Almost Easy
Encyclopedia
"Almost Easy" is a song by American heavy metal
band Avenged Sevenfold
. It is the second song as well as second single from their self-titled album
.
during Avenged Sevenfold's 2007 Southeast Asian Tour. The song was officially released on September 18, 2007 through online music stores such as iTunes
, URGE.
The song was written by the band's drummer, Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan
. In the second chorus the whole band sang simultaneously - all 5 members combined their voices for more of a choir sound, which was shown in the MVI that came along with their self-titled album.
The song was included on Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen soundtrack. It was originally planned to be on the 2007 Transformers soundtrack
; however, it was not finished in time.
The song is available as downloadable content for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
as of March 6, 2008 and featured again as part of the Avenged Sevenfold track pack for Guitar Hero 5
. The song is also featured in Rock Band 2
and Need for Speed: ProStreet
.
In December 2008 it was announced that the USC Trojan Marching Band would perform the song at the Rose Bowl halftime show on January 1, 2009.
's The Sauce
on September 24, 2007 and MTV2
's Unleashed on October 1, 2007.
The video shows the band playing on a barren wasteland whilst they appear to be aflame. Over a ridge, a huge crowd of hundreds of people appear, walking in a zombie
-like fashion towards the band, only to stop at a large gaping hole and jump downwards, into what appears to be Hell
. Special effects show some parts where the people have skull
s for faces.
At the end of the video, when the last person jumps down the cavern, the camera zooms out from the band, showing that the hole the people were jumping into was actually the eye of the bands recognizable logo from the Avenged Sevenfold
album cover, the "Deathbat". The band stated in an interview with Fuse host Steven Smith
on Steven's Untitled Rock Show
that the inspiration for the video came from a Wendy's
commercial they saw in Asia in which a large crowd is running toward the same hamburger.
M. Shadows
then said "wouldn't it be cool if we (Avenged Sevenfold
) were playing in a fiery blaze and a bunch of people were running towards us" an idea that eventually became the video.
, and alternate mix of Almost Easy is included. This version, mixed by Chris Lord-Alge
(hence the name), includes triggered drums, louder guitars and pianos, and a vocal track which mixes M. Shadow's take with a take The Rev did.
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Avenged Sevenfold
Avenged Sevenfold
Avenged Sevenfold is an American heavy metal band from Huntington Beach, California. Formed in 1999, the group consists of vocalist M. Shadows, lead guitarist Synyster Gates, rhythm guitarist Zacky Vengeance, bassist Johnny Christ....
. It is the second song as well as second single from their self-titled album
Avenged Sevenfold (album)
Avenged Sevenfold is the fourth studio album by American metal band Avenged Sevenfold, released on October 30, 2007 through Warner Bros. Records...
.
Background
The song first premiered at a concert in IndonesiaIndonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
during Avenged Sevenfold's 2007 Southeast Asian Tour. The song was officially released on September 18, 2007 through online music stores such as iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
, URGE.
The song was written by the band's drummer, Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan
The Rev
James Owen Sullivan , more commonly known by his stage name The Reverend Tholomew Plague, often shortened to The Rev, was an American musician, best known as the drummer for the American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold...
. In the second chorus the whole band sang simultaneously - all 5 members combined their voices for more of a choir sound, which was shown in the MVI that came along with their self-titled album.
The song was included on Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen soundtrack. It was originally planned to be on the 2007 Transformers soundtrack
Transformers: The Album
Transformers: The Album is a compilation album of various artists music from the 2007 live-action Transformers movie. The official single from the album is "Before It's Too Late " by the Goo Goo Dolls. The soundtrack debuted at number 21 on the U.S Billboard 200, selling about 32,000 copies in its...
; however, it was not finished in time.
The song is available as downloadable content for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock is a music video game, the third main installment in the Guitar Hero series, and the fourth title overall...
as of March 6, 2008 and featured again as part of the Avenged Sevenfold track pack for Guitar Hero 5
Guitar Hero 5
Guitar Hero 5 is a music video game and the fifth main entry in the Guitar Hero series. The game was developed by Neversoft and published by RedOctane and Activision, and released internationally in September 2009 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, 3 and Wii consoles...
. The song is also featured in Rock Band 2
Rock Band 2
Rock Band 2 is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems. It is the sequel to Rock Band and is the second title in the series. The game allows up to four players to simulate the performance of popular songs by playing with controllers modeled after musical instruments...
and Need for Speed: ProStreet
Need for Speed: ProStreet
Need for Speed: ProStreet is the 11th installment of Electronic Arts' popular racing game series Need for Speed. On May 21, 2007, Electronic Arts published a teaser trailer of ProStreet, and officially announced it ten days later. It was released worldwide in November 2007. Its action footage was...
.
In December 2008 it was announced that the USC Trojan Marching Band would perform the song at the Rose Bowl halftime show on January 1, 2009.
Music video
The band released a video for "Almost Easy" with director P.R. Brown (Mötley Crüe, Marilyn Manson). The video debuted on FuseFuse TV
Fuse is an American national television network dedicated exclusively to music. It features original series and specials, exclusive interviews, live concerts and video blocks....
's The Sauce
The Sauce
The Sauce is the first solo release of Eddie Spaghetti of the American rock and roll band The Supersuckers. It is a collection of country drinking songs released in 2003 on Mid-Fi Records.-Track listing:...
on September 24, 2007 and MTV2
MTV2
MTV2 is a cable network that is widely available in the United States on digital cable and satellite television, and is progressively being added to analogue cable lineups across the nation...
's Unleashed on October 1, 2007.
The video shows the band playing on a barren wasteland whilst they appear to be aflame. Over a ridge, a huge crowd of hundreds of people appear, walking in a zombie
Zombie
Zombie is a term used to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft. The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli...
-like fashion towards the band, only to stop at a large gaping hole and jump downwards, into what appears to be Hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
. Special effects show some parts where the people have skull
Human skull
The human skull is a bony structure, skeleton, that is in the human head and which supports the structures of the face and forms a cavity for the brain.In humans, the adult skull is normally made up of 22 bones...
s for faces.
At the end of the video, when the last person jumps down the cavern, the camera zooms out from the band, showing that the hole the people were jumping into was actually the eye of the bands recognizable logo from the Avenged Sevenfold
Avenged Sevenfold (album)
Avenged Sevenfold is the fourth studio album by American metal band Avenged Sevenfold, released on October 30, 2007 through Warner Bros. Records...
album cover, the "Deathbat". The band stated in an interview with Fuse host Steven Smith
Steven Smith (VJ)
Steven Smith is a video jockey and television personality best known for hosting various show on the Fuse TV cable network.-Biography:Smith's career as a VJ began when he was hired as "the goofy one" for VH1...
on Steven's Untitled Rock Show
Steven's Untitled Rock Show
Steven's Untitled Rock Show was an American television program that aired on Fuse from December 2004 to December 2009, in which host Steven Smith interviewed rock bands and musicians while airing rock videos.-History:...
that the inspiration for the video came from a Wendy's
Wendy's
Wendy's is an international fast food chain restaurant founded by Dave Thomas on November 15, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio, United States. The company decided to move its headquarters to Dublin, Ohio, on January 29, 2006. It has been owned by Triarc since 2008...
commercial they saw in Asia in which a large crowd is running toward the same hamburger.
M. Shadows
M. Shadows
Matthew Charles Sanders , better known by his stage name M. Shadows, is the lead vocalist, songwriter, and founding member for the American metal band Avenged Sevenfold.-Early life and musical beginnings:...
then said "wouldn't it be cool if we (Avenged Sevenfold
Avenged Sevenfold
Avenged Sevenfold is an American heavy metal band from Huntington Beach, California. Formed in 1999, the group consists of vocalist M. Shadows, lead guitarist Synyster Gates, rhythm guitarist Zacky Vengeance, bassist Johnny Christ....
) were playing in a fiery blaze and a bunch of people were running towards us" an idea that eventually became the video.
CLA Mix
On the CD Diamonds in the RoughLive in the LBC & Diamonds in the Rough
Diamonds in the Rough -Personnel:Avenged Sevenfold* M. Shadows – lead vocals* Synyster Gates – lead guitar, backing vocals* Zacky Vengeance – rhythm guitar, backing vocals...
, and alternate mix of Almost Easy is included. This version, mixed by Chris Lord-Alge
Chris Lord-Alge
Chris Lord-Alge is a mixer who has worked on various albums. He is the brother of Tom Lord-Alge, another audio engineer. Chris Lord-Alge is known for his extreme use of dynamic range compression in both hardware and software plug-in versions....
(hence the name), includes triggered drums, louder guitars and pianos, and a vocal track which mixes M. Shadow's take with a take The Rev did.
Charts
| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
67 |
| UK Rock Chart UK Rock Chart The UK Rock Chart usually refers to the Top 40 Rock Singles and the Top 40 Rock Albums Chart compiled by the Official Charts Company from physical record sales in British retail outlets with larger than average genrespecific sales.... |
1 |
| Mainstream Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock Tracks Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music. Modern rock tracks are counted in the Alternative Songs chart.This chart began with the March 21, 1981, issue... |
3 |
| Modern Rock Tracks Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs... |
6 |
| U.S. Bubbling Under Hot 100 | 6 |