From Avenged Sevenfold to Neurosis and Stray From The Path, why more and more metal bands are surprise-releasing albums: “At what point do people critique success on sales rather than how big your balls are?”
Avenged Sevenfold’s 2016 release of The Stage is presented as an early example of metal bands issuing albums without the usual lengthy promotional campaign. The approach is becoming more common among acts including Neurosis and Stray From The Path, reflecting frustration with conventional roll-outs, label pressures and the expectation that musicians must continually market themselves before audiences can hear the work.
For Avenged Sevenfold, the surprise release followed a protracted campaign for 2013’s Hail To The King and coincided with a legal dispute with former label Warner Bros, which heightened concerns about leaks or interference. The Stage arrived on 28 October 2016 after only rumours and an apparently standalone mid-October single, giving listeners 73 minutes of new music with little warning; the article frames such releases as a way for bands to prioritise artistic impact over sales-driven measures of success.
- Metal bands increasingly favour unannounced album releases.
- Avenged Sevenfold used the tactic for 2016’s The Stage.
- Surprise launches can bypass exhausting promotion and label pressures.