Shepard Of Fire
Hail To The King
Doing Time
This Means War
Requiem
Crimson Day
Heretic
Coming Home
Planets
Acid Rain

Synyster's Perspective:

1. Shepherd Of Fire ΓÇô ΓÇ£We intentionally wrote it as an intro track. The idea was that the arrangement would evoke a sense of imagery with the tribal yet primordial drums. It seemed to resonate from Hell almost. ItΓÇÖs something of an apocalyptic call to arms.

ΓÇ£I love the arrangement. We wanted to set up the album and foreshadow what was to come, being that itΓÇÖs a groove-based, riff-oriented record. We havenΓÇÖt really done Zeppelin-style or Sabbath-like riffs before, so this is our version of an album thatΓÇÖs along those lines.ΓÇ¥

2. Hail To The King ΓÇô ΓÇ£IΓÇÖve been playing a lot of gypsy jazz guitar ΓÇô Django Reinhardt and a few others ΓÇô so for the intro, I kind of take that technique and apply it to metal. It added a pretty cool new dimension that I havenΓÇÖt really heard in rock music before.

ΓÇ£The whole solo is based on minor blues changes. I like it when it transfers to that regal feel, which aligns with the lyrics. A lot of people get confused and think that itΓÇÖs neo-classical, but itΓÇÖs really gypsy jazz.ΓÇ¥

3. Doing Time ΓÇô ΓÇ£This was a Mike Elizondo suggestion. He was hearing a kind of low vocal, swagger-based rock song, sort of a quintessential ΓÇÿ80s or ΓÇÿ90s vibe but with a very modern approach. ItΓÇÖs a bad freight train that never stops.

ΓÇ£For this solo ΓÇô and for all of them, actually ΓÇô I tried to just jam with the songs instead of being overly analytical about what I was doing. I sat with Mike and the rest of the guys, and I would play until everybody was on board with the way it was going. The main thing was that I wanted the songs to influence my playing rather than me imposing a signature style on the music.ΓÇ¥

4. This Means War ΓÇô ΓÇ£We wanted a really impactful, riff-based intro but one that would also feature our dual lead harmony approach. ItΓÇÖs pretty cool how it fits into the slow groove of the track and just hammers through.

ΓÇ£This song is becoming one of my favorites. IΓÇÖve been really enjoying watching people listen to it because it so fits the vibe of the album. When they hear it, they start moving, and they donΓÇÖt stop. Sometimes, with more progressive songs, you lose that fee somewhere along the line, but This Means War never quits ΓÇô the energy is always there.

ΓÇ£All of my solos were improvised initially ΓÇô I would go in and get my bearings and see what I came up with. I was hearing something chaotic in the intro, a machine-gun spray that would build into something more melodic.ΓÇ¥

5. Requiem ΓÇô ΓÇ£The choir in the beginning is great. IΓÇÖm very excited about how this song turned out. We wanted the foundation to be a metal bandΓÇÖs approach to classical orchestration.

ΓÇ£MattΓÇÖs vocal is more like a lead violin part, and when my guitar chugs underneath the riff, itΓÇÖs almost like what low brass would do. We layered each element very carefully, and the result is one of the more cinematic tracks on the record.

ΓÇ£The solo was a fun one. I donΓÇÖt do a lot of wah stuff, so I had a great time playing around with that. The wah gave it an added dimension and colors, some new life.ΓÇ¥

6. Crimson Day ΓÇô ΓÇ£ThatΓÇÖs a clean-sounding electric guitar on the opening, not an acoustic ΓÇô there were no mics on the guitar involved, just on the amps. ItΓÇÖs one of my favorite clean tones IΓÇÖve ever fucking heard.

ΓÇ£We stumbled onto it by accident, actually. There were a few secrets in getting it, mainly that itΓÇÖs a baritone guitar with a capo on it so I could play it in open E standard tuning. It has a really sick, rich, sparkly sound. Seriously, IΓÇÖm so proud of how it turned out.

ΓÇ£We wanted the song to have huge drums and be an epic rock ballad. It has a somber vibe, but it doesnΓÇÖt make you fucking sad all the way through. We were listening to a lot of Elton John, some Ozzy ballads and some Zeppelin. Actually, the lyrics are inspired by my nephew, so the song has a very personal meaning to me.ΓÇ¥

7. Heretic ΓÇô ΓÇ£This was probably the first song that we wrote for the album, so thereΓÇÖs a bit of a throwback to the old, traditional Avenged stuff. ItΓÇÖs a little progressive, but we wanted to maintain some space in the arrangement so the drums could shine and the riffs and vocals could breathe.

ΓÇ£ThatΓÇÖs a pretty important point, really, because we tend to fill things to the brim with guitar harmonies, vocal harmonies, lead things going in and out. Leaving a feeling of air made a big difference in how all of the parts stood out.

ΓÇ£This is a lot of guitar, though, some big moments. If youΓÇÖre not the biggest groove fan ΓÇô and it youΓÇÖre not, you should be ΓÇô thereΓÇÖs still a progressive element. So itΓÇÖs a mix, this song, and it worked out really well.ΓÇ¥

8. Coming Home ΓÇô ΓÇ£Another Mike suggestion. He wanted us to do something upbeat, but we wanted to make sure that it didnΓÇÖt get hokey ΓÇô weΓÇÖve done upbeat before, and sometimes things can get a little too cutesy and sugary. Our goal was to have a darker, more serious tone, which can get lost when you increase the tempo.

ΓÇ£ItΓÇÖs very adventurous, but it maintains that upbeat vibe. ThereΓÇÖs some great drumming on it, and IΓÇÖm really excited about the guitar work. The solo is big. Instead of doing a vocal bridge, we decided to do one with the guitar and have it takes you places. I think it fits with the imagery of the lyrics, which are very personal but still presented in a way that people can relate to it. The words are very ΓÇÿstoryteller-y,ΓÇÖ concerning travel and endeavors, but theyΓÇÖre not necessarily concerned with present time. The guitar stuff goes hand-in-hand with all of that.ΓÇ¥

9. Planets ΓÇô ΓÇ£To me, the last two songs, in addition to being my favorites, make up the best ending to a record weΓÇÖve ever had. Lyrically, Planets is the precursor to Acid Rain; itΓÇÖs about a meteoric, intergalactic war that results in an apocalypse and the human species aligning together to go fight something much better than us, our individual trials and tribulations.

ΓÇ£Musically, the song was incredibly difficult to write and pull off ΓÇô the elements of dissonance, tension and resolution. We wanted to have that friction throughout, but it still had to be palatable; it couldnΓÇÖt be like listening to Penderecki or Stockhausen. There had to be a relatability and connectability to it.

ΓÇ£We really toiled over the track, but it turned out great. IΓÇÖm so fucking excited about it.ΓÇ¥

10. Acid Rain ΓÇô ΓÇ£ItΓÇÖs a cool way to end the record ΓÇô not a typical ballad, but itΓÇÖs not soft or sugary, either. The song takes you to an emotional place, especially if you pay attention to the lyrics, which are some of the best Matt has ever written.

ΓÇ£The song is about coming to the realization that youΓÇÖve lost the battle, but at least youΓÇÖre with that one special person who matters. ItΓÇÖs something of an apocalyptic love story, which is pretty unique for us.ΓÇ¥