So, what do you get when you spend your money? The full, original Waking the Fallen album, another CD with eleven tracks of previously unreleased material and a DVD with a documentary about Waking the Fallen: Resurrected. (If you, like me, spent that bit extra and went for the limited edition deathbat flag, then you have extra treats!) Worth the money? Oh, yes sir.
The whole idea of a re-release is that you get the original album. In my opinion, Avenged's most successful album has to be Waking the Fallen, so I had no issue with having it twice. The unreleased stuff, however, I didn't quite prepare myself for. It weirdly brought back memories of seeing them last year! That beautiful moment when M. Shadows shouted, "Fuck it, let's play Chapter Four!" was relived when the live tracks followed the demos. Also, needless to say, having 'Unholy Confessions' live on your iPod is something Goddamn special indeed!
Getting past my excitement, the demos and alternative versions of tracks such as 'I Won't See You Tonight' (both parts) and 'Remissions' are a must listen-to for any A7X fan. Admittedly, your love for the original can't die, but you do see the songs from another interesting perspective, and not a bad one at that! It's a really cool way to bring back the band's memories from the original release eleven years ago, and to see how the songs evolved.
The documentary sadly lacks one thing, and that's one thing that will never be replaced; The Rev. There is a vacancy as you watch it, knowing that he should be there talking about his experiences with his fellow band mates. You can feel the sadness as the others talk about him, which really puts a perspective on the significance of their loss. As we have all said many, many times, he will foREVer be in our hearts.
Overall, the eleventh anniversary of Waking the Fallen was celebrated with success! If you are an Avenged fan and you haven't bought this yet, do it. It will be the best investment you make this year.
