M. Shadows Defends ‘Hail to the King’ – Some Fans Act Like It Was a Failure
Avenged Sevenfold's 2013 album Hail to the King proved to be quite polarizing for their fanbase, with some feeling like it didn't live up to the sound of its predecessors. M. Shadows acknowledges that some of their fans consider it a "failure," but presented an argument against that ideology.
It's been nine years since the record came out, but the subject was brought up in a tweet, which the band and Shadows were tagged in.
"Hot take: The "Hail to the King" album by [Avenged Sevenfold] is amazing and deserves respect. 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," the tweet reads.
The frontman, as a result, took this declaration as an opportunity to make a case in support of the album's success.
"'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," he wrote.
Hail to the King was Avenged's second No. 1 album in the U.S. following 2010's Nightmare, however, the former reached the top of the album chart in four other countries as well. It was certified platinum in the U.S. as of April 2021.
A handful of fans replied to Shadows' tweet, sharing their take on the album. One noted that its hard rock sound helped it become so successful.
"100 percent. I see new people get into the band and ask for recommendations… the answer is usually 'anything but HTTK.' I think thats funny because the metrics clearly say otherwise… regardless of your opinion," Shadows responded.
The singer further commented that the only album they released that didn't receive any harsh criticism was Nightmare, "and that's partly because of the circumstances."
Nightmare was the last album of the rockers' discography to feature contributions from The Rev, who died in December of 2009.
Bad Wolves' Doc Coyle chimed into the discussion too, challenging anyone who isn't "feeling Hail to the King" to kiss his "entire ass."
Check out the chain of tweets below.
Avenged Sevenfold still don't have a precise timeline for the release of their follow-up to 2016's The Stage. Shadows spoke about the status of it a few months ago.
"We're going to figure out if it's the first quarter, or fourth quarter, or what we're going to do. So, the status is that, and then we're going to be booking tours, put the tickets on sale when the record comes out, and the whole nine yards," he told the Bob Lefsetz Podcast.