Composer/Musician Reacts to Avenged Sevenfold - Save Me (REACTION!!!)

[@RazeD]

Save Me was the final track on the album so I feel like the "big ending" was a finish for the record rather than just the song itself.

[@awseomsauce]

Definitely leaving it on a happier note

[@skyrocketxv]

Yeah that’s really what it feels like.

[@Odessax6]

This playing drum mike portnoy ?? Maybe

[@Belazoth.]

Their original drummer, Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan, passed away before the recording of this album. Mike Portnoy from Dream Theater recorded drums on this album. Most of the album he stays pretty consistent to Jimmy's style but I think Save Me is where he let loose a little more and played his own style.

[@petrkufhaber7271]

The album was finished before he died. James Owen Sullivan did drums for all the songs .. Unfortunately only demo recordings But they were about 90% complete ... The studio recording was made by Mike Portnoy He tried to keep the demo recording as accurate as possible and the same style where something could be fine-tuned

[@Belazoth.]

@@petrkufhaber7271 Yes, all true. There's even a demo recording of Nightmare floating around with Jimmy playing on an electric set.

[@brandonneemann7883]

@aaron Smith The Nightmare Album was actually mostly written by Jimmy and he has one song with his drums and it's only a demo...it's the song Fiction which is a very sad song

[@Belazoth.]

@@brandonneemann7883 Yes, all I said was that Jimmy passed before the album was recorded. Which is true. Everything you said is also true.

[@petrkufhaber7271]

​@@brandonneemann7883 Yes the song Fiction was the last completed song for this Album .. He made it 3 days before your death .. He said: This is the last song for this album .. I want it to be called Death. In this song you can hear the original Jimmy vocals from the demo recording .. Interesting: This is also the only Avenged Sevenfold song to have no guitar. And It is named under one of Jimmy's nicknames

[@dwaynediamond6431]

Haha "not feeling this ending".... literally my favourite part of this awesome track lol

[@CloudMountainJuror]

Same, it's what makes the song great for me. Without it it wouldn't be as emotionally satisfying.

[@alessandrozetti8657]

Literally one of the few musical pieces that gives me huge chills every single time. It's the perfect ending for the song, even more if you've listened to the entire album and noticed its melodies. Actually I just clicked on this video cause I thought "that ending came out of nowhere" was meant in a positive way Ahahah, guess you can never know people's tastes enough.

[@natesadly135]

I feel like you need to know the back story of the song to feel it ig but yeah it is amazing if you do know why it was made

[@jayson2015]

The ending was jimmy's original idea for the chorus as far as I know. Matt rewrote the song but wanted to keep it

[@birdwatcher102]

This is the album closer, the last part was written by the drummer who passed away. They did not want to ignore what he wrote for the song.

[@rebelfighter5249]

Save Me isn't a song. It's an epic. One of the best album closers I've ever heard and my favorite piece from A7X.

[@BeatsAndMeats]

1st of all, thanks for checking out the song!! Your channel is helping my Quarantine Apocalypse go smoothly. As for the song review: Its was very interesting that you said the ending was so odd and out of place, because it is... here's why: Their original drummer The Rev wrote this song, he promptly overdosed and died before this album was recorded. This album was a tribute to him. If you look at the album cover you posted in the video, the tombstone says "forREVer". Thats why. Mike Portnoy played drums on this album, because he was The Rev's favorite drummer. As for this song in particular, that out-of-place ending was the original chorus for the song, but the band thought it wasn't a good enough chorus to be used throughout the song, so they decided to add it to the end, which is why it seems so out of place. He was 28 when he died and since he died so young, they felt they HAD to find a place to put in that line "tonight, we all die young." Also, that part about the rhapsody was brilliant! I never would've thought of that! That makes so much sense!! And yes, there is a song called "Nightmare." The album came out in 2010 I think.

[@deminybs]

good ol brompton cocktail. R.I.P. jimmy got to see him perform once in november 08 in biloxi ms, while in the military (: awesome show

[@Prodigyl]

This album came right after The Rev, their original drummer, passed away. They had demo’d some songs before he passed. The ending part “Tonight we all die young” was actually the chorus that the Rev wanted in the demo, but they changed it. They decided to keep the original chorus at the end, to pay homage to the Rev. I think its a great fitting end. I think thats the biggest juxtaposition in this song that I love.

[@imopen2]

The drum part at the end is when they told mike portnoy to go nuts and kinda do his own thing since this song and the album in general are basically written by and simultaneously in tribute to the rev who portnoy was replacing for the studio album and tour

[@kai_henrik]

Great band that gets undeserved hate

[@puppetmaster8551]

That’s because sadly metal has so many elitist metal head fans who just love to shit on what’s popular, the Only reason it because cool to hate in A7X by all these snobs is solely because they became huge. They’re a great band filled with great musicians, I have no clue how someone could listen to city or save me and then shit in the band and act like they aren’t good or talented. Fuck all the haters man

[@TheSamuraiApocalypse]

There new album is a big departure from this sound, but I wouldn't advise against checking out the rest of Nightmare. I love that album, and it's the first time I discovered my love for metal music. Nightmare came on the radio, and it changed my whole world. Avenged Sevenfold inspired me to pick up my guitar every day. I learned their songs religiously, so I realize this is a biased opinion. Every solo is done very tastefully, shred or no shred. I understand that everyone hears music differently, but something sticks out to me about Brian's playing. Even when he shreds it is still very musical. From his careful choice of notes to the little nuances such as slides that he throws in or weird bends that he does to offset the melodic phrase and give it character. All of it is done with incredible thought, but in my opinion that alone doesn't make a guitarist. His ability to sing with his instrument, and give it such a unique voice among all the shredding; to maintain that clear melodic phrasing through all the chaos is very difficult, but it's what sets him apart from so many modern metal guitarists. "Controlling the weather," as his dad put it. He tells a story with his solos. That's just the way I feel when I'm listening to him play. It speaks to me, and I would not be anywhere near the musician I am today if it weren't for that. Please give their newer stuff a listen. The songs don't change structure-wise too much, but the overall atmosphere is completely different. I wouldn't check out Exist first. Check out Sunny Disposition or Fermi Paradox, because Exist will only confuse you about the new direction they're going in.

[@angelaleader-alford6905]

Great comment!!! Agree 100%!!! I would also recommend, Buried Alive, Acid Rain, & Roman Sky.

[@sVieira151]

The song deals with the death of the original drummer and I think the ending was intended as a thematic closer to the album as a whole, especially the dissonant and abrupt ending. It definitely took a few listens for me to accept it, I guess is the best way of putting it. This was from 2010. Their most recent album The Stage is a much more interesting album sonically. Still very Avenged Sevenfold but a bit heavier and more aggressive. The guitarwork is a lot more prominent and it's also more mature to me. In particular the solos are fast and frequent but they feel less like meaningless shred and more like adding to the song's narrative. Check out The Stage, Paradigm, or Fermi Paradox. I think people would suggest Exist but it's essentially a song in 3 parts that don't necessarily have anything in common.

[@rosssmith8521]

by mature, do you mean sounds more like retooled Metallica riffs?

[@sVieira151]

@@rosssmith8521 I find that incredibly harsh on The Stage. It definitely has some thrashier riffs than previous, but to me Hail to the King was their Metallica and Guns N Roses ripoff album. By mature I meant there feels like there's a lot less in it that seems like it was added just for the sake of it.

[@jirkohakkinen800]

@@rosssmith8521 How can anyone with ears say that the stage album sounds like metallica...

[@bojangles4791]

Nothing on the stage sounds like Metallica,dunno what your tone deaf ears are listening to.

[@stevenfilley7631]

This song is a masterpiece. Like all great songs you must listen multiple times and know the lyrics. If you think you get it on one listen your missing the point. Watch the video making of Save Me

[@DawnsHhcg]

I really enjoy your reactions. It isn't just about if you like it or not, you are informative about the details and that is what I really love.

[@AL-ru2mw]

Dawn B agreed! Makes it more interesting than just hearing if they agree with your opinion or not

[@Kelly.sapphire]

Thanks for doing them. One of my favorite bands.

[@bobbywiththattool8797]

If u want a story-telling solo then u need to listen to Coming Home by A7X

[@cherylhuff4158]

Tonio yes!

[@xBongWater]

Tonio criminally underrated song

[@medievilbo25]

favorite song on that album!

[@Fatmaax]

YEEEEEESSSSSSS it's so underrated

[@beast5468]

The reason for the ending like that is because they where basically paying tribute to there amazing drummer “The Rev” because he passed away, as he wrote those lyrics but they couldn’t fit it into the lyrics they went with, it was also an album ending so they made it like an “extra finale” the drummer that was on this track was Mike Portnoy and they basically told him to go ham at the very ending of the song, because The Rev had actually “wrote” the drums, but Mike Portnoy did them. I didnt really like the ending the first time I listened to it but when I did research and found out “why” I started to like it more and more, but my favorite part is the “pre finale” or the start of song (intro). Great reaction man! 👍🏻

[@ariel9088]

You said I never listened to nightmare and I was like, dude you have this exact album poster on your wall, I realized that I'm stupid

[@schuylercrawford4770]

Definitley one of A7X's best tracks. You should also check out Chon. Really fun music

[@Mquito07]

Heavy avenged sevenfold is a song called "god hates us" from the same album of this one

[@danieldbor]

2:36 please do, I’d be interested!

[@Kyrus92]

Me too!

[@jlan5411]

I remember hearing that the ending part of the song was the original idea for the full song but they rewrote it and moved it to the end because The Rev wrote it and they wanted to keep it in somewhere.

[@ThomasPettit-b1b]

Yeah it was the original Chorus from the Rev but they didn't think it fit well as a Chorus, so they wanted to use it and topped off the album with it instead.

[@isaiahheredia7935]

“What is going on here?” .. greatness.. greatness is what’s going on there lol

[@Ryan-jv8bw]

The fall of Troy - F.C.P.Remix

[@adrianjones8118]

If you want longer, proggier songs then Caligula's Horse - Graves would be a great intro to the band. Great composing and huge emotional ebbs and flows. Keep up the good work, great hearing someone knowledgeable talk about the music we love!

[@GNR221]

I second this, definitely check out Graves.

[@steveb2901]

Underrated tracks: Victim and Fiction off the Nightmare album. I love most of this album- 7 out of 11 tracks work for me with 4 of the 7 being home runs imho. Alas- “Save Me” is not in my top 4- or 7.

[@AL-ru2mw]

Steve B curious what your top 7 are!

[@steveb2901]

Amanda Luo my top 7 off Nightmare album (11 track version- they put out an expanded one and I think another version with a few different tracks added and deleted): Nightmare, Welcome to the Family, Buried Alive, Fiction, Victim, Natural Born Killer, and Danger Line. Kind of split into two camps there- Nightmare, Welcome, Danger, and Natural on one side and the other 3 on the other- almost sounds like two different bands. Victim, Fiction, and Buried Alive are IMHO some of the best music they have ever written. Especially Victim. Listen to that song again and tell me it doesn’t blow you away- hell- just let it build to the 3:36 mark when it becomes a thing of beauty for about 2 minutes of glory- the outro is good but maybe should have been cut down. I love the piano in a Fiction with the melodies. And Buried Alive is personal to me- and as a guitarist, everything from 4 minutes on is jaw dropping- so there you go- and yes- So Far Away is not on my list- I am not a fan of that song at all- not sure why- just is what it is.

[@mattmcsherry761]

Victim is so damn good! It's my favorite off this album.

[@Dukhevych]

Would love to see your reaction to Unexpect - Unfed Pendulum or Unexpect - Unsolved ideas of a distorted guest They have disbanded, but their 2011 album is a real masterpiece

[@Mercilesstantalus]

This is my favorite A7X song but honestly I do also cut off the ending. It's not horrible but it does feel unnecessary for me too. It's perfect at 9:30!

[@DanTheMan0921]

Buried Alive was my favorite song off of Nightmare. You should check it out!

[@joshelliott4366]

Fermi paradox is a good one off the stage. Also check out avengeds breakdown series. Where they show you the mix and explain what they were trying to do. Really cool down to earth guys. It's why you see so many diehard fans imo.

[@Dermerion]

I think that the ending is to make it bitter, like by saying "Tonight, we all die young" and the intention behind that part is to make it as bitter as the message is.

[@AeonAxisProductions]

Fun fact this was their longest song and was done as a tribute to the Rev, it was their longest song until they released their new album "the stage" with the song "exist"

[@TheDoubleDinger]

Thanks for this insightful video Jon Snow

[@Escaped-FromHellview]

The whole album is about death . And has everything the rev had left in him in it

[@xahal]

I'm no musician and I don't know much about Avenged Sevenfold, but my uneducated ears like "Bat Country" and "Nightmare". I like your reactions too. I came through your reactions to Jinjer and watched a few others because your comments are always interesting. I'm subscribing right now.

[@CPTFullMetal]

Great reaction! Enjoyed the video

[@keeperskillz24]

This is from avenged sevenfolds official video on how they mix their songs and everything that went into it and what they were thinking. This one is for save me kzbin.info/www/bejne/h3u7Z2Svrsd2b5o

[@jesusmallen397]

React to the stage by avenged sevenfold, they really evolved a lot

[@grabber_blu_angel]

Thank You Scientist - Everyday Ghosts. You will not regret it.

[@dirtydan9904]

Their drummer wrote that ending before he died. The band didn’t know what to do with it so they put it in at the end of Save Me.

[@justdave9610]

Exist is the big epic song on the stage. Roman Sky is a good song but if you react do the live at the grammy museum performance

[@thefourshowflip]

Their original drummer passed away from an overdose during the writing of this album. Mike Portnoy took over to help them finish (I believe he’s the one who tracked drums for this album).

[@gasdragon]

If you enjoyed the dual guitar parts check out Chon. They have a different sound but a7x was one of their inspirations.

[@Patrickcolwell80]

You need to do research on the song and you will understand the ending....jimmy originally wanted "tonight we all die young" as the main chorus but they couldn't get it to work so they put it at the end as a tribute to the Rev....

[@jherriff]

It really threw me off when the only part of the song you disliked was the best part of the song.

[@aaronfilibeck1794]

We’re you thinking of strength of the world, The 10 minute song on CoE?

[@alexiisperez7108]

React to "Exist" by Avenged Sevenfold...

[@blitzy7961]

Really cool reaction. Would love more Avenged reactions. Maybe something like Buried Alive or Danger Line.

[@dotscarab]

Would LOVE to see a reaction to Mutemath - Break the Same (Live) kzbin.info/www/bejne/rIKreYV4qLmWbas Not prog/metal, but a truly spectacular performance with great drums/bass. One of the best live bands I've ever seen (from the album Odd Soul and before). The last half is INSANE. Worth watching while listening.

[@damonmorales3722]

The stage!

[@erickv2645]

Stages of grief.. foREVer

[@keys4573]

Definitely gotta do exist that’s one helluvah song

[@gabrielcarvalho4623]

React to "The Stage", the song.

[@saifulzamroni7003]

Avenged Sevenfold - Paradigm ple..

[@Escaped-FromHellview]

React to a little piece of heaven. As a "composer" ul appreciate it . They brought in a 12 piece orchestra to record that song. It gets hate but is crazy good

[@CriticalReactions]

You're spot on there. Little Piece of Heaven was a fun one to explore again. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iILElqlml5qUmas As a note, every year at Halloween time I get into an emo persona of myself for the video intros. This video happens to have that. Just figured I'd give ya a heads-up on that since you're new around here :)

[@youreadopted3960]

Mystic prophecy - Eye to Eye You will not regret it

[@Ryan-jv8bw]

React to euphoria by polyphia

[@jmanwild87]

not sure if you did this already but I really recommend Diablo string orchestra. A few of my personal recommendations Stratosphere Serenade Justice For Saint Mary Pink Noise Waltz A Tap Dancer's Dilemma SuperHero Jagganath Voodoo Mon amour

[@crysias]

I think you will very much like Distorted Harmony. These guys blew my mind when I discovered them a couple years ago. If you ever consider listening to some prog from Israel, I'd suggest you to start off with Kono Yume, off of their album Utopia. Love your insights !

[@LudwigJager7]

You should react to Roman Sky, amazing song for sure

[@cubturbo]

A Lot Like Birds - Further Below

[@zyklqrswx]

just gonna keep recommending Amogh Symphony's concept album The Quantum Hack Code also I bet you'd like Intervals. recommend anything off of A Voice Within

[@muttbull]

If you do anymore A7X, it’d be great if you did “Afterlife” 👍👍

[@SVNFLDFN]

You would love "Exist" by them! Absolutely ridiculous song

[@mariogonzalez1990]

The Singularity Heart by Raunchy.

[@AlightingOnAir]

I feel like a7x died with the rev. He was my favorite part of that band. Great review! You should do Protest the Hero’s Sequoia Throne or Bloodmeat. You won’t regret it! Just craziness the whole time.

[@banehog]

Yeah, Hail to the King pretty much killed the band for me. The Stage brought them back though, that is an amazing album.

[@doilydally9856]

Sounds like a waltz bc the song is in 6/8!

[@P-Funk_]

“I’m not feeling this ending. What’s going on?” Idk listen to the story🤔

[@mattclarkproductions4503]

What are u doing here😂

[@P-Funk_]

@@mattclarkproductions4503 tryna figure out why he said the ending was confusing

[@mezztube33]

Great Video as always Can you react to August Burns Red - King of Sorrow? Really love that song!

[@vizident7]

Please go reacts to Avenged Sevenfold's - a little piece of heaven song 🙏😁

[@lukabetts301]

What even are "avenged sevenfold chord progressions?"

[@lalhmelthra817]

New subscriber...ty

[@shanelamoureux7634]

This dude's clueless when it comes to A7X sorry

[@bluesheepllama]

Can't blame him, nightmare is an odd album to react to because it is very much a tribute to the rev. Without that context, one might miss the entire point of the album. It really is an amazing album, but that in part is due to how emotionally driven it is. The ending is so good because of what it means to so many people.

[@contractura4113]

Sidewinder

[@kartoflanystefan4937]

eh.... Nightmare is so different from City of Evil or Waking the Fallen u were listening to, so i don't know how u can tell it's typicall mid 2000 A7X. You should relisten albums again and you will hear how the band was doing progress with every album.

[@PieroMinayaRojas]

You should react to one of Staind's heavy songs Spleen

[@CriticalReactions]

I've listened to Staind's self titled album (I think) and I also think Spleen was featured as a bonus live track. If so then I've heard the song. I'll have to look into this later to see if I have or not.

[@CO6883-o3c]

Porcupine Tree - Anesthetize

[@VilVik12]

System of a down - Needles

[@punched_sum4512]

Dude, listen to danger line.

[@alonsomachine3810]

Seth rolligs?

[@talivaldisozols1649]

Car Bomb - Sets

[@joaolima3032]

React to eula by baroness

[@martyngregg2527]

YES

[@ckokomo808]

Underrated group!

[@darksunshine9313]

You should really have checked out the lyrics to this song..you could then understand the whole feel of the song and most importantly the ending would have made sense to you.. :))

[@mccheezegrader7072]

It was a build up to a finally it's like common since.... that's the last track on the album

[@banehog]

It's hard to watch a track I'm so personally invested in get the meh-treatment!

[@thomasz9226]

You're very intuitive, and articulate of your take on the song. But I wildly disagree with your take on the ending. You have to understand the narrative of the song. The shredding and heaviness, the "horror" sound, was all for the whirlwind of emotion from the death of the drummer. The ending reeled it all in with a almost peace of the situation. I believe the ending was fully necessary and couldn't just be heavy or more shred.

[@JVR10893]

The ending was written by their dead drummer, so they put it there as a tribute to him.

[@thebarkingcrab]

You can tell this guy is not an avenged fan and was just waiting for something to not like this song and have a weird and dumb reaction to it. A million reviews and opinions of this song and not one mention by anyone else that the outro to the song is what you think it is. Get a clue guy

[@rubenpescadinha4447]

SKULL

[@pomirodi2862]

You remind me of seth rollins, idk :D

[@poggerwhite]

Exist on The Stage album is a much better long epic than Save Me even though I love this song as well. Way more fun instrumentals and Brooks Wackerman on the drums who steals the show the entire album

[@Escaped-FromHellview]

I find it kind of funny whenever "composer" or musician reacts to a song or a band. they say the terms like "16th notes" and spacing notes and beats. all this stuff that 95% people that watch the video have no idea what you're talkin about it just kind of makes you look very smart Maybe to me it's just all kind of pointless cuz I know what you're talkin about and it's not really about that because you're making this type of video is to just show your knowledge? I mean i respect ur love and seemingly close enough on what the song may be about or the explanations and distinctions. I dunno. I just came across this . As a 25 year drummer i find a video expose to be kindof pretentious. I think a video like this would be better if u learbed everything about the album and then gave ur thoughts while re listening to your most noteable thought. The drummer the rev wrote most of the music on this one. Well he helped alot and died 3 days after hebwas done. Its a sad but most amazing album I've heard by a7x. I love all of there stuff but this is great.

[@CriticalReactions]

I love what I do, my subscribers love what I do, and I'm spreading the joy of music while helping people get a better understanding and/or appreciation of the music they love. There is nothing pretentious about that. I do agree that longer form, scripted content would be meatier. I don't think that's a hot take at all. But after having done that for 4 years I found it doesn't pay the bills. Long form youtube content isn't as popular and has a far shorter reach. So I found a format that allowed me to do what I wanted and reach more people while ensuring my kid and I have a roof over our head and food in out bellies. I don't think you're being antagonistic or intentionally demeaning but there's a certain "I'm better than you" quality to your comment that I'm not jiving with. I don't pretend that my videos are for everyone, and if you don't get anything out of them then that's fine. But humble yourself and be the positive in the world. You had some interesting information regarding the song and album that I enjoyed reading about but it was the last thing you said. The negativity preceding it soured that joy of learning. As for the "95% people that watch the video have no idea what you're talkin about" -- there are plenty of musicians and composers in my audience. But the vocabulary can be a hurdle for many viewers. A lot of times I'll break down a concept, like when I talk about counterpoint, or hockets, or whatever. But I also have a scripted series of ELI5 style music 101 videos in the works that will quickly explain the basics of music with the hopes to increase music literacy. I also want to inspire others to think about music the same way I do. I don't pretend to have the final say on music as if I have any authority. I've said on many occasions that I'm just one dude with my own thoughts and opinions and the more people that are participating in these conversations about what songs mean, the better the art form is. Alternatively some people might not be too interested in the musical mumbo-jumbo and enjoy the channel for the discovery aspect. I use it as a platform to promote smaller bands and I also react to lesser known bands that exist on the fringes of the mainstream musical discussions. I get a lot of comments along the lines of "I can't believe I've never heard this before, I bought the album and am listening right now." Like I said, I spread the joy of music and musical appreciation; and apparently that's vibing with people. :)

[@charliehenry772]

Most of the song is in 6/8 so idk what he was on about the bridge being in 4/4 triplets, it is clear cut 6/8 like the rest of the song

[@jonisiodaza3520]

Dude, really enjoy your reactions. Can you react to SikTh - How May I Help You? Intrigued to see your reaction!

[@martinarscott3524]

This is my all time favourite track ever, but I agree the ending was unnecessary, would've been better to finish with the repeat of the start imo, which is my favourite part of the whole song

[@tunerimpala5658]

His reaction when the song didn’t end😂

[@lukasmoodysson4701]

You’re not really a composer aye?

[@Spacegeek46]

Really don't think you have heard a lot of A7X...

[@CriticalReactions]

Nope, you're right. Just Waking the Fallen and the singles from City of Evil.

[@leviddesign4537]

Fantastic. Finally a millionaire, song writter and rock god commenting on lame bands. Wow, jesus where have you been hiding. I cannot wait for you to correct all the metal sins!

[@mariepeterson4341]

its a good band but singer have not a good voice, he is always on the note but his voice is not good, its sound like he is pushing too much with is weak voice

[@josheipoo8250]

Disrespect shads one more time I dare ya lmao