such a huge following that have taken to the stage at the Plymouth Pavilions, with exception saved only for Machine Head. Left with the task on November 6th 2010 however were 3 bands, each with iconic memories and moments embedded on the face of heavy metal forever: Hell Yeah, Stone Sour and headliners, Avenged Sevenfold
Warming up the crowd were Hell Yeah, bringing their own brand of dirty southern metal to the South West. The arena was packed wall to wall, most probably with people eager to catch a glimpse of the legendary Vinnie Paul who graced the venue 18 years ago with Pantera on that memorable night. Fronted by Chad Gray of Mudvayne fame, Hell Yeah definitely attracted the more mature metal fan. They owned the stage and built up the anticipation (and sweat) necessary for the next band on the bill. All the way from Des Moines, Iowa, Stone Sour opened an amazing set with ‘Mission Statement’, the opening track from latest album ‘Audio Secrecy’. Chants of ‘Corey, Corey, Corey’ perhaps seemed unfair on the rest of the band to begin with, but when hearing Mr Taylor belt out every single song note perfect and absolutely own the stage, it was completely justified. The notable performance of ‘Bother’ in a solo context by Corey was hair raisingly good, and undoubtedly an ode to the late Paul Grey of Slipknot. You could be forgiven for thinking to yourself at this point ‘how can that be topped?
Taking the stage next were Californian metallers, and the headline act, Avenged Sevenfold. 
Joined by the amazing Mike Portnoy (formerly of Dream Theater) on drums, Avenged Sevenfold sounded tighter than ever and reeled off songs from Waking The Fallen, City of Evil, Self Titled and Nightmare to give fans old and new something to sing along to. Although perhaps more concerned with how his hair looked, Synyster Gates shredded out flawless solos whilst M. Shadows took the crowd and crushed everything out of them with searing vocals (whilst desperately trying to keep his aviators in place). Slowing things down, Sevenfold altered their stage backdrop to a great reminder of a lost friend, Jimmy ‘The Rev’ Sullivan, the former drummer who passed away in December of 2009. A poignant track followed which reflected exactly what the band have been through this past year, and sporting guitar straps and tattoos of ‘foREVer’, the band paid tribute to a great drummer and a great guy. Left down to the decision of 1 lucky female audience member, Sevenfold left on Bat Country to a screaming crowd to bring to an end an awesome night of metal which could well be one of the biggest metal nights the Pavilions has seen since that night in 1992.
Words: Chris Tofts
Photos: Daniel Lilley
