No matter how they struggle to slice it, Avenged Sevenfold are nothing more than a radio-friendly cock-rock band. While this is assuredly doing wonders for their bank accounts, the term “credibility” means absolutely nothing in their case unless paired with a negative predicate. Channelling elements of hardcore and metal via aggressive beats and the occasional throat-scorching wail, songs such as “Almost Easy,” “Afterlife” and “Scream” are as elementary as one could possibly imagine. Each song strives to pander to the lowest common denominator as an introductory course to cooler punk and metal subgenres without truly proving the band worthy of such connotations. If one were to consider the Sex Pistols or Ramones the punk rock equivalent of War and Peace, this overproduced schlock would be little more than a Dick and Jane preschool reader. While that is admittedly vital to the course of welcoming new fans into the fold of extreme music — not to mention that this eponymous effort is recorded damned near perfectly — it is almost an insult when delivered with the pseudo-vitality the band skewers listeners with.