In the wake of giants like Iron Maiden, someone had to come and take the future of heavy metal into their own hands. In the USA, Avenged Sevenfold were the chosen ones, and the Californian band is now just as famous, even more to the younger audience, than the big ones they used to open for back in 2003. Their operatic and melodic brand of metal comes courtesy of Zacky Vengeance’s punishing heavy riffs and Synyster Gate’s lightning-fast solos.