The song I chose to share from North America is M.I.A. by Avenged Sevenfold, a progressive metal band from Huntington Beach, California. “Progressive metal, a sub-genre of heavy metal, blends powerful guitar driven sounds with of metal with complex compositional structures, odd time signatures, and intricate instrumental playing of progressive rock sometimes also also influenced by jazz fusion and classical music.” (Metal Wiki). I love this genre of music, and specifically this band so much because of the combination of all those exciting and varied elements. I believe this song in particular demonstrates all of them. In the song, the tempo and dynamics change many times, along with a mix of different vocals and instruments. Although it is a long song it is so wonderful and fun to listen to because it is as if the song takes you on a whole adventure throughout its 8 minute entirety and storyline. My favorite element of the song however is the guitar solos. The skill level of the guitarist is genuinely inconceivable. It is definitely one of my favorite songs from one of my favorite bands. I recommend taking the time to listen to it. Enjoy:)

Works Cited:

Metal Wiki. “Progressive Metal”. https://metal.fandom.com/wiki/Progressive_metal#:~:text=Progressive%20metal%20is%20a%20sub,jazz%20fusion%20and%20classical%20music.