Avenged Sevenfold on dividing fans: “Being willing to risk everything is the most liberating thing”

nme.com:

Avenged Sevenfold’s Zacky Vengeance caught up with NME backstage at Download 2024, and recalled how the band were hoping to draw mixed fan responses from their latest album, ‘Life Is But A Dream…’.The guitarist spoke to us shortly before closing out this year’s edition of the Donington Park festival with a mammoth headline slot on the Apex Stage – a decade after they first headlined the ironic rock festival.Having arrived back in June last year, ‘Life Is But A Dream…’ signalled a stark shift from the sound that first established them as one of the most integral metal acts of the ‘00s.

The shred-heavy, metalcore aspects that once defined their sound were placed to one side, as a more experimental, avant-garde approach was introduced – incorporating elements of EDM and hip-hop, and undoubtedly marking a new era for the five-piece.Unsurprisingly, the shift was quick to divide fans.

However, the band insist this was the exact reaction they were hoping for.“There was a point in our career where we had a bit of an identity crisis because people were saying ‘You’re gonna be the next Metallica if you stay on this path’, and a lot of people had opinions on what we would be doing,” Vengeance told us before taking to the stage on Sunday night (June 16). “That didn’t sit well with any of us, so taking five years off to really look inside ourselves, work out what we want to accomplish and be willing to risk everything was the most liberating thing.He continued: “It was never a question in our mind if people were to like it, because we liked it.

At the time, some people didn’t understand [our earlier albums] either. To be ahead of the game, you’ve got to be willing to let people catch up to you.