Waking the Fallen

Waking the Fallen is the second album from Avenged Sevenfold, released on 26 August 2003 through Hopeless Records. It sits between the band's debut, Sounding the Seventh Trumpet, and the wider reach of City of Evil, and it is the first full-length to feature lead guitarist Synyster Gates and bassist Johnny Christ. That change in line-up makes it a clear marker in the band's story.

The record blends metalcore with heavier, more traditional metal, and it rewards anyone curious about how the band took shape before the bigger stages. It started slowly, selling only 3,000 copies in its first week, but it grew into a steady seller. It has since been certified Platinum in the United States and Gold in both Canada and the United Kingdom. "Eternal Rest" is the track to start with: Kerrang! included it in its "666 Songs You Must Own", and it later appeared on the soundtrack to Saw IV.