Avenged Sevenfold's M Shadows On Surprise Album Release

(Metal Hammer) M Shadows says he's "proud" that Avenged Sevenfold were able to keep their new album The Stage a secret. Details of the album were unveiled by the band during last week's 3D, virtual reality performance on the roof of Capitol Records Tower in California.

They decided to sneak-release the follow-up to 2013's Hail To The King rather than "dropping the breadcrumbs" before the launch, as Shadows said it takes away "the mystique" of the record.

Now M Shadows tells Sirius XM (via Blabbermouth): "We just wanted to give the fans the cherry on top right off the bat and just say, 'Here it is. You thought we were messing around for a year, but we've been working.'

"A lot of bands, you're hearing what people are saying, or they're reviewing this, and you're hearing the vibe of the record before you even get to hear the music, and that's just wrong to me. I want people to make their own decision.

"Listen to the music and figure it out for yourself, instead of being fed the press release: you know, like, 'This is what it's gonna sound like,' and, 'It's our favorite, most melodic, heaviest thing ever.' It's so boring at this point." Read more here.

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