It starts with a jaunty, almost circus-like horn section. You might think you’re listening to a weird Danny Elfman score or maybe a twisted Broadway musical. Then the lyrics kick in, and suddenly you’re witnessing a domestic dispute that ends in a kitchen knife murder, necrophilia, a literal resurrection from hell, and a wedding officiated by a ghost. It’s chaotic. It’s beautiful. It is Avenged Sevenfold A Little Piece of Heaven, and honestly, there is nothing else like it in the history of modern metal.
Most bands play it safe. They stick to the verse-chorus-verse structure because that’s what gets on the radio. Avenged Sevenfold (A7X) did the opposite. In 2007, they were already massive thanks to City of Evil, but instead of repeating that formula, they sat down and let Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan lead them into a eight-minute avant-garde horror story. It shouldn’t have worked. A song about killing your girlfriend because you’re afraid of commitment—and then having "supper" with her corpse—is usually a career-ender. Instead, it became their most legendary track.
The Rev’s Twisted Masterpiece
The song wasn't a collaborative effort in the way most A7X tracks are. This was The Rev's baby. He wrote the whole thing. He didn't even use guitars to write it; he sat at a piano and hammered out the melodies, envisioning a full orchestra and a choir. When he showed it to the rest of the band, they were reportedly a bit stunned.
M. Shadows has mentioned in interviews that the band initially thought it was too out there. But that's the thing about The Rev—he had this manic, brilliant energy that forced people to pay attention. He tracked the drums, he sang the eccentric high-pitched "EAT IT! EAT IT!" vocals, and he basically forced a metal band to embrace show tunes.
If you listen closely to the layers of Avenged Sevenfold A Little Piece of Heaven, you’ll hear over 50 tracks of orchestration. They brought in cello players, trombone players, and even a female vocalist (Juliette Commagere) to play the role of the murdered bride. It’s maximalism at its finest. It captures a moment in time before The Rev’s tragic passing in 2009, serving as a permanent monument to his "weirdness" that fans still obsess over today.
Why the Lyrics Aren't Just Shock Value
People get hung up on the necrophilia. Understandable. It’s not exactly a "radio-friendly" topic. But if you look past the gore, the song is actually a darkly comedic take on the "till death do us part" vow. It’s a love story. A really, really bad one.
The protagonist is so insecure and obsessed with his partner that he kills her to keep her forever. But then, in a classic horror-movie twist, she comes back from the dead to kill him right back. They meet in the afterlife, forgive each other, and decide to go on a killing spree together as a married couple. It’s basically Natural Born Killers meets The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Musically, the song shifts gears every thirty seconds. One moment you’re in a polka-infused metal riff, the next you’re in a sweeping operatic bridge. This "genre-hopping" is why the song hasn't aged. While other metal songs from 2007 feel dated, this one feels like a timeless piece of theater. It’s high-effort art.
The Animated Video That Burned Into Our Brains
You can't talk about this song without mentioning the music video. It was directed by Rafa Alcantara, and it’s a fever dream of hand-drawn animation. It’s grotesque. It’s funny. It features a skeleton bride and a guy getting his heart ripped out.
Back in the early days of YouTube, this video was everywhere. It was the thing you showed your friends to see if you could gross them out. But even with the blood and the "disturbing" themes, the animation style is surprisingly charming. It feels like a storybook gone wrong. It helped cement the song’s legacy because it gave us a visual language for The Rev’s lyrics. Without that video, would the song be as iconic? Maybe. But the image of the protagonist stabbing his heart while singing "I will suffer for so long" is burned into the collective memory of an entire generation of metalheads.
Breaking Down the Technical Composition
Let's get nerdy for a second. The song is in D minor, which is the "saddest" or "most dramatic" key depending on who you ask. But it uses chromaticism—notes that aren't technically in the scale—to create that "creepy circus" feeling.
- The Horns: They use a lot of staccato (short, sharp notes) to mimic the feeling of a heartbeat or a ticking clock.
- The Vocals: M. Shadows uses a gritty, storytelling tone, while The Rev provides the "demon" voices in the background. The contrast is vital.
- The Bridge: Around the five-minute mark, the song slows down into a beautiful, melodic section. This is where the girl’s ghost speaks. It’s the emotional core of the song, making the eventual return to the heavy riffs even more impactful.
Many fans argue that Avenged Sevenfold A Little Piece of Heaven is the pinnacle of the "Self-Titled" era. It showed that A7X weren't just guys in leather jackets and aviators; they were legitimate composers. They weren't afraid to be "uncool" by liking musical theater, and that authenticity is why they survived the decline of the 2000s metalcore scene.
What Most People Get Wrong
A common misconception is that the song was meant to be "satanic" or genuinely dark. In reality, the band has always described it as a joke that went too far in the best way possible. They were laughing while making it. They wanted to see how much they could get away with.
Another myth is that it was a huge radio hit. It wasn't. It was way too long and way too explicit for 2007 radio. Its popularity grew entirely through word of mouth, MySpace (yeah, remember that?), and early YouTube. It’s a "cult classic" that became a "mainstream classic" through sheer fan will.
The Lasting Legacy of the Song
When the band plays this live, the crowd goes absolutely insane. It’s usually the highlight of the set. Even without The Rev there to sing his parts, the band uses his original vocal tracks, allowing his voice to boom through the stadium. It’s a haunting, beautiful tribute.
It also opened the doors for other bands to experiment. You can see the influence of this song in modern acts like Ghost or Ice Nine Kills, who lean heavily into the theatrical and the macabre. A7X proved that you can be "weird" and still sell out arenas.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Musicians
If you’re a musician looking to capture this kind of magic, or just a fan who wants to dive deeper, here’s what you should do:
- Listen to the "Isolated Tracks": You can find versions of this song online where the guitars are removed. Listening to just the orchestra and the vocals reveals how much work went into the arrangement. It’s a masterclass in songwriting.
- Watch the Making-of Documentary: The All Excess DVD and various YouTube clips show the band in the studio during the recording of the self-titled album. Seeing The Rev explain his vision for the song is essential viewing.
- Analyze the Contrast: Notice how the song moves from "fun" to "terrifying" to "romantic." If you’re writing music, don’t be afraid to smash two genres together that shouldn't fit. That’s where the most interesting stuff happens.
- Explore the Influences: To understand where this song came from, listen to Danny Elfman’s soundtracks (like The Nightmare Before Christmas or Beetlejuice) and Oingo Boingo. You’ll hear the DNA of "A Little Piece of Heaven" in those records.
- Pay Attention to the Lyrics' Narrative Arc: Instead of just writing a song about a feeling, write a song about a story. Give your characters a beginning, a middle, and a (grisly) end.
The beauty of Avenged Sevenfold A Little Piece of Heaven is that it’s a complete world contained in eight minutes. It’s gross, it’s funny, it’s technically brilliant, and it’s a reminder that the best art usually comes from the ideas that seem "too crazy" to work. Don't just listen to the riffs—listen to the ambition. That’s what actually makes it a masterpiece.