SONG OF THE WEEK: 11-30-2025

SONG:  "Thick And Thin"

ARTIST:  Avenged Sevenfold

ALBUM:  "Sounding The Seventh Trumpet"

YEAR:  2001

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Huntington Beach, California

YEARS ACTIVE:  1999 - Present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

The Avenged Sevenfold song "Thick And Thin" from their 2001 debut album "Sounding the Seventh Trumpet" is primarily about loyalty, friendship, and standing together against adversity. The lyrics convey a strong message of solidarity, emphasizing unwavering support for friends and family through difficult times.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2001 - Sounding The Seventh Trumpet (Good Life Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2003 - Waking The Fallen (Hopeless Records)

* Peaked at #10 on the Billboard 200

* Certified Platinum

2005 - City Of Evil (Warner Bros. Records)

* Peaked at #30 on the Billboard 200

* Certified Platinum

2007 - Avenged Sevenfold (Warner Bros. Records)

* Peaked at #4 on the Billboard 200

* Certified Platinum

2008 - Live In The LBC/Diamonds In The Rough (Warner Bros. Records)

* Peaked at #24 on the Billboard 200

* Certified Platinum

2010 - Nightmare (Warner Bros. Records)

* Peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200

* Certified Platinum

2013 - Hail To The King (Warner Bros. Records)

* Peaked at #1 on the Billboard 200

* Certified Platinum

2016 - The Stage (Capitol Records)

* Peaked at #4 on the Billboard 200

2017 - Live At The Grammy Museum (Capitol Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2023 - Life Is But A Dream (Warner Records)

* Peaked at #13 on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON AVENGED SEVENFOLD:

Avenged Sevenfold got it's start back in 1999, hailing from Huntington Beach, California. Starting out with a metalcore sound, the band dropped their debut full length album, "Sounding The Seventh Trumpet", in 2001. The band's sophomore effort, 2003's "Waking The Fallen", continued that metalcore style and the single "Unholy Confessions" started to give the band a big bump. 2005's "City Of Evil", in my mind, is where Avenged Sevenfold honed their sound. Gone was the gutteral screaming vocals and their style veered towards a more mainstream heavy metal sound. The lead single "Bat Country" really propelled the band to new heights of success. In 2007, the band dropped "Avenged Sevenfold". This album features the ballad "Dear God", one of my favorite Avenged Sevenfold songs. In 2009, tragedy struck the band as their drummer Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan passed away unexpectedly.  2010's "Nightmare" and 2013's "Hail To The King" finished a string of five straight albums that would be certified platinum for Avenged Sevenfold. It also marked the end of the band's relationship with major label Warner Bros. Records. In 2016, the band released "The Stage" through Capitol Records. This would mark the band's first concept album. The band's most recent release would be 2023's "Life Is But A Dream", a true departure in style. Very experimental and avante garde metal. Avenged Sevenfold has been one of the most successful heavy metal bands to emerge in the 2000's. They have a style and sound that allows them to play punk festivals like the Warped Tour or metal festivals like Ozzfest. Sometimes that acts as a detriment to the band from backlash from diehard fans from either genre. Whatever.. the record sales and the sold out tours prove that Avenged Sevenfold is a juggernaut of a band! The first song I heard by these guys was "Unholy Confessions". While that wasn't my favorite song, it definitely planted a seed in my head. The band had me when they released "City Of Evil". I'm iffy on gutteral, screaming vocals. I like some bands that do it, but I prefer the cleaner vocals so I instantly became a bigger fan of the band when "City Of Evil" dropped. I'd also say i'm more of a punk fan than a metal fan but Avenged Sevenfold is one of the band's that crossed over for me. Them and Bullet For My Valentine who I also am a big fan of. 

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Bullet For My Valentine

Stone Sour

Three Days Grace

Breaking Benjamin

Godsmack

TEN AVENGED SEVENFOLD SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Beast And The Harlot

2. Dear God

3. Nightmare

4. St. James

5. Hail To The King

6. Unholy Confessions

7. The Stage

8. Nobody

9. Crossroads

10. Darkness Surrounding

SONG OF THE WEEK: 11-23-2025

SONG:  "Gone"

ARTIST:  The Bouncing Souls

ALBUM:  "How I Spent My Summer Vacation"

YEAR:  2001 

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  New Brunswick, New Jersey

YEARS ACTIVE:  1989 - Present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

The Bouncing Souls song "Gone" is about overcoming personal struggles and self-doubt, where a "cloudy night" and "darkness" symbolize feelings of being lost and trapped in negativity. The song conveys a journey of finding inner strength and recognizing the falsehoods one tells themselves, ultimately leading to liberation and clarity as the darkness fades away.

THE BOUNCING SOULS DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

1994 - The Good, The Bad, And The Argyle (Chunksaah Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

1996 - Maniacal Laughter (Chunksaah Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

1997 - The Bouncing Souls (Epitaph Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

1999 - Hopeless Romantic (Epitaph Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2000 - The Bad, The Worse, And The Out Of Print (Chunksaah Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2001 - How I Spent My Summer Vacation (Epitaph Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2003 - Anchors Aweigh (Epitaph Records)

* Peaked at #168 on the Billboard 200

2005 - Live (Chunksaah Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2006 - The Gold Record (Epitaph Records)

* Peaked at #141 on the Billboard 200

2010 - Ghosts On The Boardwalk (Chunksaah Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2011 - Live At Generation Records) (Generation Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2012 - Comet (Rise Records)

* Peaked at #110 on the Billboard 200

2016 - Simplicity (Rise Records)

* Peaked at #157 on the Billboard 200

2020 - Volume 2 (Pure Noise Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2023 - Ten Stories High (Pure Noise Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON THE BOUNCING SOULS:

The Bouncing Souls are a New Jersey band that got it's start when all the members were in high school back in 1989. In 1994, the band released "The Good, The Bad, And The Argyle" which was really just a compilation of their previously released EP's and such. I guess their debut full length album would be considered 1996's "Maniacal Laughter". In 1997, The Bouncing Souls signed a deal with legendary punk rock label Epitaph Records and released their self-titled album. 1999's "Hopeless Romantic" was when the band really started honing in on their sound. I'd say that by the time of their next release, 2001's "How I Spent My Summer Vacation", The Bouncing Souls were a well oiled machine at this point. Their 2003 release, "Anchors Aweigh" is my personal favorite album by the band. "Kids And Heroes" is just a killer song. One of my favorite songs of all time for sure! 2006 saw the band release "The Gold Record" which would end their relationship with Epitaph. This album features an awesome cover of Avoid One Thing's "Lean On Sheena", another incredible song! In 2010, "Ghosts On The Boardwalk" was released which is a compilation of tracks that the band released to celebrate their 20th anniversary. Now signed with Rise Records, the band released "Comet" in 2012, their highest charting album, peaking at #110 on the Billboard 200 charts. They completed their deal with Rise with the release of 2016's "Simplicity". Inking a deal with Pure Noise Records, The Bouncing Souls released "Volume 2", which is an album featuring stripped down and re-worked versions of some of their songs. The band's most recent album was released in 2023, titled "Ten Stories High". In 2025, the band released the single "Power" and confirmed that more new music will see the light of day in 2026. The Bouncing Souls are a hugely influential melodic type punk band. Known for bringing back "pogo punk" by some, their songs bring energy and enthusiasm to crowds that attend their live shows. The Bouncing Souls are a very hardworking band. They consistently release music and are constantly touring. I was a little late to The Bouncing Souls party. I always knew of them in the 90's, especially from Epitaph "Punk O Rama" compilations, but when I heard "Kids And Heroes", I went full throttle on The Bouncing Souls, quickly getting their back catalogue, and devouring any new stuff they put out from that point on. As I said before, The Bouncing Souls are big time influential amongst punk rock circles. Just an incredible band that just keeps getting better with age!

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Face To Face

The Lawrence Arms

Off With Their Heads

Lagwagon

No Use For A Name

TEN THE BOUNCING SOULS SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Kids And Heroes

2. True Believers

3. Lean On Sheena (Avoid One Thing cover)

4. Ghosts On The Boardwalk

5. Coin Toss Girl

6. East Side Mags

7. Satellite

8. Fight To Live

9. Ten Stories High

10. Here We Go

SONG OF THE WEEK: 11-16-2025

SONG:  "Baby Britain" (Elliott Smith cover)

ARTIST:  Bayside

ALBUM:  "Acoustic"

YEAR:  2006

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  New York City, New York

YEARS ACTIVE:  2000 - Present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

The Bayside song "Baby Britain" is a cover of a track originally written and performed by American singer-songwriter Elliott Smith. Therefore, the meaning of Bayside's version is inherently tied to the original song's lyrical content and interpretations. The song generally depicts a character, referred to as "Baby Britain," who is struggling with alcoholism, isolation, and low self-esteem. 

BAYSIDE DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2004 - Sirens And Condolences (Victory Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2005 - Bayside (Victory Records)

* Peaked at #153 on the Billboard 200

2007 - The Walking Wounded (Victory Records)

* Peaked at #75 on the Billboard 200

2008 - Shudder (Victory Records)

* Peaked at #54 on the Billboard 200

2008 - Live @ The Bayside Social Club (Victory Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

2011 - Killing Time (Wind-Up Records)

* Peaked at #35 on the Billboard 200

2014 - Cult (Hopeless Records)

* Peaked at #24 on the Billboard 200

2016 - Vacancy (Hopeless Records)

* Peaked at #69 on the Billboard 200

2019 - Interrobang (Hopeless Records)

* Peaked at #109 on the Billboard 200

2024 - There Are Worse Things Than Being Alive (Hopeless Records)

* Did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON BAYSIDE:

Bayside is a New York City band that got it's start back in 2000. After putting out some demos and seeking out labels, the band would eventually sign a deal with Victory Records. Their debut full length album would be 2004's "Sirens And Condolences". This album was followed up with 2005's "Bayside". This album featured the single "Devotion And Desire" which really made the band pop. Unfortunately, on Octoboer 31st of that year, the band's drummer, John "Beatz" Holohan, died when the band's tour van got into a major accident while the band was on tour. 2007's "The Walking Wounded" continued success for Bayside. By now they were either headlining or co-headlining with the likes of Senses Fail and Taking Back Sunday. In 2008, the band dropped "Shudder" as well as their first live album, "Live @ The Bayside Social Club". In 2011, Bayside signed a deal with Wind-Up Records for the release of the album "Killing Time". "Already Gone" is a killer track from that album. One of my favorites by the band for sure. In 2014, Bayside signed a deal with Hopeless Records. They are still with Hopeless to this day. The first album they dropped with that label would be 2014's "Cult", the band's highest charting album to date, peaking at #24. 2016 saw the band drop "Vacancy", while "Interroband" was released in 2019. The band's most recent release was 2024's "There Are Worse Things Than Being Alive". Bayside is a punk/pop punk/melodic punk type of band. I always felt they had a unique style from other bands of their era and genre. I think that's because the band's vocalist, Anthony Raneri, just has a distinct vocal delivery. It makes Bayside seperate from the pack in my mind. I got into Bayside very early. The first song I heard by them was "Masterpiece" from their debut album. It was right in that 2000 to 2010 decade where I was really getting into bands like Bayside and Taking Back Sunday and Brand New. Bayside is one of the leaders of that genre of music for sure. Great songs, distinct style. Really awesome band for sure.

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Armor For Sleep

Senses Fail

Taking Back Sunday

Alkaline Trio

The Early November

TEN BAYSIDE SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Devotion And Desire

2. Already Gone

3. Winter

4. Duality

5. Pretty Vacant

6. Masterpiece

7. Pigsty

8. No One Understands

9. Prayers

10. Castaway