It was 2013. The rock world was twitching for something massive. Avenged Sevenfold, a band that had spent a decade reinventing themselves from metalcore kids to eccentric hard rock experimentalists, dropped Hail to the King. People lost their minds. Some people loved it; others felt like they’d been cheated. It’s been over a decade, and honestly, the conversation hasn't changed that much. You’ve probably heard the "it sounds too much like Metallica" or "it’s basically AC/DC with more tattoos" arguments. Those aren't entirely wrong, but they're also kinda missing the point of what the band was actually trying to do.
They wanted to go back. Way back.
Before the "White Album" or Nightmare, Avenged was known for these sprawling, chaotic, dual-guitar harmonies and Rev-style drumming that felt like a circus in a blender. Then, suddenly, they stopped. They stripped everything away. They wanted the "big" sound—that mid-90s stadium groove where every snare hit feels like a cannon and every riff has enough breathing room to actually resonate. It was a gamble. Did it pay off? Well, it went Number 1 in multiple countries. So, yeah.
The Massive Shadow of Metallica and Guns N’ Roses
You can’t talk about Hail to the King without talking about Sad But True. Or Thunderstruck. Or Doing Time. The band didn't just "influence" themselves with 90s metal; they practically lived in it. M. Shadows was very vocal about wanting to capture the essence of the "Black Album." He wanted that deliberate, slow-burn power. For a band that used to pack every second with three different guitar melodies, this was a radical move. It was brave. It was also, for some fans, a bit of a betrayal.
Arin Ilejay was on the drums for this one. Think about the pressure that kid was under. He had to follow the legacy of The Rev and the technical perfection of Mike Portnoy. Then, the band tells him: "Hey, we want you to play less." They literally told him to strip it down. No crazy fills. No double-bass marathons. Just the beat. It worked for the songs, but it’s one of the reasons the album feels so different from the rest of their discography.
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The title track itself is a masterclass in branding. That opening riff is instantly recognizable. It’s simple. It’s effective. It’s what you play when you want 50,000 people to pump their fists in unison. If you look at the streaming numbers today, "Hail to the King" is still their most-played song on Spotify by a long shot. That says something about its staying power, regardless of what the "true metal" purists think.
Why the "Rip-off" Accusations Stuck
Music critics are often lazy. It’s easy to point at "This Means War" and say, "Hey, that’s just Sad But True." And, look, the tempo is the same. The chugging rhythm is the same. The vocal delivery even mirrors James Hetfield’s cadence.
But here’s the thing: Avenged Sevenfold knew that. They weren't trying to hide it. They were paying homage to the giants who came before them. In a weird way, they were trying to prove that a modern band could still write those kinds of anthems. Most bands in 2013 were trying to be faster or more technical. Avenged went the other way. They went slower. They went heavier in a physical sense, rather than a technical one.
A Track-by-Track Reality Check
- Shepherd of Fire: This is how you open an album. The bells, the horns, the creeping buildup. It’s cinematic. It’s got that Symphony of Destruction vibe.
- Doing Time: This is pure Guns N’ Roses worship. M. Shadows leans into that Axl Rose rasp, and the whole thing feels like it’s about to fly off the rails. It’s short, punchy, and aggressive.
- Crimson Day: The ballad. Every big rock album needs one. It’s sentimental, maybe a bit cheesy, but Synyster Gates delivers a solo that reminds you why he’s one of the best of his generation.
- Coming Home: Honestly? This is the best song on the record. It’s the one moment where the "old" Avenged Sevenfold starts to peek through the 90s worship. It’s got a bit of an Iron Maiden gallop to it. The dual lead section at the end is absolutely legendary.
If you haven't sat down with "Coming Home" in a while, do it. It’s the bridge between what they were and what they were becoming. It showed that they hadn't lost their ability to write complex arrangements; they were just choosing not to for the rest of the record.
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The Production: Mike Elizondo’s Impact
Mike Elizondo produced this beast. You might know him from his work with Dr. Dre or Eminem, which sounds weird until you realize he also did Nightmare. He knows how to make things sound expensive. Hail to the King sounds like a million bucks. Literally. The drums are huge. The bass is thick. The vocals are dry and right in your face.
There’s no fluff here. No layers of synth hiding a weak riff. It’s a very "honest" sounding record, which is ironic considering how much people complained about it being derivative. You can hear every pick scrape. You can hear the room. It’s a sonic achievement, even if the songwriting didn't hit everyone the right way.
The Fan Divide: Then vs. Now
Back in 2013, the forums were a war zone. People were calling them "Avenged Metallica." Fast forward to today, and most fans have mellowed out. Why? Because the band followed this up with The Stage and Life Is But a Dream..., two albums that are so progressive and weird that they make Hail to the King look like a necessary palate cleanser.
The band needed to do this. They needed to master the fundamentals of the "Big Rock Song" before they could go off the deep end into avant-garde jazz-metal. It was a bridge. A very loud, very successful bridge.
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What Most People Get Wrong
People think this album was "easy" for them. It wasn't. It’s actually harder to write a simple, catchy riff that sticks than it is to write a 10-minute progressive odyssey. When you’re playing simple music, there’s nowhere to hide. Every note has to be perfect. Every vocal line has to be a hook.
The band spent months studying the structure of songs by Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. They were trying to learn the "architecture" of a classic. If you listen to "Planets" or "Acid Rain," you can see that ambition. Those tracks are huge, orchestral, and almost operatic. They aren't just Metallica clones; they’re trying to build something that feels timeless.
The Legacy of "Acid Rain"
If there’s one song that proves this album has soul, it’s "Acid Rain." It’s a tragic, beautiful end to a very aggressive record. It’s about the end of the world, but it feels intimate. The piano work and the soaring vocals show a level of maturity that the band hadn't really touched before. It’s the "November Rain" of their career, and it holds up incredibly well.
Actionable Takeaways for the Listener
If you’re revisiting Hail to the King or hearing it for the first time, don't just listen to the singles. You’ll miss the nuance.
- Listen on high-quality headphones. The production is the star of the show. Pay attention to the space between the notes.
- Watch the "This Is Bat Country" documentary. It gives a lot of context on why they chose this direction and the struggle of Arin Ilejay trying to fit into the band’s dynamic.
- Compare "Coming Home" to their newer stuff. You can see the seeds of their progressive era being planted right there in the middle of a "tribute" album.
- Check out the live versions from Download Festival. The songs were built for the stage, and they come alive when there’s a massive crowd involved.
The album isn't a masterpiece of original thought, but it is a masterpiece of execution. It’s the sound of a band claiming their spot at the top of the mountain. They wanted to be the biggest band in the world, and for a moment, they were. Whether you think they "sold out" or "leveled up," you can’t deny the impact this record had on the landscape of 2010s rock. It brought back a certain kind of swagger that had been missing for a long time.
Go back and give "Coming Home" a spin. It might just change your mind about the whole era.