@@PalmelaHanderson i think now that the guys have sort of shed their personas as people and as a band thats helped, when City of Evil came out and they made it big it was clear they were trying to bring back the "rockstar" persona from the 80s/70s. Im sure Jimmy's death naturally of course shook them out of that too, death tends to humble and bring people back down to Earth.
@@PalmelaHanderson he was a violent school bully, then carried over that shitty attitude to his early 20s back in that time being a jackass jock was also a popular persona in the media. nowadays the popularity of that trope kinda fell off mainly because of social media and 3rd-wave feminism/media progressism so they had to adapt. not to mention, he has matured so that aggressiveness of youth has diminished due to aging as well
@@Matt.visualzMatt had a major vocal injury in 2017, if you watch the final live shows it’s clear he’s struggling to sing, they cancelled the tour and took a break, but he’s over 100% back for this, having seen them live lol
I can feel it in the air how Nik is super nervous talking to Matt at first. Congrats, this interview is the achievement! edit: the craziest part was when Matt said that Syn was sick of his instrument already. Just a proof that there is no eternal love in the world I guess...
My brain is just in disbelief I'm seeing these two together. This is absolutely surreal. Older and newer generations collide. I've been rocking with A7X since like 2007/8 since I was a child and City of Evil was the first physical album I ever purchased. And Nik is just a great content creator who has been killing it in humorous videos, reactions and exposing people to the heavier genres of music or sick guitar covers back then. Fan for a long time too.
I wanna like this comment but it’s currently at 666, so it feels fitting to keep it there given we’re talking about City of Evil lol. I’m with you tho, COE was my first exposure to A7x all the way back in 07-08. Been a fan ever since. Love both of these guys so much. It’s surreal to see this happen tbh.
I used to follow your instagram mma account before you went dark. I just gotta say it’s cool seeing you here. I vaguely remember calling you a Chad after using This Means War in one of your reels. You got music good taste.
same, I had been wishing for a while now that Syn would sing more in album stuff, ever since their cover of As Tears Go By, cus I really like how his and Matt's voices work together
Avenged Sevenfold are masterful musicians, songwriters and all round good people , don’t understand the hate that these guys get , literally one of the most hard working bands around and still have time for their fans
People playing punk in the metal scene? All good A7x playing metal in the punk scene? Mortal sin This is at least the basis of the hate around WtF and CoE
I always think of synyster gates and m (or maybe it was just sinister?..) having a fan who I think won a meet and greet hangout or something and they were all fucked up and dumped a bucket full of the bands piss on her amongst other things. She freaked out and they told her it was alcohol and laughed at her. Kinda killed them for me. Just speaking of “time for fans”
Nik is a better interviewer than a lot of actual journalists I have seen. He is giving shadsman time to talk and elaborate, and actually understands what he is saying and comes with follow up questions. One hour felt like 10 minutes when these guys were conversating. Also I am so jealous of both of you. Love both shads and Nik. The new album is amazing and so is this interview.
A lot of "journalists" these days are where they are because of nepotism and when they get an interview they don't research the person or band they're interviewing, they leave that up to the research team.
@@alfonsomartinez2751 true, but Matt was pretty professional about it and it didn't seem to bother him too much. It's probably a nice change of pace from interviews by people who don't know or care who he is.
In regards to Syn, I’m happy he’s finding ways to experiment and have fun on the guitar, I totally get it! It is part of what really set this album apart, I cannot wait to hear where they go from here!
The best thing about the new album is that you genuinely don't know what's coming next. It's surprise after surprise. Whether or not you like those surprises or not is a different story.
I loved The Stage, but LIBAD isn't it for me. And that's fine, because who knows what's coming next. Maybe a new 2000s era album... or another wild album like LIBAD.
@@releaseradarYT Honestly this trajectory somewhat reminds me of BMTH's, with them venturing out into wildly different genres from what they were known for, before eventually coming back and embracing their roots while incorporating elements of what they've learned; maybe something like that is in store for A7X.
These guys are my favorite band, and this is probably going to be my favorite album of all time. It literally has something for everyone. You want a heavy classic A7X sound? Mattel. You want the epic ballad? Cosmic. You want the Pink Floydesque weird stuff? G. You want some Daft Punk funky fun stuff? (O)rdinary. Sinatra style jazz? (D)eath, and I could go on and on. Incredible album, truly an experience
HERE are the real music lovers IMO in this comment thread. Appreciate the music for what it is. It's not like they released a trap/hip hop/pop album trying to sound like all the latest pop/rap trash. They did what they like which is super diverse musical tastes and the talent to pull it off to the extreme!
@@coooperlemons that entire record is so incredible, start to finish. A true masterpiece in my opinion and definitely in my Mount Rushmore of albums so far in my 28 years of existence
Truly makes me happy we live in a time where artists are giving streamers/youtubers the time of day for interviews. Just brings the community closer to the bands imo.
This is just so wild to see Nik get to this point, interviewing Shadows himself. I’m only 10 minutes in and it’s just so cool to have some new details and perspective come to light about the band. Huge props as both a fan of A7X my whole life and also of Nik for a long time.
Shadows opproach to music is so similar to a jazz musicians opproach to music which is just so great to see. I feel like a lot of metal can be narrow minded. This is the opposite. As a jazz fan a lot of what he is saying feels familiar to jazz.
Just starting this but I wanna say I can't describe how happy it makes me to see not just another media personality or journalist doing an A7X interview, but someone who's also a legit fan. Such a cool opportunity any one of us wish we could have! Congrats Nik🤘🤘🤘
Shadows is the best rock vocalist in our era. He can do anything with his voice, all types of styles/genre's, and doesn't need autotune or effects. He has such a creative mind and an amazing personality. We will never see another M. Shadows. Love it while he's with us and while we are still alive.
Even better, he doesn’t need auto tune, but he’s still use the fuck out of that auto tune and vocoder on some songs (Lost, for example) just because he can 😂😂😂
Man I don’t think you can say he is best in our era, I think there are many singers that can blow him out of the water and I’m a long time avenged fan. Myles Kennedy is phenomenal modern rock vocalist, and I would also argue Brent Smith of Shinedown is phenomenal, just listen to his vocals on the song Son of Sam
@@agitatedaligator5340yles Kennedy is great but i would say that prime Shadows 2007-2013 was really one of the best in the world. If you want to compare them you can listen Notting To Say by Slash with Matt singing vs Myles Kennedy live verison and tell which one you like the best
Avenged Sevenfold kept the best parts of the metal elements that they’ve mastered and added all other kinds of colors and movements that really make them stand apart from these other bands that continue to put out the same old same old. They have transcended their former selves and evolved into exactly where they should be. On another note, can we all just appreciate how down to earth M. Shadows is?!
As a wannabe writer who takes notes of EVERY random idea that comes to my mind, I feel heart touched by Matt words. My friends love to read my stuff but I know that what they're getting is only 1% of all the things I came up with, and 99% simply didn't fit together. I remember that I used to spend lots of paragraphs just to describe the visual of a character and I couldn't find a way to fit it in the narrative, so I decided to simply throw some characteristics one at a time. It's feels so amazing to realize I have the same creative sense that my favorite singer has
First time I heard A7X was when Bat Country came on the radio. I was instantly hooked from there. As far as the newest album goes, I genuinely wasn’t expecting them to go full metalcore again. In fact I wasn’t expecting anything for the sole fact that these guys love to experiment with their sound album to album. It’s one of the few albums in recent memory that I couldn’t wait for it to come out. I’ve had it on repeat for pretty much the whole day just because I’m still having a hard time fully grasping wtf I was listening to. I haven’t heard an album from front to back from anyone since Breaking Benjamin’s Phobia came out. It was such a wild ride and I enjoyed the hell out of it.
No lie, was taking a shit and thought “avenged sevenfold put out that new weird album, let me see what’s up” and I listened to the whole thing straight through on the toilet. And I was done pooping, but I didn’t want to get up because I was smiling and happy the boys finally put something out that spoke to me.
Huge congrats on this, such a great interview, you and Matt both were just super down to earth and had a great convo. Resparked some of that early love I had when I first listened to avenged many years back. Big congrats nik on this achievement and big congrats to a7x on the album🔥
It's so awesome to watch Nik as a creator on his own for his own good content and especially personality now I get to see him interview my favorite vocalist. Legendary collab.
I never knew Nik had a Podcast, this is amazing not only do I get to binge new stuff from one of my favorite people on RUclips Nik Nocturnal but he's even interviewing M. Shadows from my favorite band?!?! This has made my night
Just sent my wife a text. If you told me at 25 I would love this music I would punch you. So true what Matt said sometimes things just hit you at different times of life. Boy, pretty much really started listening in 2020 during lock down. Now their pretty much all I listen to. True story tellers. Such a great band.
LIBAD Is everything I never knew I needed and more. Thank you Avenged, fuck the critics this is a game changer that will inspire many musicians to come just as The Wall did for people like Trent Reznor
am I the only one who still bangs Sounding The Seventh Trumpet? like drumwork in this record is just pure madness. Still LIBAD is so far above musically, but that raw old school Mcore is just timeless to me
i loved how well you guys listened to each other, bounced off each others ideas and kept the conversation flowing so smoothly. this was the best interview ive seen in a loooooong time.
16:56 When Matt mentions Louisiana and the swamp vibes. I freaking love it! I'm from Louisiana and I love when Matt brought that up. That's the exact vibe I got from We Love You when I first heard it.
“Go back years later and it’s one of my favorite records, but I wasn’t ready for it at that time or it wasn’t speaking to me at that time.” I really resonate with that part because I’ve always loved A7X but when The Stage came out I just wasn’t super into it. Not until probably 5 years later, I randomly gave it another full listen and ended up listening to it for like 2 weeks on repeat and now it’s my favorite record of theirs next to Waking the Fallen lol I have a feeling this new record may be a grower as well.
There's so many moments in this new album that hits me straight in the soul and just immediately resonated with me. There's not too many albums that i immediately love every track on the first listen but life is a but dream nailed every track.
It's funny that Matt mentioned he wanted to make something to stand the test time. When The Stage came out I listened to the album twice and didn't like it. It was dark, a lot of tension and anxiety and said nope. I went back to it two years ago and it clicked. I got it and it made sense. It's my favorite album from them now.
That new single Mattel is very interesting. It’s so raw and really all over the place. I was very skeptical about the new songs so far, but I’d rather a band give us something brand new, unlike anything we’ve ever heard vice the same old shit. And it’s amazing that Matt looks literally younger than he did like twenty years ago. Shits wild😂
You've asked all the best questions. I've been a fan since 2005. I saw Bat Country on MTV and I was a fan since. The first riff I ever learned was Unholy Confessions.
My buddy put it perfectly when reacting to Avenged Sevenfold's new album. WOAH... So they wanted to make sure they didn't start regressing into Dad metal, so they did this...? I LOVE IT!
Great interview! I've only just realised in all my years of listening to A7X, I've never actually heard Ms normal voice till now ... he's a lot softer spoken that I maybe assumed.
I had never really listened to A7X before this album, always thought they were another generic nu/metalcore band. But holy f*ck, this new album is incredible, best thing I've heard all year. I'll try to explore the rest of their albums once I've exhausted this one.
Great conversation. To Matt's point, it's usually the band's least fan favorite record that gets my attention. I've realized it's typically because I, even as a non-fan, put a label on the band/artist and was surprised they went outside of my box of expectation. Once I get hooked, I go back and listen to all the records I've ignored and 99% of the time, find myself greatly appreciating the band/artist as a whole. For A7X, Nightmare was the record that really got me hooked. I've appreciated everything before and since, but this new record is a whole new thing for me.
I’m long overdue watching this. I would say I was more of a sidelines fan of A7X growing up up listening to them, but in all honesty it wasn’t until I got to see them live in 2023 that it all clicked for me. They blew me away and I got felt like I understood the new album even more. Their sound, stage presence, overall production, messages, musicality, everything was insane. I love the mentality of Matt and the whole band working together to make some incredible art that’s pushing the genre.
So true when shadows said it’s the right place and time when music clicks… so many of my favorite bands were recommended to me I checked them out and was underwhelmed then one day years later it just clicks and you fall down the rabbit hole
After seing A7X perform this album in July, I fell in love with this album and started listening it on a loop several times a day. It’s a gift that keeps on giving. Every listen, you discover something new. The album, from start to end, is like one long song that tells a story. I haven’t listened to anything in its entirety and order since American Idiot. What an incredible emotional roller coaster and experience… no matter what kind of music you’re into (rock/metal/pop/classic) every genre is explored on here. SO SATISFYING. THANK YOU so much for this Masterpiece, Avenged💓 Please have a show where you play the whole album, I will pay anything to see this 🥰
Amazing interview and fantastic album. I´ve been saying that they should embrace their prog side since The Stage dropped and oh boy did they deliever.Their songwriting is amazing, something miles ahead your average metal band. Btw, congrats on the interview Nik!
From this interview i retained a lot of things, but one in special, if Synester continues in this pursuit of doing different things and continues to nail every single one, he will go down as the best guitarrist ever, for me is already the best.
I love listening to him talk. He is so passionate about the music. He's also very intelligent and really thinks about every part of the music. He's a great lyricist and my favorite singer. I love his voice.
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
Shadows is a such a likeable and well-spoken man. Kudos.
He didn't used to be. From everything I've heard, back when he was in his 20's he was kind of a jackass. Not that I'm judging, so was I.
@@PalmelaHanderson i think now that the guys have sort of shed their personas as people and as a band thats helped, when City of Evil came out and they made it big it was clear they were trying to bring back the "rockstar" persona from the 80s/70s. Im sure Jimmy's death naturally of course shook them out of that too, death tends to humble and bring people back down to Earth.
@@andrewvasquez7872 well said mate👍
@@PalmelaHanderson he was a violent school bully, then carried over that shitty attitude to his early 20s back in that time being a jackass jock was also a popular persona in the media. nowadays the popularity of that trope kinda fell off mainly because of social media and 3rd-wave feminism/media progressism so they had to adapt. not to mention, he has matured so that aggressiveness of youth has diminished due to aging as well
Yeah… I agree.. that was my first impression of him when I started getting into them..
We need to give our boy Johnny his flowers. Bro busted his ass on this album
Johnny has always been underrated (Tension is a banger) but he killed it on this record.
What was your favorite song for bass on the new album, I kinda like ordinary's bass
@@UNBOUNDWR based Tension enjoyer. Never see ppl talking about that song but it's fucking great
@@JohnJillky the comb that the bass and the drums in tensión is surreal
@@juanpablofuentealbamendez tension enjoyers unite
I could listen to Shadows talk all day long. He's so chill, intelligent and interesting
Nik: "You guys are wacky". Proceeds to stare.
T H A N K S
@@bloomontoyou1408 😂😂
That part was very hard to watch
He says ‘’wacky’’ a few more times later on :P
Having A7X back and seeing Matt so happy with the new album is such a great thing to see.
why did they stop doing shows?
@@Matt.visualzMatt had a major vocal injury in 2017, if you watch the final live shows it’s clear he’s struggling to sing, they cancelled the tour and took a break, but he’s over 100% back for this, having seen them live lol
Back ..they didn't go anywhere...I've seen them live for the past 10 years..almost every year....😮😮😮
@@Matt.visualzwell no one did due to COVID-19
@@Sòl_2716years ago ..he was fine within mths.... SMH
I can feel it in the air how Nik is super nervous talking to Matt at first. Congrats, this interview is the achievement!
edit: the craziest part was when Matt said that Syn was sick of his instrument already. Just a proof that there is no eternal love in the world I guess...
Timestamp when he mentioned that, please?
@@balu.92 44:05
@@Sea_moore thank you!
My brain is just in disbelief I'm seeing these two together. This is absolutely surreal. Older and newer generations collide.
I've been rocking with A7X since like 2007/8 since I was a child and City of Evil was the first physical album I ever purchased.
And Nik is just a great content creator who has been killing it in humorous videos, reactions and exposing people to the heavier genres of music or sick guitar covers back then. Fan for a long time too.
City was my second!
COE was my first album as well!
I mean yeah I guess.
I wanna like this comment but it’s currently at 666, so it feels fitting to keep it there given we’re talking about City of Evil lol. I’m with you tho, COE was my first exposure to A7x all the way back in 07-08. Been a fan ever since. Love both of these guys so much. It’s surreal to see this happen tbh.
I used to follow your instagram mma account before you went dark. I just gotta say it’s cool seeing you here. I vaguely remember calling you a Chad after using This Means War in one of your reels. You got music good taste.
im glad that syn ended up singing in Beautiful Morning, his voice is just so pleasant.
same, I had been wishing for a while now that Syn would sing more in album stuff, ever since their cover of As Tears Go By, cus I really like how his and Matt's voices work together
Nik scaring Matt at the start of the video is pure gold 😂
Avenged Sevenfold are masterful musicians, songwriters and all round good people , don’t understand the hate that these guys get , literally one of the most hard working bands around and still have time for their fans
@GymBum not their fault
People playing punk in the metal scene? All good
A7x playing metal in the punk scene? Mortal sin
This is at least the basis of the hate around WtF and CoE
It's because it doesn't sound like city of evil so they hate it. It's not meant to sound like it though, it's meant to sound like what they want
@@2510LuL yeah the punk scene is full of subhumans
I always think of synyster gates and m (or maybe it was just sinister?..) having a fan who I think won a meet and greet hangout or something and they were all fucked up and dumped a bucket full of the bands piss on her amongst other things. She freaked out and they told her it was alcohol and laughed at her. Kinda killed them for me. Just speaking of “time for fans”
Nik is a better interviewer than a lot of actual journalists I have seen. He is giving shadsman time to talk and elaborate, and actually understands what he is saying and comes with follow up questions.
One hour felt like 10 minutes when these guys were conversating.
Also I am so jealous of both of you. Love both shads and Nik. The new album is amazing and so is this interview.
yea it’s because he knows the band, unlike people doing interviews for the sake of views lol
A lot of "journalists" these days are where they are because of nepotism and when they get an interview they don't research the person or band they're interviewing, they leave that up to the research team.
Yeah but there were moments where nik kinda let his fanboy take control and didn't shut up
@@alfonsomartinez2751 True that. Understandable though
@@alfonsomartinez2751 true, but Matt was pretty professional about it and it didn't seem to bother him too much. It's probably a nice change of pace from interviews by people who don't know or care who he is.
I love how they embraced their prog side. The Rev would be so pleased hearing it. Great album. Strong from start to finish.
Matt is such an amazing and humble person. I could listen him to talk about music or whatever for hours
Matt acknowledging the album leak is hilarious 😂
In regards to Syn, I’m happy he’s finding ways to experiment and have fun on the guitar, I totally get it! It is part of what really set this album apart, I cannot wait to hear where they go from here!
Cosmic brought me to tears on first listen.
Likewise! And the second and third listen…I don’t know what it is but I feel like it speaks to my soul in a different way
The best thing about the new album is that you genuinely don't know what's coming next. It's surprise after surprise. Whether or not you like those surprises or not is a different story.
I loved The Stage, but LIBAD isn't it for me. And that's fine, because who knows what's coming next. Maybe a new 2000s era album... or another wild album like LIBAD.
@@releaseradarYT Honestly this trajectory somewhat reminds me of BMTH's, with them venturing out into wildly different genres from what they were known for, before eventually coming back and embracing their roots while incorporating elements of what they've learned; maybe something like that is in store for A7X.
These guys are my favorite band, and this is probably going to be my favorite album of all time. It literally has something for everyone. You want a heavy classic A7X sound? Mattel. You want the epic ballad? Cosmic. You want the Pink Floydesque weird stuff? G. You want some Daft Punk funky fun stuff? (O)rdinary. Sinatra style jazz? (D)eath, and I could go on and on. Incredible album, truly an experience
THATS WHAT IM SAYING
You want Kanye West ish stuff? Easier
G is more like Frank Zappa, with low register vocals and accompaniment of higher register harmonized vocals
Avenged Sevenfold is amazing, I’m so excited to see them in august
HERE are the real music lovers IMO in this comment thread. Appreciate the music for what it is.
It's not like they released a trap/hip hop/pop album trying to sound like all the latest pop/rap trash. They did what they like which is super diverse musical tastes and the talent to pull it off to the extreme!
I've never been a huge Avenged fan; a few good tracks but never deep dived into any of their albums. This record is a masterpiece.
listen to city of evil. LIBAD is a masterpiece and is only second to city of evil imo
If you like Libad then the stage is good
Same for me!
Same. City of Evil and The Stage are decent, but this goes crazy.
@@coooperlemons that entire record is so incredible, start to finish. A true masterpiece in my opinion and definitely in my Mount Rushmore of albums so far in my 28 years of existence
Dude I already know Nik hearing Matt say he loves the channel made his year. Matt is just the coolest dude.
Truly makes me happy we live in a time where artists are giving streamers/youtubers the time of day for interviews. Just brings the community closer to the bands imo.
This is just so wild to see Nik get to this point, interviewing Shadows himself. I’m only 10 minutes in and it’s just so cool to have some new details and perspective come to light about the band. Huge props as both a fan of A7X my whole life and also of Nik for a long time.
Shadows opproach to music is so similar to a jazz musicians opproach to music which is just so great to see. I feel like a lot of metal can be narrow minded. This is the opposite. As a jazz fan a lot of what he is saying feels familiar to jazz.
Wow you’re getting some very big guests on here! Great shit dude!
Just starting this but I wanna say I can't describe how happy it makes me to see not just another media personality or journalist doing an A7X interview, but someone who's also a legit fan. Such a cool opportunity any one of us wish we could have! Congrats Nik🤘🤘🤘
matt seems like a super down to earth and super nice dude, so great to see this interesting
Your a legend for even being able to land this interview. Jealous af
Waking The Fallen is a freaking masterpiece. Top 10 metal albums ever.
Whaaat. What songs would you reccomend? I could never really get into it…
@@agitatedaligator5340 Second Heartbeat, my favorite as of now. Big song, enormous chorus and 3 minutes of dual guitar madness.
@@BrannBergenBy I second this, Second Heartbeat is my favorite too. It's so good.
@@agitatedaligator5340 Second Heartbeat, Chapter Four, Unholy Confessions & I Wont See You Tonight Part 1 are my fave off Waking the Fallen.
Radiant eclipse is criminally underrated imo
New album is fucking sick. Love it.
new podcast episode, let’s goooo.
I've genuinely seen this man's face more in the last few months than I have in my entire life, and I've listened to A7X for years.
I absolutely love this record. What a fresh breath of air in the metal scene. I hope they run with this experimentation for awhile.
City of Evil was FIRE, man. One of my favorite albums since my teenage days
Sameeee
I'm proud on how well Nik did this pod, must feel so strange finally talking to a guy you've looked up to for so long.
Shadows is the best rock vocalist in our era. He can do anything with his voice, all types of styles/genre's, and doesn't need autotune or effects. He has such a creative mind and an amazing personality. We will never see another M. Shadows. Love it while he's with us and while we are still alive.
Even better, he doesn’t need auto tune, but he’s still use the fuck out of that auto tune and vocoder on some songs (Lost, for example) just because he can 😂😂😂
Man I don’t think you can say he is best in our era, I think there are many singers that can blow him out of the water and I’m a long time avenged fan. Myles Kennedy is phenomenal modern rock vocalist, and I would also argue Brent Smith of Shinedown is phenomenal, just listen to his vocals on the song Son of Sam
@@agitatedaligator5340yles Kennedy is great but i would say that prime Shadows 2007-2013 was really one of the best in the world. If you want to compare them you can listen Notting To Say by Slash with Matt singing vs Myles Kennedy live verison and tell which one you like the best
@@agitatedaligator5340Corey Taylor? Ok! Every singer is better than Myles
@@invincible____67 bruh. Myles Kennedy could sing circles around Corey for days what is wrong with you 😂😂 I love slipknot/ stone sour but jeeeeez
Didn't expect to hear M Shadows say "that's goated for sure" today
I loved the new album. Its so creative and it was clear the whole band had a blast making it.
Avenged Sevenfold kept the best parts of the metal elements that they’ve mastered and added all other kinds of colors and movements that really make them stand apart from these other bands that continue to put out the same old same old. They have transcended their former selves and evolved into exactly where they should be. On another note, can we all just appreciate how down to earth M. Shadows is?!
As a wannabe writer who takes notes of EVERY random idea that comes to my mind, I feel heart touched by Matt words. My friends love to read my stuff but I know that what they're getting is only 1% of all the things I came up with, and 99% simply didn't fit together. I remember that I used to spend lots of paragraphs just to describe the visual of a character and I couldn't find a way to fit it in the narrative, so I decided to simply throw some characteristics one at a time. It's feels so amazing to realize I have the same creative sense that my favorite singer has
First time I heard A7X was when Bat Country came on the radio. I was instantly hooked from there.
As far as the newest album goes, I genuinely wasn’t expecting them to go full metalcore again. In fact I wasn’t expecting anything for the sole fact that these guys love to experiment with their sound album to album. It’s one of the few albums in recent memory that I couldn’t wait for it to come out. I’ve had it on repeat for pretty much the whole day just because I’m still having a hard time fully grasping wtf I was listening to. I haven’t heard an album from front to back from anyone since Breaking Benjamin’s Phobia came out. It was such a wild ride and I enjoyed the hell out of it.
Matt is very articulate. This interview is enlightening.
No lie, was taking a shit and thought “avenged sevenfold put out that new weird album, let me see what’s up” and I listened to the whole thing straight through on the toilet. And I was done pooping, but I didn’t want to get up because I was smiling and happy the boys finally put something out that spoke to me.
Did you remember to wipe?
I love how Matt talks so highly of The Rev even after all these years
Huge congrats on this, such a great interview, you and Matt both were just super down to earth and had a great convo. Resparked some of that early love I had when I first listened to avenged many years back. Big congrats nik on this achievement and big congrats to a7x on the album🔥
Matts explanation of their song writing process is way too relatable rn🤣
for a Shadow fans, i really appreciate this and thank you for this podcast Nik, really incredible job❤️❤️
This made me so happy watching Matt talk about we love you its given me so much faith in my own music ventures thank you guys
It's so awesome to watch Nik as a creator on his own for his own good content and especially personality now I get to see him interview my favorite vocalist. Legendary collab.
From '03-'23 Waking The Fallen still holds up. 🖤
I never knew Nik had a Podcast, this is amazing not only do I get to binge new stuff from one of my favorite people on RUclips Nik Nocturnal but he's even interviewing M. Shadows from my favorite band?!?! This has made my night
Just sent my wife a text. If you told me at 25 I would love this music I would punch you. So true what Matt said sometimes things just hit you at different times of life. Boy, pretty much really started listening in 2020 during lock down. Now their pretty much all I listen to. True story tellers. Such a great band.
I sincerely think that Jimmy would be proud of his brothers, listening to this album.
First song i heart of A7X was blinded in chains, i heart it in 2005 in nfs most wanted, 18 years later i still listen to them and I love them
LIBAD Is everything I never knew I needed and more. Thank you Avenged, fuck the critics this is a game changer that will inspire many musicians to come just as The Wall did for people like Trent Reznor
You’re a lucky dude to be able to talk to him! Good stuff brother 🤘🏼
Nik is super well rounded. Great musician, building a brand, and balanced interviewer. 👏👊
Nic is awsome
Got to love Matt on this interview, really opened and nice
This new album is not "just metal" it kinda new vision of music
The fact he still plays PUBG daily makes me so goddamn happy. I’ve been running deep into that game lately.
am I the only one who still bangs Sounding The Seventh Trumpet? like drumwork in this record is just pure madness. Still LIBAD is so far above musically, but that raw old school Mcore is just timeless to me
This album + mushrooms, Oh bud. What a beautiful experience.
Nobody was a trip with mushrooms.
I havent tried it with the new album but ive tried with with nightmare few years back , started crying when fiction started
OMG! It must be an honor for you to talk with M Shadows!
i loved how well you guys listened to each other, bounced off each others ideas and kept the conversation flowing so smoothly. this was the best interview ive seen in a loooooong time.
So few albums out there that every song is good and listenable over and over, LIBAD is one of those albums, incredible.
16:56
When Matt mentions Louisiana and the swamp vibes. I freaking love it! I'm from Louisiana and I love when Matt brought that up. That's the exact vibe I got from We Love You when I first heard it.
it does make sense. I listened to Sounding the Seventh Trumpet on June 2nd. And what I thought at the end was: makes sense that libad comes from this.
“Go back years later and it’s one of my favorite records, but I wasn’t ready for it at that time or it wasn’t speaking to me at that time.”
I really resonate with that part because I’ve always loved A7X but when The Stage came out I just wasn’t super into it. Not until probably 5 years later, I randomly gave it another full listen and ended up listening to it for like 2 weeks on repeat and now it’s my favorite record of theirs next to Waking the Fallen lol I have a feeling this new record may be a grower as well.
There's so many moments in this new album that hits me straight in the soul and just immediately resonated with me. There's not too many albums that i immediately love every track on the first listen but life is a but dream nailed every track.
It's funny that Matt mentioned he wanted to make something to stand the test time. When The Stage came out I listened to the album twice and didn't like it. It was dark, a lot of tension and anxiety and said nope. I went back to it two years ago and it clicked. I got it and it made sense. It's my favorite album from them now.
That new single Mattel is very interesting. It’s so raw and really all over the place. I was very skeptical about the new songs so far, but I’d rather a band give us something brand new, unlike anything we’ve ever heard vice the same old shit.
And it’s amazing that Matt looks literally younger than he did like twenty years ago. Shits wild😂
You've asked all the best questions. I've been a fan since 2005. I saw Bat Country on MTV and I was a fan since. The first riff I ever learned was Unholy Confessions.
Fucking masterpiece of an album!
Great interview! Love the new album
The record has to be my top 10 this year I love the album
My buddy put it perfectly when reacting to Avenged Sevenfold's new album.
WOAH... So they wanted to make sure they didn't start regressing into Dad metal, so they did this...? I LOVE IT!
Such a sick interview! Great album too
Its so good to see matt talking so happy about the new record, hope to see him soon again on this channel!!❤
Great interview!
I've only just realised in all my years of listening to A7X, I've never actually heard Ms normal voice till now ... he's a lot softer spoken that I maybe assumed.
hes a tenor
New album is a MASTERPIECE
Joe Baressi is such a versatile producer. The justice he did for Fair to Midland's Arrows and Anchors album is phenomenal.
Loved this interview! Watching for a second time now that ive listened to the album a few times. Great stuff Nik!
The more I listen to M. Shadows talk, the more he sounds like adult Naruto to me.
I wish I didn’t ever read this, loooool
😂😂😂
I heart that , now i cant unhear it
My bad guys 😂
I had never really listened to A7X before this album, always thought they were another generic nu/metalcore band. But holy f*ck, this new album is incredible, best thing I've heard all year. I'll try to explore the rest of their albums once I've exhausted this one.
Nice to welcome another fan. Every album is a different experience. Have fun!
You are in for a treat. If you like the new album you should listen to other albums in oreder from newest to the oldest
@@Omega-fb9ji Thanks, definitely will do :) I just love how bold and creative this latest one is
@@davidalvarado9957 Thanks!
Try the stage.. brooks and syn go crazy
They've been my favorite band since i was 8, love to see they're still at it. 7 years is a LONG time
You did a fantastic job with this interview Nik! So interesting, wish this was a weekly series.
Great conversation. To Matt's point, it's usually the band's least fan favorite record that gets my attention. I've realized it's typically because I, even as a non-fan, put a label on the band/artist and was surprised they went outside of my box of expectation. Once I get hooked, I go back and listen to all the records I've ignored and 99% of the time, find myself greatly appreciating the band/artist as a whole. For A7X, Nightmare was the record that really got me hooked. I've appreciated everything before and since, but this new record is a whole new thing for me.
M Shadows is a fantastic vocalist! I remember seeing A7X back in 2018 at Northern Invasion, one of the best performances that day!
Dude... Matt, thanks for an album that made me feel like my brain still works. It doesn't, but I still appreciate it. Nik, tiiight interview, bud.
I’m long overdue watching this. I would say I was more of a sidelines fan of A7X growing up up listening to them, but in all honesty it wasn’t until I got to see them live in 2023 that it all clicked for me. They blew me away and I got felt like I understood the new album even more. Their sound, stage presence, overall production, messages, musicality, everything was insane. I love the mentality of Matt and the whole band working together to make some incredible art that’s pushing the genre.
So true when shadows said it’s the right place and time when music clicks… so many of my favorite bands were recommended to me I checked them out and was underwhelmed then one day years later it just clicks and you fall down the rabbit hole
I like these new times where massive-popular artists are doing interviews with creators. Kudos!
After seing A7X perform this album in July, I fell in love with this album and started listening it on a loop several times a day. It’s a gift that keeps on giving. Every listen, you discover something new. The album, from start to end, is like one long song that tells a story. I haven’t listened to anything in its entirety and order since American Idiot. What an incredible emotional roller coaster and experience… no matter what kind of music you’re into (rock/metal/pop/classic) every genre is explored on here. SO SATISFYING.
THANK YOU so much for this Masterpiece, Avenged💓 Please have a show where you play the whole album, I will pay anything to see this 🥰
Amazing interview and fantastic album. I´ve been saying that they should embrace their prog side since The Stage dropped and oh boy did they deliever.Their songwriting is amazing, something miles ahead your average metal band. Btw, congrats on the interview Nik!
thats another thing thats great, he refers to his bandmates as his best friends. not a lot of bands can say that after being together over 20 years
From this interview i retained a lot of things, but one in special, if Synester continues in this pursuit of doing different things and continues to nail every single one, he will go down as the best guitarrist ever, for me is already the best.
Can't wait to watch this after work today! Really cool of Matt to do this, he seems like such a good guy.
I definitely heard the daft punk influence in the album so I am so happy he talked about that, especially the 'we love you' parralel to 'technologic'
Pretty crazy seeing you two on a podcast, congrats Nik you’ve come so far dude
I love listening to him talk. He is so passionate about the music. He's also very intelligent and really thinks about every part of the music. He's a great lyricist and my favorite singer. I love his voice.
what an amazing interview.