Avenged Sevenfold has made it abundantly clear that their new album won't be anything they've ever done before, which is exactly what vocalist M. Shadows wants. In a new interview with The Punk Rock MBA, Shadows said he's not a fan of bands regurgitating the same old sounds for their new albums, and would rather them try something new.
"I actually think it's disrespectful for the fans to just give them the same crap. And not that it's all crap — it's regurgitated. Go listen to those records; go throw on some AI and say, 'I want a record like this'… that'll probably exist.
"But if you want to know where us as humans are going — and you don't need to follow it [or] to like it. You're not a bad fan if you think, 'This just isn't for me.' There's a lot of bands that I like that have gone [and done something] else, but [the] one thing that bums me more than anything is when a band tries to give me the same thing over and over. Then I'm just really bummed out, 'cause not only are they not creative, but they're just playing me as a fool."
Shadows also elaborated on the idea of bands making a new record every two years, saying that he feels a lot of them are just doing it because they feel they have to – not because they have something to say. Which is definitely true in some cases, and surely fans catch on to that sort of thing pretty quickly.
"And that's why we don't go on the same time schedule as everyone — how can you just say, 'I always have something to say', but it just happens to be every two years… No, you're just making a record 'cause you have to make a record. Put out a record when you have something to say — when something is worthy of putting out. That would be my opinion on where I see my band going. Are we gonna do another record? Maybe — maybe not. If we have something to say we will.
"But everyone loves to take a little tidbit and [say], 'That's what they're gonna do from now. They've already planned it out….' We live in a crazy world where everything wants to be in a box. If you want to call your band an artistic expression of what you truly feel, then the box has to go away."
In a separate interview with I-Rock 93.5, bassist Johnny Christ touched on the idea of Ave really leaning into who they are and who's in the band. Christ said the band simply takes their influences and filters it all "through the quote-unquote Avenged Sevenfold filter. And that's just us. That's where you get that character of Avenged Sevenfold, really.
"So, to answer the question, it's not like a direct thought of, like, 'Oh, no. We went too crazy. Let's bring it back and make it more Avenged-y.' It's, like, no. We're going for it. This is what it sounds like when we go for it.
"We have distinct players in this band. You've got a lead vocalist like M. Shadows — a very distinct, awesome voice. You've got the guitar work of Synyster [Gates] and Zacky [Vengeance] — just so distinct. And who's gonna mix up Brooks Wackerman's style with anybody else? It's just we have a bunch of unique players together that I think no matter how far out we go, it's gonna fall into that uniqueness anyway, and it just sounds like Avenged Sevenfold by the end of the day."
Avenged Sevenfold originally announced two special shows at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, CA on June 9 and another at Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY on June 23. Avenged Sevenfold then expanded those into a full blown tour, which you can get the dates for below. Get your tickets here.
w/ Falling In Reverse
7/18 – Camden, NJ – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
7/19 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center
7/21 – Québec City, QC – Videotron Centre
7/22 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
7/24 – Ottawa, ON – Canadian Tire Centre
7/26 – Clarkston, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre
7/28 – Tinley Park, IL – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
7/29 – Minneapolis, MN – Target Center
7/31 – Winnipeg, MB – Canada Life Centre
8/2 – Saskatoon, SK – SaskTel Centre
8/4 – Edmonton, AB – Rogers Place
8/5 – Calgary, AB – Scotiabank Saddledome
8/7 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
w/ Alexisonfire
9/16 – West Palm Beach, FL – iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
9/17 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
9/19 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion
9/20 – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
9/22 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
9/25 – Maryland Heights, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre – St. Louis, MO
9/26 – Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center
9/28 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena (no Falling In Reverse)
9/30 – Salt Lake City, UT – USANA Amphitheatre
10/2 – Tacoma, WA – Tacoma Dome
10/3 – Portland, OR – MODA Center
10/7 – Chula Vista, CA – North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
10/8 – Phoenix, AZ – Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
10/10 – Albuquerque, NM – Isleta Amphitheater
10/12 – The Woodlands, TX – The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
10/13 – Austin, TX – Germania Insurance Amphitheater
10/15 – Fort Worth, TX – Dickies Arena
