AVENGED SEVENFOLD singer M. Shadows recently discussed the current state of heavy metal as a genre, believing that it isn’t going anywhere.
Speaking with the Bob Lefsetz Podcast, Shadows did go on to say that he does feel that there could be a little more innovation within the genre, saying: “A lot of bands in my generation are just treading the same waters that Metallica’s already done.”
“I think the purely metal scene is always going to be there. Like you said, it’s always got a pulse,” he continued. “I don’t think the innovation is there, and I don’t think the ability for fans to have an open mind for when something is innovative, something is different, is there. I think the great songwriting has been lost a little bit, as well as some of these eccentric pieces of music.
He added: “When Metallica came out there was nothing like that. It seems like a lot of bands in my generation are just treading the same waters that Metallica’s already done, and I think when you see great artists, a lot of them aren’t in the metal scene. There’s a lot of great art out there, and I would argue there are some amazing pop, some amazing hip hop, some amazing R&B, and some artists that are doing truly eccentric stuff.”
Shadows added that people constantly send him stuff on Twitter, yet it all follows the same vein. “I think that hurts metal in a way, because I think a lot of times it’s just this regurgitated sound that people will praise, and then it goes away, because if you’re not in the scene, you don’t care” he says.
The AVENGED SEVENFOLD frontman went on to say that he thinks bands like DEFTONES and GHOST are bringing something fresh to metal, but “overall, as a scene, you don’t see the experimentation that I would love to see.”
Listen to the full interview at this location.