Afterlife (Avenged Sevenfold song)

"Afterlife" is a song by Avenged Sevenfold. The song is released as the third single from their self-titled album. The song itself features a string orchestra and was written by the band's drummer, The Rev. It was voted the best song of the new album on the band's homepage. The single and a live-action music video were released in early 2008.

The music video is directed by Wayne Isham who has shot videos for bands like Bon Jovi, Judas Priest and Mötley Crüe. As a side note, in the album version, there are violin parts in the intro and later in the song, both of which are cut out of the video, along with the bridge of the song, which features The Rev's vocals.

The song is available as downloadable content for Rock Band and Guitar Hero 5, and is featured in the video game NHL 09. It was released for Rocksmith on October 30, 2012. The song is also available on the game Rock Band Track Pack: Volume 2.

Music video
The music video (legally released on March 12, 2008, by Avenged Sevenfold and Warner Bros.) consists of the band performing, on a small stage, a white room with black radiance and shows clips of M. Shadows running shirtless, Zacky Vengeance dancing with a woman, Synyster Gates holding a skeleton head in a sea of lit candles, The Rev laying down with a Spider on his face, and Johnny Christ holding a flock of birds which he sends flying off all at once later in the video.

Lyrical meaning
The song is about a man who dies early and finds himself in heaven. Upon entering, he realizes that he has too many things to do on Earth, and to go back and make it right he has to escape from the afterlife. (This part was mentioned by Zacky Vengeance in the "Making of 'Afterlife'" video).

Tracklisting

 * Promo Single
 * 1) "Afterlife" (Radio Edit) - 4:02


 * Single
 * 1) "Afterlife" (Album Version) - 5:54
 * 2) "Critical Acclaim" (Live in Hollywood) - 5:22

Chart positions
This is so far the highest charting single released after the first singles from both albums, Bat Country and Almost Easy, by charting in the top 20 on both rock charts. This has since been surpassed by singles "Welcome to the Family" and "So Far Away."

Personnel

 * Avenged Sevenfold
 * M. Shadows - lead vocals
 * Zacky Vengeance - rhythm guitar, backing vocals
 * The Rev - drums, backing vocals, co-lead vocals
 * Synyster Gates - lead guitar, backing vocals
 * Johnny Christ - bass