Are we living in a simulation? No one knows for sure. However, Avenged Sevenfold’s seventh track of their most recent album takes on the subject of the simulation hypothesis, which is a theory that explains that our human lives that we live in is only a computed simulation. This song is apply named “Simulation”, and most of the songwriting came from vocalist M. Shadows. This track takes on Drop D tuning, and the song’s two verses take on clean melodic guitar work that utilizes finger note plucking with notes from the low E string, which is tuned down to D, and the G string. There’s also full chords played with the clean sounding guitar too. During the pre choruses and the choruses, the distortion comes back into the mix and it sounds more aggressive than some of the other distorted guitar riffs of the album.
During the bridge, M. Shadows yells obscenities while there’s a mixture of chaotic instrumental work and crazy sound effects that sounds like the smashing of objects. M. Shadows then speaks to a female vocalist who plays the dialogue of a nurse, and says:
“Nurse, patient 666158 needs to be sedated.
We need 500 CCs of Blue Comfort.”
The nurse of this song, who just so happens to be M. Shadows’ wife Valary DiBenedetto, then replies to the patient in question:
“Oh, hello there, dearie.
I’ve been expecting you”
M. Shadows then enters into a shout like scream, not necessarily a throaty, raspy scream. Synyster Gates plays a pretty fast guitar solo with a more fast thrashing riff. Then, instead of a traditional third chorus, the final part of this song goes back to the format of the two verses. With regards to both instrumentation and vocal harmonies. So, this song ends with a third verse without a third chorus, which I find just a little bit off the wall compared to some other heavy metal pieces in my life. However, that’s the overall point of this record: being off the wall. Being “out” and not “in”.
Very Interesting idea and very well written. It kept my attention through most of it and was intriguing to read. Good job