Cool don’t release it. Maybe I can help write some lyrics, having trouble with those?

I think your giving yourself too much credit bud. But kudos 🤙🏻

I don’t know, I learned from the best!!! (You)

Eh. The responses are getting worse… ok have a good one ✌️

and to be clear, i’m not one of the fans demanding you release the album. i totally understand wanting to release it when you guys feel is the right time and don’t mind the wait. i just really see you guys closing the door on long time fans who want nothing to do with nfts and then praising the “pick me” fans who also most likely don’t care for nfts and are just doing it to get your attention in the discord chat. like i love the band but you guys are really making it feel like “if you don’t like nfts then fuck off”

This is simply how you are choosing to frame it in your own mind... yes, people in discord have taken the leap and are along for the ride.. we challenge each other daily over there... but its from a position of understanding what we are building... over here we can say "you are closing off to old fans" all we want... but that statement doesnt make it true... you can still win meet n greets through DBN, you can still get presale tickets, you can still listen to music on spotify for 9.99 a month... nothing changes.... we are just adding more then we ever have before. Im not sure how many times this can be spelled out.... I also wanna make another point.... what if music albums were an NFT.... the world STILL would not change.... you have never owned the music anyway... The old way of buying and album means you owned the cd or record... but you didnt OWN the music... music ownership is for the publishers, labels and musicians... Then streaming came along and now you fully RENT music... you subscribe and they allow you to listen but you do not OWN.. Think of this model.... what if someone bought City of Evil and owned it as an NFT... how would that effect you.? it wouldnt... you would still listen to it and royalties' would be sent to the OWNER... now, what if a community had joint ownership and the creators, as the sole owners of the actual music, as a reward for being in the club, shared those royalties with the token holders.... all others who want to listen can, but the people truly invested benefit from the plays as opposed to a spotify or a label.... THIS is where we see it going... Its a leap, but its already starting to happen but the point is if you dont like it.... nothing changes for you... and if you do like it, it gives you an opportunity to be rewarded for being involved.. this is what we are looking at and this is why nfts are important and this is why deathbats club will eventually be able to snap right into this blockchain grid.

you can say it’s “just how i’m choosing to frame it in my own mind” but literally the majority of your fan base feels the same exact way. go read thru your instagram comments, the facebook comments on posts pertaining to avenged, this subreddit. i fully agree a lot of us (myself included) have been rude about it, my apologies for that. seeing you guys be abrasive to fans who aren’t onboard with nfts is kind of what makes me act out. i just see it as kind of an issue when 75% of your fan base is annoyed and the not so diehard fans are saying stuff like “they’ve fallen off the map for me/ they haven’t done anything in years/ why are the posting about crypto?/ are they even still a band?” you guys are fully free to do with your band what you desire but it doesn’t mean the fan base has to openly embrace it, which the majority aren’t. you say it’s fine if fans don’t want to get involved with nfts yet your social media posts suggest the opposite and show bitterness about it. honestly saddened that my first interaction with you is negative, dreamed of meeting and talking with you guys since i was a kid in 2005. i’m sorry for anything i’ve said that’s gotten under your skin. might as well ask this since it’ll prob be my only chance, how do you feel about the songs like sidewinder/ the wicked end/ strength of the world all these years later? those songs always blew my mind

We are going in circles here... your not actually taking in what I'm saying and thats fine... let me leave you with this.... where would society be if innovators were crowd sourcing opinions on future projects and technology from social media comments? Do you think Lars was wrong about Napster? Were you too young for that? Or do you remember 99% of people hated the guy for being essentially proven right years later.... Should we ask the fans to write the songs for us as well? if thats the case we would have 7 waking the fallen rip offs... seriously, if you think IG and facebook comments are a pulse between right and wrong then once you create something you may see another side.

I think I know where this is going. I’m kind of a noob on crypto / NFT’s but here’s my understanding of why they’re doing all this:

Very well put

by band we mean Matt, he´s the only one moving all of these things. I don´t have anything against people buying NFT´S, if they have the money well, it´s totally ok! I just don´t like the "major" cultist there, you know.

Here is the sad part…. I was getting complaints about your for multiple nights. You came in to cause trouble and have things your way with a very passive aggressive attitude. If I were to screen shot your comments and post them here (which I wont) it would be downright embarrassing. Then you had your friend instantly come in and act as if he / she was an outsider that was offended that you were not being treated fair. Get real. You had people including MoDs that care nothing about NFT’s annoyed at the situation. So whatever go complain on reddit.

Hey guys! Reading through the responses I can’t say I’m surprised. I understand that a lot of you want us to do the status quo (without thinking your saying that) and that’s fine. Let me start by saying the delay of the album has nothing to do with NFT’s or any of this. It would be this communication or nothing. There are many many reason why we are choosing this technology to roll out what we feel will be the ultimate club. If you have no interest in that then totally fair. I think the best approach is to make one more statement - where you can find educational videos on what we are doing (Im filming those now) once the new site is live. (Avengedsevenfold.io) When people say this is all me and the other members don’t care. It is completely false. I just happen to be the most knowledgable on it and am willing to spend time on discord to help people understand. My true worry is that some fans will grab the majority of these tokens and others are gonna feel left out. That does not need to be the case. Anyway, I think a good compromise is to make one last statement, if you want in, we will see you there, and if you don’t then it will just be silence until we decide to release something. All in all it’s all good. Super happy with everything and look forward.

This is a trait that got me curious: would it be a one-time meet & greet, or would the holder have access to the band at every gig they attend whilst holding the NFT?

Every gig

Matt, does this also get you into the show, or just meet and greet? Cheers! 🍻

Just what it says. Meet and Greet. Maybe the next drop will have like an all tiers pass. Tix, meet n greet etc

I’m slightly confused. If none of this is actually exclusive and anyone can listen to the music through a streaming service, why is there a secondary market for it....I just don’t understand it. Why would someone pay $1200 for something you can listen to on YouTube. I’m not trying to sound like a dick, I’m just trying to understand. I haven’t set up any sand box or crypto space or crypto wallet or the social media thing that they gave the NFT’s away on. My personal feeling is that if I don’t NEED those things to hear new music, what’s the point?? IDK, I guess if it’s what they’re passionate about, so be it.

In case you didn’t see the stream… The NFT’s (tokens) are going to provide a utility. For instance 3 of the animated tokens provide free tickets to any show for life. Some people may find that valuable. Other utilities will include

I absolutely love what you guys are doing with the NFTs. I'm sure the majority of people would agree that it's worth it now that they will really have a reason to own one. But it begs the question Will you guys be adding those utilities soon or closer to touring?

We are doing a full new drop closer to album announcement. Some utility will leak into the old NFT’s. Everything will take place at avengedsevenfold.io I think there is a landing page now… and soon you will be able to connect your wallet / metamask

This is awesome!

You start by saying you don’t want us to pull from old stuff and the next sentence says “2021 eternal rest”. Hahah

That's a strawman argument, mate. What I meant was obviously not Eternal Rest to a T. As I said, just the vibe. Kinda like Spit Out The Bone from Hardwired doesn't sound like Damage Inc. but it still has that kind of vibe, just done differently.

What you are not getting is that what you are suggesting does not interest us. Not sure how else to say it...

I've received a couple offers for mine, would that mean I'm not able to actually accept them? Not that I intend to sell it anytime soon, just curious...

Yes. Exactly.

So in total there are:

SenaUW. You have one.

Congrats! We are actually working on a new way to introduce NFT’s that I haven’t seen done before. We also wanna keep these super rare, like certain baseball cards. That way they will hold value. If we flood the market then that may miss the point. We also wanted to be sure not to alienate anyone, thats why they are free. I’m sure there will be people willing to pay a lot for your NFT. After we distribute them all tonight we will see where they all end up.

Damn. Browser keeps signing me out and giving me the NO CUT screen name... sorry. Thats me above 🤓

Yikes! Scam

Bitcoin and other currencies will be volatile until their market cap settles. As money piles in it will obviously fluctuate. That will not always be the case. Gold has a 12 trillion dollar market cap. Bitcoin has 1 trillion. As people realize Bitcoin holds more value based on supply and demand the price will rise. Thats not the end game for bitcoin though... thats just growing pains until all of its implications are realized... but until it levels out you are gonna have volatility.

Sorry! No-cut is apparently me. I wrote back on a different web browser and it assigned me a different screen name 🥴

Ill respond to this comment for convenience then 😂

Totally get it and respect it 😄 In fact I appreciate the convo✌️

I think that's great advice and a realistic perception of emerging platforms (especially financial ones). I'm a Coinbase user and they've certainly proved their worth over the years. Thank you for the info on their investors, I may have to take a leap of faith with this one.

I have to be vague as well with my answers because I only truly believe 1 thing... that this will change everything in every aspect of life.

Yo Matt, your advocacy for the world of crypto is super intriguing man. I love the concept behind BitClout platform. My only question: so far, ostensibly, is it safe? It's an age old question when it comes to anything on the internet. Maybe in ten years I'll sound like someone weary to create a YouTube account back in 2006. Otherwise I'm all in. Enjoy your night Mr. Shadows!

It’s a great point and we will see... if you are conservative w investments then I’d wait and see.

Will you guys be still using nifty gateway?

No... direct to fans. No 3rd party gatekeepers.

So im new to all this, how exactly would you guys know who to send things to, is there something in particular that people will follow/subscribe to etc etc

Fan club first.. then a7x world mailing list

Tom- I’ve been loving this record lately but whats interesting is the Riaa doesn’t certify albums unless you submit and bring it to their attention. For instance WTF went platinum a while ago. Hopeless just decided to submit. ( Im not sure why now ) City is around 2x S/T 2x Nightmare 1.7 HTTK 1.6 Stage close to 450k

Maybe Hopeless is looking to put their name out there or something by doing this? Definitely deserves the status though.

I assume they just got around to it. I didn’t see them promote it and honestly its a very dated way of calculating sales. Moving forward it will be more about streaming. Streaming is a lot harder to accumulate full album sales though so that works against some artists. I suspect the numbers will get lower and lower (we have already seen this) and riaa certification will not mean much. That being said we came around during a time where you could still sell albums and it was pretty fucking awesome. Good news is the music will continue to come out and serve it’s purpose regardless of the accolades. I’m personally looking forward to the future.

iammshadows

Thats awesome! UK has always been incredible in terms of heavier music. Congrats to them and the fans👊

Nice post...

It's interesting to see your perspective as the person who helped create the sounds and emotions that all of us fans are so attached to and that what you consider to be amateur is so universally loved. I'm sure that mindset is what keeps you guys pushing the boundaries and giving us fans a new experience every time you create new music. When did you (and the band) develop that "albums are another color to be added to the palette" philosophy (I really like the way you phrased that)? Or have you guys always sort of operated that way maybe without even realizing it earlier on?

I have come to appreciate those records 100%. Don’t hate them. When the music industry got turned on it’s head our mindset changed from album to album. It’s now about the catalog. What does a band represent? What have they put out over their career? Where have they taken us? Do they take risks and sometimes take me places I wasn’t ready for? Are they being true to who they are right now or are they pandering to an audience? Those are the questions we think about. And on another note, I love that the industry and been shook up... NFT’s may not be the end game but Blockchain technology will decentralize the web and music.... which will be better for all of us. A true connection to the art, artists and fans. 2021 you heard it here... put it in the books.🤓⚡️🤘

I would just say this....

I wanted to jump in here and make a few things clear because there are already a lot of false assumptions going around.

Alright guys... fun chat. Have a great day👊💪✌️🤘

Do you think the next album will be even more ambitious/monumental than The Stage or have you composed something more concise?

The Stage will stand alone. This is just different

Cd or Vinyl??

Vinyl

Alright guys. Gotta go! Talk soon and love to you all. ✌️

The most important question

Rare...

Ok thanks guys. Gotta go somewhere. Take care and be safe ✌️

tfw you gotta redo the mixing of your music because streaming services make it sound like ass... (Edit: compared to the intended result. Didn't realize how aggressive this sounds.)

I'd put this in the "we fucked up" category. Mixing and mastering happened while we were in Europe and we were getting stuff sent over and all listening on different headphones. Old mix just pushed it a little far but no one had a set of speakers we trusted being on the road and such. By the time we got home we were used to the sound but hearing it on the radio next to other things allowed us to gain some perspective on it. All good. Sucks but it will all be fine.

Hey Matt Idk if I'll have a chance like this again and I doubt you'll even see this, but I wanted to tell you about the time I think you saved a schoolmate's life. There was this kid I knew in high school who got bullied a pretty decent amount. It was never physical bullying but some of the things people would say to this poor kid made me so sad. I'd tell people to fuck off when I could but obviously I couldn't just follow him around and be his bodyguard. Anyways, one day in my statistics class, someone said something to him and he got very visibly upset and just left the room with saying anything. He happened to leave his notebook open on his desk, so being a nosy bitch, I had to peep at it. It was all scribbles talking about suicide and wishing he hadn't been born. Up in the top right corner of the page though was a little note that just said "Thank you M. Shadows." I just reached over and shut it so nobody else would see it.

Thats awesome. Thanks for the story.