AVENGED SEVENFOLD unleash reworked version of PUSSY RIOT’s “Life Is But A Dream…”
AVENGED SEVENFOLD, the multi-platinum alternative metal group, has collaborated with Nadya Tolokonnikova from the Russian musician/activist group PUSSY RIOT to release a reworked version of their track “Life Is But A Dream…,” now titled “We Love You Moar.” You can stream this new version below.
Furthermore, the band has teamed up with Nadya to create a custom balaclava for charity.
AVENGED SEVENFOLD says of the track: “We collaborated with Nadya to create a custom balaclava with proceeds going to SOS North Caucasus. Limited to 300 – with each purchase you’ll be helping LGBTQ people facing mortal danger and persecution in the North Caucasus, Russia: https://bit.ly/a7xprtbalaclava.”
AVENGED SEVENFOLD‘s most recent album, “Life Is But A Dream…,” was released in June. The album was a labor of love, crafted over a span of four years and produced by Joe Barresi and AVENGED SEVENFOLD in Los Angeles. The mixing duties were expertly handled by Andy Wallace in the Poconos, Pennsylvania.
“Life Is But A Dream…” is a profound journey through an existential crisis, delving deep into the questions surrounding the meaning, purpose, and worth of human existence, all while the specter of mortality looms overhead. The album opener, “Game Over,” criticizes the monotony of everyday life, especially when it lacks purpose or fulfillment. “Mattel” confronts the superficiality of urban and suburban life, from artificial pleasantries to synthetic lawns.
The lead single, “Nobody,” explores the ego’s dissolution, a concept sought by mystics and shamans throughout history – the realization that the self is an illusion, that we are both everything and nothing simultaneously. “We Love You” denounces the rat race, while “Cosmic” celebrates the enduring power of love across time, space, and evolution. “Beautiful Morning,” on the other hand, delves into a darker existential crisis, offering false solace through the empty promises found in “Easier.” Tracks eight, nine, and ten form a triptych of sorts – “G,” “(O)rdinary,” and “(D)eath,” or “GOD.”
These tracks examine how people cling to concepts like The Secret, manifestation, or religion, but the overarching theme is that God, if He exists, views them all as obsessive fans who’ve missed the point and merely hit the reset button. The subsequent track explores the nature of consciousness, and following “(D)eath,” the album’s title track, a piano-driven piece, gently beckons toward sweet oblivion.
Far from wallowing in nihilistic despair, “Life Is But A Dream…” grapples with expansive themes and existentialist explorations that ultimately celebrate and liberate life, even as they probe the potential illusion of free will and determinism. The intention is to inspire the audience to aspire, in their own lives, to what AVENGED SEVENFOLD aspires to achieve through their art: confrontation, reinvention, acceptance, surrender, struggle, and the courage to fail – all on their own terms and with integrity.
“There are no rules. It doesn’t matter what anyone thinks,” AVENGED SEVENFOLD singer M. Shadows points out. “One day, we’ll all be gone, and eventually we’re all forgotten. So, once you find your own purpose, go for it.”
“Life Is But A Dream…” made an impressive debut, selling 36,000 equivalent album units in its first week in the U.S. and securing the 13th position on the Billboard 200 chart. This followed their previous LP, “The Stage,” which debuted at No. 4 on The Billboard 200 album chart in November 2016. Notably, the surprise release of “The Stage” marked the lowest sales for an AVENGED SEVENFOLD album in over a decade, selling 76,000 copies in its first week – less than half the sales of their previous two releases.
In a significant return to the stage, AVENGED SEVENFOLD performed at their first festival in five years on May 19, captivating audiences at Welcome To Rockville at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Their first concert since June 2018 took place on May 12 at AREA15 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
In April, the band announced the second leg of their extensive “Life Is But A Dream…” North American tour, featuring support from FALLING IN REVERSE. Produced by Live Nation, this leg included stops in cities such as Nashville, Denver, Austin, and more, concluding at Fort Worth’s Dickies Arena on October 15.
The first leg of the tour, with support from ALEXISONFIRE and KIM DRACULA, covered thirteen cities across the U.S. and Canada, including Mansfield, Québec City, Tinley Park, Calgary, and more.