Avenged Sevenfold are a band that have never failed to court controversy and have gained as many detractors as they have plaudits. Hugh Platt talks to the extravagantly named Johhny Christ to find out why.
“I’d much rather all those people were hating us than just being ‘oh, they’re okay I guess’,” spits Johnny Christ (pictured, second from left), bassist with Orange County hell-raisers Avenged Sevenfold. “I want people to either love us or hate us – if you’re in the middle then we’re doing something wrong.”
Since rising to prominence with 2005’s City of Evil, Avenged Sevenfold - completed by M. Shadows (vocals), Zacky Vengeance (guitar/vocals), The Rev (drums) and Synyster Gates (guitar) - haven’t so much split opinion as they’ve strapped opinion to two intercontinental missiles, and blasted it into separate hemispheres as two bloody and squealing chunks.
Depending on your point of view, they’re either feeding their fans riff-dripping bargain buckets of Guitar Hero glory, or they’re a gang of Californian chancers who got lucky rifling through the pockets of greats for cast-off guitar solos and have been chasing the fickle tail of fashion metal ever since.
Watch the previously banned video to ‘A Little Piece Of Heaven’ by Avenged Sevenfold
“Confidence,” is Christ’s explanation. “People might take our confidence in the wrong way, and think we’re a bunch of pompous asses. But we’re just confident in what we’ve worked our whole lives to do.”
That confidence has certainly paid off – the band has just blasted back into Europe for a raft of festivals and a support slot on the Iron Maiden tour. “When we heard that they were offering us a tour, and our only questions were ‘when?’ and ‘where?’” laughs Christ.
“A few years ago we got to witness what they do live - for the first time, for some of us,” he admits. “It was just awe-inspiring”. And what are Avenged Sevenfold going to do to try to match that Maiden live show? “Not drink as much?” he jokingly suggests.
Watch ‘Afterlife’ by Avenged Sevenfold
Avenged Sevenfold do have that reputation for off-stage carnage after all. Singer M. Shadows is as vocal off-stage as he is on, describing the rest of the bands on the 2005 Warped Tour as “not only anti-war, they’re anti-everything our country stands for”, to saying Dillinger Escape Plan “make shitty noises and try to pass it off as music.”
So have their tempers cooled off during the recording of last year’s self-titled Avenged Sevenfold album then? “We hear something from an interviewer that’s trying to get under our skin… whether or not the statements are true or not, we were just quick to jump back,” Christ says of past controversies.
So they’re not trying to be the new Mötley Crüe then? “No,” says Christ, stifling a laugh at the suggestion. “We’re just trying to be Avenged Sevenfold.”
Avenged Sevenfold support Iron Maiden at London Twickenham Stadium on 5 July 2008
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12 responses so far ↓
1 steve57 // Jun 23, 2008 at 3:48 pm
but surely the most important question to pose to this individual is ‘How come you stole your name from a Danzig guitarist…?’
2 Hugh // Jun 23, 2008 at 7:44 pm
That’s because the obvious answer is “because Danzig are AMAZING”.
3 BenMyers // Jun 24, 2008 at 9:58 am
““Confidence,” is Christ’s explanation. “People might take our confidence in the wrong way, and think we’re a bunch of pompous asses.”
It could be that.
Or it could be their well-documented vocal support for George W Bush….
4 dawn // Jun 24, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Could be M shadow’s is a hypocrite. We all know you are a gun toting republican, but you sure don’t believe in monogamy with your ugly gf do ya baby??? i thought that was the democrat way!
5 Chris // Jun 25, 2008 at 12:23 am
They may be in favor of Bush but most of the band has gone on record saying that they just believe that we as Americans should support our country regardless of what is happening. That doesn’t mean the fully support anyone, they just support our country. That’s what some of Critical Acclaim was written about.
I think they have a point, rather than fighting about all of the problems we should just be supporting our nation. Things might actually get better if we could all work together towards something.
6 lucy // Jun 28, 2008 at 4:16 am
they didnt steal their name from anything. they got it from the bible,. so alright they stole it from the bible.
7 Jason // Jun 29, 2008 at 9:57 pm
they’re an Awesome Band!… so if you don’t like them…
………..then fuck you!
8 Kimmy // Jun 30, 2008 at 8:35 am
What does M Shadow’s gf have to do with this interview?
9 Sahsha // Jul 4, 2008 at 1:08 am
Have you people ever LISTENED to their music?! Look up the lyrics before you say that they support Bush or any other person or political party! The lyrics are NEUTRAL. The lyrics are about the people! They want people to open their eyes and participate in their country! You’re the exact same people they’re reffering to in critical acclaim! “Self righteous…. Gossip Queen Worthless Man!” And Val is gorgeous and whatever Mat and/ or Val do in their personal life is between them! I don’t come into your bedroom while your having sex, so stay out of theirs!
10 cupcake kate // Oct 6, 2008 at 8:15 pm
am sorry but i think there music is awsome isnt it about the performance and the music not about there personal life they are human and deserve to have a view
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