Avenged Sevenfold surprise release futuristic electronic-tinged new EP ‘Statica’

Avenged Sevenfold have surprise-released a futuristic electronic-tinged new EP titled ‘Statica’ – listen below. READ MORE: Avenged Sevenfold on dividing fans: “Being willing to risk everything is the most liberating thing” The four-track collection arrived without warning earlier today (July 24), and it features the songs ‘Lights’, ‘Statica’, ‘Rejoice’ and ‘Ashes’. It is the California metal band’s most significant release since their eighth studio record ‘Life Is But A Dream…’ in 2023, and it sees them continuing to explore the adventurous direction of that album, as well as 2016’s ‘The Stage’. They make use of robotic vocals, sci-fi synths and electronic dance beats, moving further away from the more traditional heavy metal sound of records such as 2005’s ‘City Of Evil’ and 2013’s ‘Hail To The King’. The band did not tease the EP beforehand and it follows the standalone single ‘Magic’, which arrived last December as part of an update for Call Of Duty: Black Ops 7. Listen to ‘Statica’ below. Recommended Speaking to NME backstage at Download Festival in 2024, guitarist Zacky Vengeance said the reaction to ‘Life Is But A Dream…’ had been “the exact response that we set out to achieve”, explaining that the band wanted “to be polarising and create something that a lot of people didn’t know that they wanted”. “If you’re just running through the motions, then I don’t think you’re succeeding as an artist,” he added. “The easy route would be writing songs similar to our most-played hits, or the ones that go over the best at festivals. But, truthfully, I think that’s just career suicide. We want to have fun, make new memories for people, give them an experience to remember for the rest of their lives and maybe even change their whole perspective.” ‘Statica’ arrives on the eve of Avenged Sevenfold’s co-headline North American tour with Good Charlotte, which kicks off in Ridgedale, Missouri tomorrow (July 25). See the dates below and find any remaining tickets here. Avenged Sevenfold and Good Charlotte will play: JULY 25 – Ridgedale, MO – Thunder Ridge Nature Arena 27 – Shakopee, MN – Mystic Lake Amphitheater 30 – Tinley Park, IL – Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre AUGUST 1 – St. Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre 4 – Clarkston, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre 6 – Toronto, ON – RBC Amphitheatre 8 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre 10 – Belmont Park, NY – UBS Arena 12 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center 14 – Camden, NJ – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion 16 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion 18 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre 21 – Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion 23 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena 25 – Salt Lake City, UT – Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre 27 – Phoenix, AZ – Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre 30 – Los Angeles, CA – BMO Stadium Elsewhere, frontman M. Shadows defended recording a video message for freed Israeli hostages Evyatar David and Guy Gilboa-Dalal last October, after some fans accused the band of failing to speak out about Palestine. The band were also forced to postpone their Latin American tour last September after Shadows suffered a vocal fold haematoma. The dates were subsequently rearranged for January and February this year.