There are plenty of versatile bands—and then there's Avenged Sevenfold. Storming out of the American metalcore scene, the SoCal outfit have evolved into a fire-breathing, hydra-headed beast, whose attack cuts across the full spectrum of heavy metal. One of the genre's definitive statements of the '00s, their City of Evil unleashes screaming, NWOBHM-style fretwork, sinister melodies, and tortured cries. Hail to the King trades lightning speed for hulking, hard rock choruses and bulldozing riffs that reach back to the shaggy '70s.