AVENGED SEVENFOLD To Begin Writing New Album By Next Summer

AVENGED SEVENFOLD singer M. Shadows says that the band "should" begin working on material for a new studio by next summer for a tentative 2016 release.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD's latest album, "Hail To The King", was certified gold in July by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association Of America) for shipments in excess of 500,000 copies. Released last year, it was the band's second straight CD to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard chart, following 2010's "Nightmare".

Asked by Shroom of the Sioux City radio station Z-98 when fans can expect to see a follow-up to "Hail To The King", M. Shadows said: "I think the most important thing for us is to get that spark and that fire to start… to wanna start writing. We never just write on the road, we always try to get a very clear idea of of what we wanna accomplish and then we attack it, and right now that idea is really coming into place. We've talked a lot about it, and I think after this tour we do in China coming up [in early 2015], we will be back in the saddle, and by the summer we should be writing."

AVENGED SEVENFOLD and KORN co-headlined this year's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, which kicked off its annual run on July 5 in Devore, California and wrapped on August 10 in The Woodlands, Texas.

Other acts on the bill included ASKING ALEXANDRIA, SUICIDE SILENCE, TRIVIUM, MISS MAY I and more.

The special edition reissue of AVENGED SEVENFOLD's second album, "Waking The Fallen", sold around 22,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 10 on The Billboard 200 chart. The 2003 disc was the first to feature guitarist Synyster Gates and bassist Johnny Christ as full-fledged members, and its last independent release before signing a major deal with Warner Bros. Records.

Although the record sold just 3,000 copies in its initial week of release, it was eventually certified gold for sales of more than half a million copies in 2009.