Life Is But a Dream... is the eighth studio album by American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold, released on June 2, 2023, through Warner Records.

[5] Lead vocalist M. Shadows claimed the album was 70 percent complete in February 2021, with items such as mixing and recording orchestral sections still needing to be done.

[17] The scavenger hunt was centered around a Reddit user named "Libad5343", the suspected hacker of the band's social media accounts, and their blog, which included articles written with ChatGPT and images generated by DALL-E 2.

On the same day, the band also revealed the details for Life Is But a Dream..., including its release date and cover art, which was designed by Wes Lang.

praised the album's diversity in styles and musical elements as well as its adventurous nature, writing, "In the process of shedding any lingering preconceptions about genre, consistency and the basic rules of songwriting, [Avenged Sevenfold] haven't just made an album that's more out-there than any they've put their name to before – they've delivered a set of songs that are simply far more fun.

"[34] Merlin Alderslade of Classic Rock wrote, "With Life Is But a Dream..., Avenged Sevenfold haven't just transcended their metal peers for good, they've also created their definitive artistic statement," describing it as "bloody fantastic".

[30] Simon K. of Sputnikmusic praised the album, noting that the music was very different from mainstream rock and metal, and a bold departure from the band's usual style.

"[36] In June 2023, Alternative Press published an unranked list of the top 25 albums of the year to date and included this release, calling it "an experimental record that leaned into the unpredictability of pushing boundaries and bending genres".

[38] All tracks are written by Zachary Baker, Brian Haner Jr., Matthew Sanders, Jonathan Seward, and Brooks Wackerman, except where noted[49]Avenged Sevenfold Additional musicians