If Avenged Sevenfold has spent the past decade-plus maintaining a toe in the alternative hard-rock world, the band’s sixth studio album, “Hail to the King,” pitches the quintet completely into the metal mainstream. But A7X arrives there entirely on its own terms, with a 10-song set that blends the riffy explosions of “Shepherd of Fire” and “Doing Time” with full-bodied epics like “Requiem” and “Acid Rain” that are fortified with muscular orchestrations. The arrangements give lead guitarist Synyster Gates an abundance of playing room, particularly on the title track and “Coming Home,” while frontman M. Shadows prowls the album like a nomadic warrior, balancing defiance with angsty self-recrimination. He finds bright spots amid the rubble around him and even shows a surprisingly soft touch on the lullaby-like “Crimson Day.” A7X ascends to a new level in a way that makes perfect sense.
