Avenged Sevenfold
AVENGED SEVENFOLD Singer Reveals Plans For DVD
According to The Pulse Of Radio, AVENGED SEVENFOLD is taking...
AVENGED SEVENFOLD Releases Original Cut Of ‘Unholy Confessions’ Video
Out now in stores is the special edition reissue of AVENGED SEVENFOLD's second album, "Waking The Fallen". The 2003 disc was the first to feature guitarist Synyster Gates and bassist Johnny Christ as full-fledged members, and its last independent release before signing a major deal with Warner Bros. Records. Although the band originally wanted to reissue the record for its 10th anniversary, guitarist Zacky Vengeance told The Pulse Of Radio why it was held up for a year. "You know, between me and Matt [Shadows], our singer, digging deep within everything that we have, our vaults, and, you know, getting on the phone with my family members, looking through the house, scouring the attics of my parents' house, you know, where I grew up at, to really make this special, it took a little bit of extra time," he said. "And we were rushing to get it out on the anniversary, we would have loved nothing more than to be able to do that, but to us it was more important to have the quality product that our fans deserve."
The band has released the original first cut of the video for "Unholy Confessions", which was very different from the official video. The clip is also included in the reissue.
"Waking The Fallen" followed up AVENGED SEVENFOLD's 2001 debut, "Sounding The Seventh Trumpet".
Although the record sold just 3,000 copies in its initial week of release, it was eventually certified gold for sales of more than half a million copies in 2009.
AVENGED SEVENFOLD is touring in support of its 2013 album, "Hail To The King", which debuted at No. 1 one year ago this week on the Billboard album chart.
AVENGED SEVENFOLD’s ‘Hail To The King’ Certified Gold In U.S.
AVENGED SEVENFOLD's latest album, "Hail To The King", was certified gold on July 16 by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association Of America) for shipments in excess of 500,000 copies. Released last year, it was the band's second straight CD to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard chart, following 2010's "Nightmare".
The latest effort was recorded after the AVENGED SEVENFOLD bandmembers immersed themselves in the music of two classic LPs: METALLICA's Black Album and GUNS N' ROSES' "Appetite For Destruction".
"The BLACK SABBATH, AC/DC, ZEPPELIN Influence comes through," AVENGED SEVENFOLD lead guitarist Synyster Gates told TimesLeader.com about "Hail To The King". "We wanted to create space rather than just fill up every song with four bridges and three choruses and vocal harmonies everywhere, with guitar duels going on. The goal was to focus on the songwriting and the arrangements."
"Hail To The King" marked AVENGED SEVENFOLD's full-length debut with new drummer Arin llejay, whom Gates described to TimesLeader.com as "one of the most tasteful drummers I've heard in my life… He's got that caveman, barbaric huge groove philosophy that we were trying to go for on this record. He's really got it in his heart and soul. We took the approach of wanting a hungry young kid who could suddenly come out of nowhere and play in front of 50,000 people. He really stepped up."
AVENGED SEVENFOLD guitarist Zacky Vengeance told Billboard.com that the band will take "a real quick trip to Japan" after Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival ends on August 10 and then plans to come off the road in order to start working on a follow-up to "Hail To The King".
"I think once we get home, the ideas are going to start brewing," Vengeance says. "I know Syn's been writing a ton purely for fun, trying different styles, recording backstage, keeping himself busy. I've been thinking of all sorts of ideas, listening to tons of different music to get inspiration — as have all of us. And being on tour, I'm so inspired. Seeing bands like BODY COUNT with Ice-T out there, they're so old-school and riff-based and over the top and slightly offensive and it's fuckin' awesome. So there's tons of inspiration that I know we'll be drawing from."
AVENGED SEVENFOLD and KORN are co-headlining this year's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, which kicked off its annual run on July 5 in Devore, California.
Other acts on the bill include ASKING ALEXANDRIA, SUICIDE SILENCE, TRIVIUM, MISS MAY I and more.
AVENGED SEVENFOLD will reissue its breakthrough second album, "Waking The Fallen", in a new special edition on August 26. "Waking The Fallen: Resurrected" will include a total of 23 tracks, including 11 never-before-heard songs, new artwork, the original first cut of the music video for "Unholy Confessions" and a 30-minute film featuring the present-day band.
MIKE PORTNOY Is ‘Happy’ To See AVENGED SEVENFOLD Has ‘Blossomed To A Whole New Level’ Following His Departure
On May 23, Steve-O of "The Live Addiction" conducted an interview with drummer Mike Portnoy (THE WINERY DOGS, DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, ADRENALINE MOB) in Houston, Texas. You can now watch the chat below.
Asked about his relatively short stint as the studio and touring drummer for AVENGED SEVENFOLD following the death of the band's original drummer, James "The Rev" Sullivan, from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs, Portnoy said: "It was a really cool experience. There were basically two experiences — it was the ['Nightmare'] album [recording] and the [subsequent] tour. The album was a really heavy emotional experience. 'Cause we started the album, I don't know, maybe six weeks after The Rev was buried. So it was still really fresh for those guys, and everybody was really very emotional. So making the album was a really emotional experience and I felt really honored to have been part of that experience with them. And that's why me and Zacky [Vengeance, AVENGED SEVENFOLD guitarist] got these matching tattoos. To me, it was a real amazing experience to bond with them during that period. And then after that experience, you know, I wanted to be there to help them, and that's how my services got called upon for the first half of the tour — I did, I think, I guess, the first five or six months of the 'Nightmare' tour — basically, 'till the end of 2010. And, you know, at that point, it was just them getting back on their feet and [I was] helping them out."
He continued: "I don't think I was ever going to be there for long. I was still in DREAM THEATER at that point, and even once I left DREAM THEATER, it was pretty established that it was just a helping-them-out phase. And it was a great tour, man. I had fun with those guys. They're nice guys. And I'm so happy to see that they've gotten back on their feet and have blossomed to a whole new level and continue to do what they're doing. So it was an experience I look back upon with a lot of great memories."
Following Sullivan's death, AVENGED SEVENFOLD recruited his favorite drummer, Portnoy, to record the drum tracks for "Nightmare" and all its 2010 tour dates before dismissing him at the end of that year.
AVENGED's current drummer is Arin Ilejay, who began playing with them in early 2011.
Portnoy, who co-founded DREAM THEATER more than 20 years ago, abruptly quit the band in September 2010 while on tour with AVENGED SEVENFOLD. He has since been replaced by Mike Mangini (ANNIHILATOR, EXTREME, JAMES LABRIE, STEVE VAI).
In a December 2011 interview with the San Francisco, California radio station 107.7 The Bone, AVENGED SEVENFOLD guitarist Zacky Vengeance stated about being caught in the middle of the drama between Portnoy and DREAM THEATER, "It was something that we were not used to at all. We had never, ever experienced any kind of in-the-spotlight drama; we just always stay in the shadows and keep any of our personal business private. And [Mike is] a very different character — he always goes straight to fans [on] Twitter or whatever… That's how he dealt with his band, and it was new to us. We like to be in touch with our fans, but we're also very private."
He continued, "[Mike had] been talking about quitting DREAM THEATER, that he wasn't necessarily happy, and he was excited to be playing with us; we were playing huge shows and stuff. I think he got caught up in the moment, got excited. We begged him to consider what he did, because we were in no position to find a permanent replacement, because in all honesty, you can't replace Jimmy, who was our best friend — first and foremost — besides beng an amazing drummer. So it just wasn't the right time and the place. And he told us, 'Hey, I've got good news and bad news. I quit DREAM THEATER.' We were like, 'Oh, no. Well, if you're happy, then that's good.' [And he was like], 'Now I can be with you guys.' And we were like, 'That's not necessarily what we decided upon. And you should take your time and reconsider.' And he was like, 'Well, I put out my press release.' We were like, 'Dude, that's not how we do business. You should have talked to us before.' Then it was back and forth [between Mike and his former DREAM THEATER bandmates]. We were out of it; we had nothing to do with it. We were just trying to get back on our feet. So when all that was going down, it was causing us a lot of heartache, to be honest — to see our name in this drama-filled love triangle. He helped us out at a really vulnerable time, and for that we will always be extremely appreciative. But for us, we were so unstable at that point that any unneeded attention was just very harmful to us. Obviously, it didn't work out [between us and Mike], but I think it's for the best — for him and for us."
AVENGED SEVENFOLD To Reissue ‘Waking The Fallen’ With Bonus Demo Tracks, DVD
AVENGED SEVENFOLD singer M. Shadows has revealed to Loudwire that the band plans to reissue its 2003 effort, "Waking The Fallen", with bonus material. Shadows says, "We're going to put something together for the 10-year anniversary of 'Waking The Fallen', which is about 11 or 12 years now. We've been trying to think of something we could put together and we found some old demos that we did with Teppei [Teranishi] from THRICE before we even did that record. We also found some old footage with [late AVENGED SEVENFOLD drummer] Jimmy [Sullivan] playing some old shows at The Henry Fonda Theater in L.A., and the Ventura Theater. We'll put together a cool DVD and some demo tracks and re-release 'Waking The Fallen' for newer fans of the band that haven't gotten that or don't know about the history of the band."
According to Shadows, AVENGED is also planning to release a new DVD. Shadows tells the site, "It is going to encompass the whole world that we've been filming for the last five years being in all these different countries with our camera guy. That'll be a fun thing. I think we're going to film some big shows. I think we’re filming Mexico City coming up and we have some other shows we're going to film and kind of intertwine the live performance with this huge DVD we want to do. That will probably come out before Christmas."
AVENGED SEVENFOLD has tapped Andrew Baird (CAGE THE ELEPHANT, CARRIE UNDERWOOD) to direct the video for the band's song "This Means War". The clip is described as "a grisly street fight on the dark streets of an urban metropolis. Haunted by dark creatures and lost souls."
"This Means War" is taken from AVENGED SEVENFOLD's sixth and latest album, "Hail To The King", which came out last year and was the band's second straight CD to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard chart, following 2010's "Nightmare".
AVENGED SEVENFOLD has released the animated series based around "Hail To The King". The six-episode series is available on Machimina's HappyHour channel on YouTube and also serves as a prologue and back story for the group's mobile game, "Hail To The King: Deathbat", which will debut later in the year.
The series was directed by Jon Schnepp, producer of the Adult Swim animated show "Metalocalypse".
Both the series and game tell the story of AVENGED SEVENFOLD's fictional mascot, the Deathbat.
The band recorded seven brand new songs for the game, which will also include 16 pieces of never-before-seen artwork from all the group's albums that players can unlock.
AVENGED SEVENFOLD: ‘Hail To The King’ Animated Series Released
AVENGED SEVENFOLD has released the animated series based around the band's recently issued sixth album, "Hail To The King". The series consists of six episodes and is available on Machimina's HappyHour channel on YouTube (see all six episodes below). The series serves as a prologue and back story for the group's mobile game, "Hail To The King: Deathbat", with M. Shadows saying, "We felt this was the best way to tell the story and give you all an idea about the type of game we are creating."
The "Hail To The King" series was directed by Jon Schnepp, producer of the Adult Swim animated show "Metalocalypse".
Both the series and game tell the story of AVENGED SEVENFOLD's fictional mascot, the Deathbat.
The game will debut sometime in early 2014. Shadows said about it, "We wanted to bring the story of the Deathbat to life and allow you to control its destiny. While the game stands on its own in terms of the story and game play, we still wanted to add in some extras for our fans."
The band recorded seven brand new songs for the game, which will also include 16 pieces of never-before-seen artwork from all the group's albums that players can unlock.
"Hail To The King" sold 159,000 copies in its first week of release, giving the California band their second straight chart-topper after 2010's "Nightmare".
AVENGED SEVENFOLD Bassist: Being Compared To METALLICA Is ‘A Pretty Damn Good Compliment’
Germany's EMP Rock Invasion recently conducted an interview with AVENGED SEVENFOLD bassist Johnny Christ. You can now watch the chat below.
Asked about recent comments from MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn, in which Flynn called AVENGED's new "Hail To The King" CD a "covers album" and specifically called AVENGED SEVENFOLD out for songs like "This Means War", which bears a strong resemblance to METALLICA's "Sad But True", Christ said: "I heard a little bit about that.
"Everyone has their own opinions and they're entitled to them.
"We've never been shy to admit that METALLICA is a huge influence in our lives and on our music.
"We wrote some songs, like we always do, and we got in there…
"If we're compared to METALLICA, the greatest metal band in the world, I think that's actually a pretty damn good compliment."
He added: "I never really cared about [the negative things people have to say about our music]. Like I said, everyone's entitled to their own opinion. And it's fine. If I disagree, it's not gonna bum me out. I just don't have time to really sit there and worry about someone disliking what we put so much effort into."
Christ also revealed that METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich got in contact with AVENGED SEVENFOLD shortly after the release of "Hail To The King" and was happy about the band's success. "Lars reached out to Matt [AVENGED SEVENFOLD singer M. Shadows] when the record first came out and debuted at No. 1 and had nothing but good things to say about it," the bassist said. "So, I mean, we've gotta be doing something right."
AVENGED SEVENFOLD is getting ready to release both an animated series and a mobile game based around the band's recently issued sixth album, "Hail To The King". The series will consist of six episodes and will be available on Machimina's HappyHour channel on YouTube starting December 15. The series will serve as a prologue and back story for the group's mobile game, "Hail To The King: Deathbat", with M. Shadows saying, "We felt this was the best way to tell the story and give you all an idea about the type of game we are creating."
The "Hail To The King" series was directed by Jon Schnepp, producer of the Adult Swim animated show "Metalocalypse".
Both the series and game tell the story of AVENGED SEVENFOLD's fictional mascot, the Deathbat.
The game will debut sometime in early 2014. Shadows said about it, "We wanted to bring the story of the Deathbat to life and allow you to control its destiny. While the game stands on its own in terms of the story and game play, we still wanted to add in some extras for our fans."
The band recorded seven brand new songs for the game, which will also include 16 pieces of never-before-seen artwork from all the group's albums that players can unlock.
"Hail To The King" sold 159,000 copies in its first week of release, giving the California band their second straight chart-topper after 2010's "Nightmare".
AVENGED SEVENFOLD: ‘Shepherd Of Fire’ Video Released
AVENGED SEVENFOLD's video for the song "Shepherd Of Fire" can be seen below. The clip was directed by Wayne Isham, who has helmed videos for such artists as METALLICA,PANTERA, GODSMACK, DEF LEPPARD and BON JOVI.
Isham previously worked with AVENGED SEVENFOLD on the "Seize The Day", "Afterlife","Nightmare" and "So Far Away" clips.
"Shepherd Of Fire" comes off AVENGED SEVENFOLD's sixth album, "Hail To The King", which sold 159,000 copies in its first week of release, giving the California band their second straight chart-topper after 2010's "Nightmare".
Speaking to Kerrang!, vocalist M. Shadows stated about "Shepherd Of Fire": "If you just listen to the music, if feels you've been taken down to Hell. From the riffs, to the bells ringing, to the horns, to the drumbeat, it feels like you've been dragged down."
M. Shadows said a few months back that the sound of the new CD was channeling earlier records from acts like PANTERA, METALLICA, BLACK SABBATH and others, and he told The Pulse Of Radio again just recently that the band was aiming for an older feel. "We said, 'Well, why don't we make a record that we would want to listen to today, that sounds like a late '90s or before record?'" he said. "And then we said production-wise we've got to make it sound like one of those records. We've got to have the big guitars, the huge drums that are over the top, and just like the punch that those records gave you. So what I would say is that this is a record in 2013 that reminds me of like an early '90s or before type metal record."
"Hail To The King" is AVENGED SEVENFOLD's first full album written and recorded without drummer and charter member James "The Rev" Sullivan, who died in December 2009 during the early stages of writing for "Nightmare".
AVENGED SEVENFOLD Singer: ‘We Have So Many Eerie Similarities To METALLICA’
Radio.com recently conducted an interview with AVENGED SEVENFOLD vocalist M. Shadows and bassist Johnny Christ. You can now watch the chat below.
Asked how it feels to be compared to METALLICA, M. Shadows said: "To me, we have so many eerie similarities to METALLICA, it's ridiculous. We lost a member during one of our most important times. We have an album now which is being compared to the 'black' album [byMETALLICA], which is very… For us, we kneel at the throne. We're very much big fans ofMETALLICA. At the same time, we're just doing our thing, we're trying to create our own legacy."
AVENGED SEVENFOLD recently filmed a video for the song "Shepherd Of Fire" with directorWayne Isham, who has helmed clips for such artists as METALLICA, PANTERA, GODSMACK,DEF LEPPARD and BON JOVI.
Isham previously worked with AVENGED SEVENFOLD on the "Seize The Day", "Afterlife","Nightmare" and "So Far Away" videos.
AVENGED SEVENFOLD's sixth studio album, "Hail To The King", sold 159,000 copies in its first week of release, giving the California band their second straight chart-topper after 2010's"Nightmare".
AVENGED SEVENFOLD kicked off its first major tour in support of the new CD on October 3 in Chicago.