It is common in music to have a band ape the sound of those that came before.  A lot of debut albums can become a game of spot the influences, as elements of a bands heroes sap into their music.  However, there is always a difference between being influenced by and copying and you can spot the bands that are going to be special by the ones that take parts of these legendary bands and make them their own.  However, there is another problem with this method.  That being, when you take influence from those around you, you often end up with an album that is disjointed and sounds like the work of several bands rather than one.  Avenged Sevenfolds’ number one album Hail to the King, is the prime example of this.  There are some great tracks on that album, but when you take it as an actual album, it doesn’t hang together.

Continue reading “Sounding like your heroes” →