When it comes to our musical opinions, what some of us might say about a band might not actually be our true thoughts. For instance, Nickelback are considered one of the most hated bands on the planet, and yet they fill out stadiums, boast chart-topping hits, and even have their own trend on TikTok. Some of us then are clearly lying and not as "cool" as we're trying to seem.
As is the same with Avenged Sevenfold's album Hail To The King, which since its release in 2013, has been regarded as one of their most hated records, in spite of its impressive commercial success.
Avenged Sevenfold frontman M.Shadows has even come out to offer his thoughts on the imbalance in response to a fan's tweet.
"Hot take: The Hail to the King album by [Avenged Sevenfold] is amazing and deserves respect" writes the fan. "So many people chaff at the 'simple riffs' and classic hard rock sound, but the album has incredible complexity under the surface, if you really listen."
Replying back, Shadows says: "Hail to the King (the song) streams more than double any other tracks we have weekly. 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".
In fact, in the first week of its release, Hail to the King debuted at number one in the UK Albums Chart, number two on the Official Finnish Albums Chart, number five in Germany, and number one in the US on the Billboard 200 chart with 159,000 copies.
At the time however, the album was criticised for its similarity and alleged copying of Metallica. One fan even shines a light on this comparison, and tweets the frontman: "Loved the record. Still do. Although I must know one thing, was Sad But True and Enter Sandman running through your minds when recording Shepherd of Fire and This Means War?", to which Shadows admits, "Yes, in hindsight we cut a little too close. But all you can do is learn and move on."
In response to Loudwire's reporting on his comments, the singer says: "There is no need to defend music. It’s just not that important and clearly subjective. Just pointing out that the album everyone loves to hate sells and streams the most. But that fact alone does not mean that its either good or bad."
Check out the tweets below:
Hail to the King (the song) streams more than double any other tracks we have weekly. 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. 🤷♂️October 12, 2022
Yes, in hindsight we cut a little too close. But all you can do is learn and move on.October 13, 2022
There is no need to defend music. It’s just not that important and clearly subjective. Just pointing out that the album everyone loves to hate sells and streams the most. But that fact alone does not mean that its either good or bad. https://t.co/NobB4LEaHkOctober 13, 2022
