Seize the Day (song)

2005 Avenged Sevenfold song

"Seize the Day"

Single by Avenged Sevenfold

from the album City of Evil

Released

July 11, 2006^[1]

Recorded

January 1 – April 18, 2005^[2]^[3]

Studio

The Hobby Shop (Los Angeles)
Ocean Way (Hollywood)

Genre

Hard rock, pop rock, post-grunge

Length

5:35
4:45 (radio edit)

Label

Warner

Songwriter(s)

Avenged Sevenfold

Producer(s)

Andrew Murdock
Avenged Sevenfold
Fred Archambault

Avenged Sevenfold singles chronology

"Beast and the Harlot"
(2006)

"Seize the Day"
(2006)

"Walk"
(2007)

"Seize the Day" is a power ballad^[4] by American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold. It was released on July 11, 2006, as a promotional single for their third studio album, City of Evil.^[5] Additionally, the song was released on July 27, 2010, as a downloadable track for the video game Rock Band 2, along with "Nightmare" and "Scream".

Music video

The video depicts M. Shadows and then girlfriend (now wife) Valary laughing and shooting footage of each other- they are expecting a child. The rest of the band come to his house and pick him up so they can rob a liquor store. In the process, Shadows gets caught by the police while the others drive off, leaving him behind.^[6] He goes to jail, where after his wife comes to visit him. They get into a fight; while driving home his wife is hit by a van. A funeral scene follows, and her casket is lowered into the ground; Synyster Gates is shown playing the song's guitar solo on top of her casket. At the end of the video, Shadows is at her grave, with their son, who had survived the crash/ The rest of the band come over to him, Shadows picks up his son, and the group walk away.

The video was inspired by the video for Guns N' Roses' "November Rain". M. Shadows said, "It's not us driving around in cool cars and just chilling, you know? It has a story and Guns N' Roses did those videos the best. It wasn't about looking cool and being flashy, it was about being real and showing the scenario and being true to the video." The video was directed by Wayne Isham.^[6]

In 2007, the video won a Metal Hammer Golden Gods Award for Best Video.^[7]

Track listing

Promotional CD^[8]
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Seize The Day (Radio Edit)"	4:45
2.	"Seize The Day (Album Version)"	5:32

Personnel

Personnel listing as adapted from album liner notes.^[9]

Avenged Sevenfold

M. Shadows – lead vocals, backing vocals
Zacky Vengeance – acoustic guitar, rhythm guitar, co-lead guitar, backing vocals,
The Rev – drums, piano, backing vocals
Synyster Gates – lead guitar, backing vocals
Johnny Christ – bass, backing vocals

Production

Produced by Mudrock and Avenged Sevenfold, with additional production by Fred Archambault and Scott Gilman
Mixed by Andy Wallace
Pro Tools by John O'Mahony, assisted by Steve Sisco
Mastered by Eddie Schreyer
Additional vocal production by The Rev, Synyster Gates and M. Shadows
Orchestration by Scott Gilman, The Rev, Synyster Gates and M. Shadows
Drum tech – Mike Fasano
Guitar tech – Stephen Ferrara-Grand

Orchestra

Violinists – Samuel Fischer (soloist), Mark Robertson, Songa Lee-Kitto, Sam Formicola, Bruce Dukov, Alan Grunfeld, Larry Greenfield, Liane Mautner
Violists – David Walther, Matthew Funes, Alma Fernandez
Cellists – Victor Lawrence (soloist), David Low, David Mergen

Choir

Choir leader – Jeannine Wagner
Choir performers – Zachary Biggs, Colton Beyer-Johnson, Josiah Yiu, Nathan Cruz, Stephen Cruz, C.J. Cruz, Sean Sullivan, Alan Hong, Nico Walsh, Sally Stevens

Charts

Chart (2006)	Peak position
US Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks^[10]	17
US Active Rock (Billboard)^[11]	16
US Heritage Rock (Billboard)^[12]	29

References

^ "FMQB Airplay Archive: Modern Rock". Friday Morning Quarterback Album Report, Incorporated. Archived from the original on March 22, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
^ "Avenged Sevenfold website". December 30, 2004. Archived from the original on December 30, 2004. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
^ "News". Avenged Sevenfold.com. April 18, 2005. Archived from the original on April 25, 2005. Retrieved April 26, 2023.
^ SCHLEUTERMANN, MARCUS. "AVENGED SEVENFOLD City Of Evil" (in German). Rock Hard. Retrieved October 26, 2022. (The band) garnishes the choice with plenty of bombast and all kinds of metal kitsch - sleaze ballads ('Seize The Day')
^ A7X official site - Check for the band's biography and releases.
^ ^a ^b "AVENGED SEVENFOLD Borrows From GUNS N' ROSES For 'Seize The Day' Video". Blabbermouth. July 6, 2006. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
^ "BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE Booed at METAL HAMMER GOLDEN GODS AWARDS". June 12, 2007.
^ "Avenged Sevenfold – Seize The Day". Discogs. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
^ City of Evil liner notes. Warner Bros. Records. 2005. pp. 4, 10, 11.
^ "Avenged Sevenfold Chart History: Mainstream Rock". Billboard. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
^ "Avenged Sevenfold Chart History (Active Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
^ "Avenged Sevenfold Chart History (Heritage Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved April 14, 2023.