Phyllis of 94.5 The Buzz's "Rod Ryan Show" recently conducted an interview with AVENGED SEVENFOLD singer M. Shadows. You can now listen to the chat below. Asked about AVENGED SEVENFOLD's decision to fire drummer Arin Ilejay in 2015 and replace him with Brooks Wackerman, M. Shadows said: "We weren't really searching for a new drummer. You know, Arin did a great job, but we just felt we weren't really firing on all cylinders. And I don't think it was necessarily him; I think it was just our personalities and how we all work together. I think he's doing great in ISLANDER right now, and he's perfect for that band, but I don't think he was perfect for AVENGED SEVENFOLD." He continued: "It wasn't that we were searching for a drummer. I basically said we've known Brooks for a long time. Brooks has always been one of our favorite drummers in terms of with the INFECTIOUS GROOVES stuff and the SUICIDAL TENDENCIES stuff. And we knew he was in BAD RELIGION, and we just thought we'd throw a feeler out there and see where he was at in his life and if he wanted to maybe jam with us. And not necessarily be in the band, but just jam with us and see how it all went. And he was really open to that and wanted to come hang out. Like I said, we've known him since the Warped Tour days, and we've been following him before that, 'cause [late AVENGED SEVENFOLD drummer] The Rev had shown us Brooks Wackerman stuff when we were much younger. So we basically started jamming and we just said, 'Man, this feels so good.' He agreed. And so we asked him to join the band, and it just felt like we were firing on all cylinders again in terms of musicality and also in terms of personality." Regarding whether Brooks has been involved in the writing process for AVENGED SEVENFOLD's next album, M. Shadows said: "We've been writing with Brooks for the last couple of years. Like I said, the first session we had with him was throwing riffs around. Because we weren't really interested in how he could play the old stuff, because if you're a great drummer, you can play the old stuff. It's not about learning old stuff, it's about being able to create your own stuff. So he has been involved in every step since the last two years, so, yes, he's involved." The singer, however, declined to give out any information about when fans can expect to see AVENGED SEVENFOLD's follow-up to 2013's "Hail To The King", explaining: "I just don't know when it's gonna come out, to be honest. It's one of those things, when there's something to be heard, then we'll let everyone know. But right now we're just focused on the tour and also focused on whatever we're doing behind the scenes, but there's really no date set in stone for anything." AVENGED SEVENFOLD announced earlier this year that it was attempting to sever its contract with Warner Bros. Records. Warner sued the group in January for breach of contract, claiming the band owed it another studio effort and a live set on its existing deal. AVENGED SEVENFOLD said at the time that "none of the senior management or A&R executives who were at the company and responsible for signing us are still there." The band's previous two releases, 2013's "Hail To The King" and 2010's "Nightmare", both topped the Billboard album chart.
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