Avenged Sevenfold have released a blistering cover of Del Shannon’s 1961 No. 1 hit, “Runaway,” featuring a guest appearance by Vandals’ guitarist Warren Fitzgerald and lead vocals by Avenged Sevenfold guitarist Zacky Vengeance. Listen to their newest evolution of The Stage now below!
“When we decided to expand the album and add new tracks, everyone in the band chose a song that would be interesting to cover,” says Avenged Sevenfold vocalist M. Shadows. “Zacky came up with the idea of doing a punk rock version of the Del Shannon classic. While in the studio, Synyster brought up our old friend Warren Fitzgerald, saying it’d be great to have him play on the track and give the song the kind of reckless abandon he’s known for with The Vandals. With Warren on board, Zacky wanted to have a crack at singing, which really put the song over the top. I do a little talking thing with him in the middle of the track, but that’s it. The rest is all him and it came out great.”
“I’ve always loved ‘Runaway’ and the dark undertone hidden behind the upbeat doo wop track,” says Zacky. “You can hear sincere anguish in his voice. I raised my hand to add a little punk rock flair to the vocals, have some fun, and give the fans a little something to talk about.”
Adds Fitzgerald, “I’ve known the Avenged Sevenfold guys for years and obviously Brooks [Wackerman, A7X drummer] played with The Vandals, and our bands are both from Huntington Beach, so the ties run deep. But I was still surprised and honored that they asked me to play on the track. I think it’s a really cool choice for a cover and the guys were very generous in the studio. They’re all incredible musicians and to have them say, ‘do what you do,’ was really flattering. So I did, and we had a blast, and I’m tickled to death with how it all turned out.”
“Runaway,” which marks the first Avenged Sevenfold recording featuring someone other than M. Shadows on lead vocals, follows the band’s rendition of Mexican folk song “Malagueña Salerosa,” a reimagining of Mr. Bungle’s “Retrovertigo,” and original track “Dose.” The latter saw them teaming with mobile game developer/publisher Gameloft for a sneak preview of the song as a special level in “Dungeon Hunter 5,” the latest episode of the successful hack and slash series.
The band recently announced that they’re transforming the album into an evolving body of work by adding a series of new tracks over the course of the coming months.
Don’t miss your chance to catch Avenged Sevenfold live. Remaining dates are as follows:
August 4 – Phoenix, AZ – University of Phoenix Stadium+
August 6 – San Diego, CA – Petco Park+
August 9 – Seattle, WA – CenturyLink Field+
August 11 – Salt Lake City, UT – USANA Amphitheatre+++
August 12 – Nampa (Boise), ID – Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater+++
August 14 – Vancouver, BC – BC Place+
August 16 – Edmonton, AB – Commonwealth Stadium+
** A7X headline show or festival date
*** A7X headline show with Volbeat opening
+++A7X headline show with A Day To Remember opening
^With Metallica + Volbeat
+With Metallica + Gojira