“Nobody” by Avenged Sevenfold
Avenged Sevenfold is a heavy metal act from the Californian city of Huntington Beach who have been around since the turn of the century. Between now and then they have dropped seven studio albums, a couple of which have topped the Billboard 200. Their most-recent studio LP, “The Stage” (2016), also has an impressive showing in that it peaked at number 4 on the Billboard 200 and made it to number one Canadian Albums Chart.
It does not appear that A7X, as the band is also called, has been on hiatus since. For instance, they did come out with a single in 2018 called Mad Hatter in conjunction with the release of Activision’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 4.
But in any event, it took them almost a decade to get around to issuing a new studio album, “Life Is But a Dream…”, which Warner Records has slated for a mid-2023 release. The lead single from that project is the song we’re dealing with today, “Nobody”, which itself came out on 14 March 2023.
WHO MAKES UP AVENGED SEVENFOLD?
Two of Avenged Sevenfold’s original members, lead vocalist M. Shadows and rhythm guitarist Zacky Vengeance, have managed to remain down throughout the decades. In the process, they were joined by their current compadres Synyster Gates (guitar) in 2001, Johnny Christ (bassist) in 2002 and Brooks Wackerman (drummer) in 2015. It appears that all are natives of California.
Some readers would instantly recognize that the name of this outfit as harping back to the Biblical tale of Cain and Abel, where the former is said to have murdered the latter – a complete innocent – and was cursed from On High accordingly. However, he was also granted a level of divine protection, if you will, in that if someone were to likewise murder Cain, he shall be “avenged sevenfold” (according to Genesis 4:24).
THE TEAM BEHIND “NOBODY”
In directing the music video to this track, Chris Hopewell utilized a style of animation known as stop motion. So for example it has been pointed out that just two seconds of footage took over 90 minutes to record.
As for the penning of “Nobody”, the five members of A7X are credited as its writers. Its producer is Joe Barresi, i.e. the executive producer behind the entirety of the album it is featured on.
THE LYRICS
As for the entirety of “Life Is But a Dream”, it was inspired by the teachings of the late French philosopher Albert Camus (1913-1960).
More specifically, Camus was into certain frames of thought such as absurdism and existentialism. The first basically argue that life does not have any meaning – if you will – or at least not one that we humans have been able conclusively to discern. And that concept is similar to existentialism, i.e. a philosophy that questions the purpose of human existence.
And likewise, it can be said that the lyrics of “Nobody” are the likes of which a philosopher would be most appreciative of. In other words, the vocalist does say a whole lot. But due to the grandeur of the wording, coupled with its ambiguity, it’s in large part up to the listener to determine more exactly what M. Shadows and the gang may be getting at.
“I’m a God, I’m awake, I’m the one in everything
I’m alive, I’m the dead, I’m a man without a head”
But all things considered, we can venture as far as determining the thesis sentiment of this track. And that would be concluding that what the vocalist is ultimately alluding to is the insignificance of our existence, in a manner of interpretation.
Or as inferred, Shadows is well aware of his worth, likening himself to “the sun” and as being “a god”. But at the same time, he also acknowledges the inevitability of one day being reduced to nothingness.
So it’s as if on one hand, the vocalist can be considered conceited or self-inflated. But on the other, he is obviously cognizant of his mortality. And simultaneously recognizing those two opposing valuations, if you will, appears as the dilemma behind philosophies such as absurdism and existentialism.
