Metal Should Be Like The Anti-Everything

Avenged Sevenfold frontman M. Shadows is throwing gasoline on the fire of musical genre debates. In a recent interview with Indonesia’s Medcom.id, Shadows shared his perspective on the evolution of heavy metal music and ultimately declared that heavy metal should be the ultimate rebellion against limitations.

When asked about integrating elements from other musical genres into metal, Shadows offered a refreshingly open-minded view. “Oh, I don’t know. I think metal music — I don’t really worry about that. I think people should just play whatever they want,” he stated. Shadows emphasized the importance of artistic freedom, suggesting that metal, more than any other genre, should be free from strict rules and boundaries.”

He added: “I think metal should be like the anti-everything, and it should have no rules and you should be able to do whatever you want. And if you wanna be inspired or if you’re hearing things from other genres that you like and you want to incorporate it, you should. But if you also wanna play back-to-basics sort of AC/DC album, then you should do that.”

Shadows pointed out the innovative efforts of contemporary bands who are pushing the envelope by blending various musical styles with metal. His belief is that this genre should remain versatile and inclusive, encouraging musicians to experiment and follow their creative instincts without fear of judgment or restriction.

“I just think a lot of genres have rules, and I think metal should be like the anti-everything, and it should have no rules and you should be able to do whatever you want. I think there’s a bunch of artists coming up right now — Kim Dracula, Bring Me The Horizon, Bad Omens, Sleep Token — there’s a bunch of bands that are incorporating all sorts of stuff. So I think there should just be no rules. Just do whatever you want.”

Avenged Sevenfold themselves are no strangers to genre-bending, as their latest album certainly proved. Should metal truly be a genre without borders? Will the future see even more wild fusions emerge, or will the core elements of metal always reign supreme?