Fan-filmed video footage of AVENGED SEVENFOLD's August 20 performance at the new U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota as the support act for METALLICA can be seen below. The concert marked the band's second appearance with drummer Brooks Wackerman, who joined AVENGED last year after the departure of Arin Ilejay. AVENGED SEVENFOLD singer M. Shadows told the WGRD radio station about finding Wackerman: "Well, the process was really easy, because… Well, first off, we had to keep it secret, because we had to respect BAD RELIGION and what he was gonna have to do with telling them that he decided that he wanted to play with us. And we're huge fans of BAD RELIGION; they're one of our favorite bands growing up, and they still are — they still put out such great music. And so, for us, it was about just working with him for a year before we even announced it, 'cause we wanted to make sure he was the right guy. But deep down, we already knew. We've known Brooks for years and years and years, and we knew he was just a phenomenal drummer. We knew that there was no way he was gonna have trouble recreating The Rev's parts and Mike Portnoy's parts. So, basically, for us, it was about writing with him, and writing songs with him, to see how that went, before we decided to pull the trigger. And so, once we did that, we just knew… I mean, you can show that guy a song and he can learn it in three listens; he's that good of a drummer. So he's probably more prepared than we are, honestly, on some of these old songs, especially for the guitar players — they're playing all these duels and all these solos. And then Brooks, he's got it down. You can show him and song and he can learn it within a day, which is cool." AVENGED SEVENFOLD has been recording its seventh studio album, but it's not clear when the disc will be released since the band announced earlier this year that it was attempting to sever its contract with Warner Bros. Records. M. Shadows stated about the status of songwriting and recording sessions for AVENGED SEVENFOLD's next CD: "We're writing, we've been throwing stuff around. You know, we've been working, and that's all I can really say about it. I think there's a lot of speculation online, and we're just kind of leaving it that way. But when there's something to be heard, we'll let the world know. But right now, we're just still working on stuff." 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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