Avenged Sevenfold Frontman on New Album: “The Songs are Done”
Avenged Sevenfold singer M. Shadows promised this past summer that the band’s new album would come out before next summer. Will the band stick to that self-imposed timeline? According to a new interview with the frontman, maybe… but maybe not.
Speaking to the Tuna On Toast With Stryker podcast, Shadows revealed that Covid-19 restrictions preventing an orchestra from gathering in close proximity are to blame for the most recent delays in getting new Avenged Sevenfold music into our ears, which will be their first since The Stage in 2016. He said:
“The songs are done. I still have some vocals to do and we have some strings to record.
“And the thing with the strings is that in L.A., they’re simply not allowing people to be within six feet [of each other]. And we have experience — I’m not gonna name bands, but our producer worked on some records, and he’s, like, ‘Listen, you put somebody six feet apart and you mic them all, and it does not sound like a group playing together.’ He’s, like, ‘They are hearing the notes off a little bit. There’s no unified sound. And we have a bunch of out-of-tune violin players and out-of-tune singers.’ And he’s, like, ‘I’m sitting there fixing it all.’ And he’s, like, ‘I suggest either going to Prague and doing it or just waiting.’
“And so we’re still waiting, ’cause we don’t wanna go to Prague and record these things. I mean, there’s so many little things, and we’re just not willing to compromise on it.”
Shadows continued by reiterating his previously stated position that the band isn’t going to release new music and tour until it’s 100% clear they can do so without hindrance from pandemic-related snafus, adding that everyone in the band needs to be in the right mind-frame. He explained:
“We’re really just trying to make sure that everybody mentally wants to go on tour and support a record, that it’s gonna make sense to support the record — it’s not a stop-and-go situation.”
“We’re gonna release it when we wanna release it. That’s just the bottom line. People seem to think we work for them.
“At the end of the day, everyone needs to decide, ‘I’m ready to go support a record.’ … You just have to make sure you’re mentally there for it.
“I don’t wanna maybe come off like we have all these problems in the band — we don’t — but people are also very cognizant of their life and how it is right now and they wanna be happy doing things, and I think the fans want us to be happy doing things.
“We are very much happy into this digital realm we’re going into and the NFTs, and we’re gonna be happy when the record comes out. And when we do shows, we’ll be happy doing them. But just know that if we’re on stage, then we’re in a good place.”
So, in conclusion, once again: maybe we’ll have new A7X music next summer, maybe not. With the 8-10 month lead times we’re hearing vinyl pressing plants require these days due to global supply chain issues, don’t be surprised if it’s even longer.
But, until then, enjoy this sick Halloween light show someone set up on their suburban home to sync with “Nightmare.”
[via Blabbermouth]
