Avenged Sevenfold have announced that they’ll release the Black Reign EP this coming Friday (September 21) via Warner Bros Records.
It’ll feature all four of their tracks that have been in Treyarch’s Call Of Duty: Black Ops video game series – including new single Mad Hatter, which launched yesterday and will appear on Call Of Duty: Black Ops 4, out on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on October 12.
It’ll be joined on the digital EP by Not Ready To Die from Call Of Duty: Black Ops, Carry On from Call Of Duty: Black Ops II and Jade Helm from Call Of Duty: Black Ops III.
A7X vocalist M Shadows says: “Black Ops 4 looks insane and is something completely new for fans, so we felt that we should take a similar leap with the music and go for something bigger, darker and more cerebral.”
As for the inspiration behind Mad Hatter, Shadows adds: “Watching the initial trailers and looking at production sketches reminded me of the S-Town podcast and its main protagonist, John B. McLemore, who was rumoured to have suffered from mercury poisoning, or Mad Hatter disease.
“The idea of Mad Hatter and what it does to the brain is as frightening as the images we were shown. So I decided that the lyrics would shadow McLemore’s life. The result is a thick-grooved song that’s dynamic and has a weightiness to it.”
Shadows continues: “We have a very deep relationship with the team at Treyarch. We’re proud to be part of the family and extremely excited for people to enjoy this next chapter and our contribution to it.”
News of the band working on material for Call Of Duty: Black Ops 4 first came to light earlier this year.
