Unholy Confessions


"Unholy Confessions" is a song by American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold, released as the lead single from their second album, Waking the Fallen, although "Eternal Rest" and "Chapter Four" were previously released as a promotional double A-side single. It is the band's first official single after their 2001 debut EP release Warmness on the Soul, and was the first single by the band to receive mainstream exposure, being heavily rotated on MTV2's Headbangers Ball.
The song appeared on the Metal=Life compilation in 2005.
The song has been called "one of its era’s most beloved tracks."

Background and writing

"Unholy Confessions" was written by members Zacky Vengeance, M. Shadows and Synyster Gates. The main riff was written by Vengeance, and had been floating around for a while before the rest of the band completed the song, and the chorus and lyrics were written by Shadows.
The band has stated that the song's writing process was different than that of other tracks. Sanders recalled the song's writing process:

Music and lyrics

Musically, "Unholy Confessions" is characterized by its "razor sharp" guitar riffs. The song was one of the first Avenged Sevenfold songs to predominantly feature clean singing.The song variously makes used of screamed vocals, chugged breakdowns, harmonized dual lead guitar lines, and choruses. Lyrically, the song is about a couple who find out they are both cheating on each other. According to Metal Hammer, "even the lyrics were metal, managing to make a story seemingly about a shitty relationship sound like something out of a power metal track." M. Shadows said: "I don’t think it was a real-life inspiration, other than things I was dealing with. When you’re a kid, you are just pulling from your own angsty little heart, and that’s kind of what that was." The riff draws influence from the melodic death metal of the 1990s.
Additionally, the track features syncopated patterns in the kick drum work.

Music videos

The band, along with director Thomas Mignone, filmed the song's concept video on December 7, 2003, featuring the band performing the single at an abandoned warehouse. After a few months, they posted on their website's blog about their discomfort with the video, and the decision to re-shoot the video. The concept video eventually got released on YouTube, along with the 2014 re-release of Waking the Fallen.
In February 2004, the band shared the plan to film the new video, which was this time a live performance. The video was directed by Greg Kaplan. The video also features many fans filming at their homes getting ready for the show, whether by promoting, driving to the concert, among other things. The performance was shot on March 6, 2004, at the Henry Fonda Theatre.

Critical reception and legacy

"Unholy Confessions" is widely regarded as one of the band's best songs. In 2020, Louder Sound and Kerrang ranked the song at number six and number two, respectively, on their lists of the 20 greatest Avenged Sevenfold songs.
Bobby Oliver of Alternative Press Magazine wrote: "The riff, the riff, the riff. There are many like it in metalcore, but this one is Synyster Gates’ blazing melody, which announced the shredder’s presence as a blistering force in the band for the next 20 years."
The staff of Metal Hammer called the track an "absolute, iron-clad anthem", and expressed their belief that "for many Avenged fans of a certain age, the definitive A7X anthem." They wrote, "A simple song it may have become, but the fact is that 'Unholy Confessions' struck a chord with a young metal crowd that had so far been weaned on nu metal and shiny, Gothenburg-influenced metalcore. Even at that early stage, Avenged felt just a little different from those around them, and the hype train began to roll." According to Avenged Sevenfold frontman M. Shadows, “I wouldn’t say 'Unholy Confessions' is a well-written song by any means. But at the time it worked, and it became what it is... nostalgia!”
The track is routinely used to close the band's live sets. According to Sanders:

Track listing

;12" single
;DVDr
;Promo single

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.
Avenged Sevenfold
Production
  • Andrew Murdock – producer, mixing engineer
  • Fred Archambault – co-producer
  • THE GATEKEEPERS - recording
  • Ai Fujisaki – assistant engineer
  • Tom Baker – mastering engineer
  • Mike Fasano, Bruce Jacoby, Al Pahanish – drum tech
  • Stephen Ferrara – guitar tech
  • Larry Jacobson Company – management
  • Ryan Harlacher – booking
  • Scott Bradford – legal representation

    Certifications