Pretty much every metal band nowadays has been influenced by Metallica in one way or another, but Avenged Sevenfold may have been a bit too influenced on their 2013 album Hail to the King.
Responding to a tweet from a fan asking if the 'Tallica tunes "Sad But True" and "Enter Sandman" were "running through [their] minds" while working on the Hail to the King tracks "Shepherd of Fire" and "This Means War," vocalist M. Shadows admits, "Yes, in hindsight we cut a little too close."
"But all you can do is learn and move on," Shadows adds.
While critics felt Hail to the King veered too much into Metallica territory, the album was successful upon its release, giving A7X their second #1 on the Billboard 200. Although some fans look down upon the record, Shadows points out it continues to bring in listeners.
"'Hail to the King' (the song) streams more than double any other tracks we have weekly," Shadows shares. "The album is on track to out-sell all the others...yet a portion of the fan base acts like it was a failure by all accounts."
"I see new people get into the band and ask for recommendations...the answer is usually 'anything but [Hail to the King],'" he adds. "I think that's funny because the metrics clearly say otherwise...regardless of your opinion."
Avenged Sevenfold followed Hail to the King with 2016's The Stage, which currently remains the band's most recent album. However, a new record is set to drop next year, if drummer Brooks Wackerman is to be believed.