released Waking the Fallen

Having found a new bassist, the group released their second studio album titled Waking the Fallen on Hopeless Records in August 2003. The album featured a more refined and mature sound production in comparison to their previous album. The band received profiles in Billboard and The Boston Globe , and again played on the Vans Warped and Take Action tours. Baker recalled: “We didn’t care if [the bands we were playing with] were heavy-metal bands; we didn’t care if they were fucking pop-punk bands; we didn’t care, we were opening for everyone. And people started taking notice. You know if your band is going crazy and breaking your instruments and playing the fastest, craziest music at a pop-punk show, people take notice, whether it’s good or it’s bad.” Shortly after the release of Waking the Fallen , Avenged Sevenfold left Hopeless Records and were officially signed to Warner Bros. Records on November 1, 2003. The band then toured Europe for the first time in its career. M. Shadows recalled, “It was everything you would imagine it to be: pure debauchery .” Synyster Gates remarked: “It’s unbelievable that we survived that [tour]. Really, any night could just escalate – not just because of us, but because of being in a foreign place, being out too late. There were people around you that just wouldn’t stop buying you shots. One time I had 10 shots of Aftershock in my hand, and next to me was my Snakebite and black. I should’ve died of alcohol poisoning ! By the end of that first UK tour, we were 10 pounds heavier and pretty fucked.” In 2004, Avenged Sevenfold toured again on the Vans Warped Tour and recorded a video for their song ” Unholy Confessions ” which went into rotation on MTV2 ‘s Headbangers Ball .