<P> To date, Avenged Sevenfold has released seven studio albums, one live album / DVD, two compilation albums and eighteen singles and have sold over 8 million albums worldwide . Avenged Sevenfold was ranked No. 47 on Loudwire's list of Top 50 Metal Bands of All Time . </P> <P> The band was formed in 1999 in Huntington Beach, California with original members M. Shadows, Zacky Vengeance, The Rev and Matt Wendt . M Shadows came up with the name as a reference to the story of Cain and Abel from The Bible, which can be found in Genesis 4: 24, although they are not a religious band . Upon its formation, each member of the band also took on a pseudonym which were already nicknames of theirs from high school . Matt Wendt was later replaced by Justin' Sane' Meacham who was previously the bassist for Suburban Legends . </P> <P> Before the release of their debut album, the band recorded two demos in 1999 and 2000 . In mid-2001, it was reported that Meacham had attempted suicide by drinking excessive amounts of cough syrup . The attempt affected the band's Take Action Tour . During his hospitalization he remained in poor condition and was replaced by Dameon Ash . In an interview, lead singer M. Shadows said of Meacham that "he perma - fried his brain and was in a mental institution for a long time, and when you have someone in your band who does that, it ruins everything that's going on all around you, and it makes you want to do something to prevent it from happening to other people ." Avenged Sevenfold's debut album, Sounding the Seventh Trumpet, was recorded when the band members were in their late teens and still in high school . It was originally released on their first label, Good Life Recordings in 2001 . When lead guitarist Synyster Gates joined the band after the album was released, the introductory track "To End the Rapture" was re-recorded featuring a full band element . The album was subsequently re-released on Hopeless Records in 2002 . The band started to receive recognition, performing with bands such as Mushroomhead and Shadows Fall and playing on the Take Action Tour . </P> <P> Having found a new bassist, Johnny Christ, 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 played in the Vans Warped Tour . 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 Headbanger's Ball . Shortly after the release of Waking the Fallen, Avenged Sevenfold left Hopeless Records and were signed to Warner Bros. Records . </P>

When did avenged sevenfold release their first album