Avenged Sevenfold’s M Shadows has described the “humanistic” message behind their video for The Stage.
Lifted from their album of the same name, the promo features a puppet show illustrating war and persecution throughout history, from prehistoric times and medieval witch-hunting through to the first and second world wars. The vocalist suggests that the human race has failed to learn from its bloody history.
He tells OC Register: “The video alludes to somebody watching over us, watching us kill each other over senseless things and not understanding each other. As soon as it gets to a certain point there’s a push of a button and the simulation starts over, like we can’t figure it out and that’s more of a humanistic view, like why can’t we just treat each other better?
“We’re all here and we just do the same things to each other over and over, whether it’s dropping bombs on each other or beating each other with sticks. That’s what it’s really about. It’s not meant to be a political endorsement of any candidate or whatever else people want to talk about in YouTube comments.”
The details for their seventh album were unveiled by the band during last week’s 3D, virtual reality performance on the roof of Capitol Records Tower in California, which was streamed live.
Shadows recently said their seventh album was inspired by “artificial intelligence” – but he insists it’s not “sci-fi.”
He adds: “There’s songs about things that are watching us from above, like all the typical conspiracy theories, aliens and Big Brother and how if you’re too busy looking at all of that, how are you going to see the meteor that hits you from the sky?
“It’s all firmly based in what we know at this point, but it’s not some like sci-fi, ‘Terminator’ gonna-kill-you type of stuff.”
Avenged Sevenfold will kick off a UK and European tour in January.
- Of Mice & Men’s Austin Carlile reports on ’successful’ surgery
- Ziggy Stardust drummer slams Lady Gaga's David Bowie tribute
- Sambora's departure has given Bon Jovi 'new life'
- Wildhearts ex Danny McCormack has leg amputated
Avenged Sevenfold tour dates 2017
Jan 10: Glasgow SSE Hydro
Jan 12: Newcastle Metro Radio Arena
Jan 13: Birmingham Genting Arena
Jan 15: Sheffield Arena
Jan 16: Manchester Arena
Jan 18: Nottingham Motorpoint Arena
Jan 19: Cardiff Motorpoint Arena
Jan 21: London O2 Arena
Jan 22: London O2 Arena
Feb 12: Frankfurt Festhalle, Germany
Feb 13: Hamburg Sporthalle, Germany
Feb 15: Berlin Arena, Germany
Feb 16: Dusseldorf Mitsubishi Electric Halle, Germany
Feb 18: Amsterdam Ziggo Dome, Netherlands
Feb 20: Stuttgart Schleyerhalle, Germany
Feb 21: Milan Forum, Italy
Feb 23: Vienna Wiener Stadthalle, Austria
Feb 25: Munich Zenith, Germany
Feb 26: Zurich Halle 622, Austria
Feb 28: Lille Zenith Arena, France
Mar 01: Luxembourg Rockhal, Luxembourg
Mar 02: Paris AccorHotels Arena, France
Mar 04: Copenhagen Valby Hallen, Denmark
Mar 07: Helsinki Hartwall Arena, Finland
Mar 09: Stockholm Ericsson Globe, Sweden
Mar 10: Oslo Telenor, Norway
Avenged Sevenfold: the first reaction to their new album The Stage
