Heavy metal fans don't forget. They especially don't forget when one of the biggest bands in the world releases a track that sounds suspiciously like a tribute—or a carbon copy—of a masterpiece by the genre's biggest titans. When Avenged Sevenfold dropped Hail to the King in 2013, the track This Means War became an instant lightning rod. It wasn't just a song. It was a debate.
Is it a homage? Is it a rip-off? Or is it just a band finding their footing after the tragic loss of their founding drummer?
To understand why This Means War by Avenged Sevenfold still gets people riled up on Reddit threads and in YouTube comment sections a decade later, you have to look at the context of the era. The band was at a crossroads. They were moving away from the frantic, dual-lead-heavy chaos of City of Evil and the experimental self-titled record. They wanted something "meatier." They wanted the groove. What they got was a storm of controversy that even Machine Head’s Robb Flynn famously weighed in on with his "joke" about the band releasing a Metallica tribute album.
The Metallica Elephant in the Room
Let's address the massive, armor-plated elephant. If you’ve ever heard "Sad But True" from Metallica’s 1991 Black Album, you know exactly why This Means War turned heads. The tempo. The chugging, mid-paced riff. The way the drums emphasize the "one." It’s all there. Honestly, even M. Shadows has admitted in various interviews that the band was going for a specific vibe. They wanted to capture the essence of the "big" records they grew up on—the AC/DCs, the Guns N' Roses, and yes, the Metallicas.
But there’s a thin line between inspiration and imitation.
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Most critics at the time felt the band crossed it. But if you talk to the fans who pack stadiums to see A7X, they’ll tell you something different. They’ll tell you that the song carries a weight and a modern production sheen that "Sad But True" doesn't have in a modern live setting. It’s built for the stage. It’s built for pyrotechnics and ten thousand people screaming "This means war!" in unison.
The structure of the riff is almost mathematically similar. We are talking about a $4/4$ time signature with a heavy emphasis on the downbeat, a hallmark of the groove metal transition that happened in the early 90s. When Synyster Gates layers those harmonized solos over the bridge, though, you remember it’s an Avenged Sevenfold song. It has that neoclassical flair he’s known for, which is a far cry from Kirk Hammett’s blues-based wah-pedal abuse. It’s a weird hybrid of 1991 and 2013.
Why This Means War Worked Despite the Hate
Success is the best revenge. Despite the "plagiarism" accusations that flew around the internet, the song was a massive commercial hit. It peaked high on the Mainstream Rock charts. It became a staple of their live set. Why? Because it’s a "meat and potatoes" metal song done by guys who are incredibly good at their instruments.
Sometimes people just want to bang their heads. They don't want a 12-minute progressive epic like "Save Me." They want a riff that feels like a sledgehammer to the chest.
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Arin Ilejay was the drummer on this record. It was his first—and only—full-length studio album with the band. The direction for the album was "less is more." M. Shadows and the Rev (posthumously through the band's direction) had always leaned into complexity, but for this specific track, they told Arin to keep it simple. Almost caveman simple. That simplicity is what made the song so polarizing. To the elite metal snobs, it was "dumbing down." To the casual listener, it was the catchiest thing on the radio.
Breaking Down the Lyrics and Theme
The song isn't just about a literal battlefield. It's about internal conflict. "No one can save me, the damage is done." It deals with the concept of a "house divided" and the psychological toll of a life spent in conflict. It’s dark. It’s brooding. It fits the visual aesthetic of the Hail to the King era perfectly—lots of black, skeletons, and a return to the classic "Deathbat" imagery but with a more regal, oppressive twist.
People forget that this album was a massive risk. Coming off Nightmare, which was an emotional tribute to Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan, the band could have played it safe. They could have written Nightmare Part 2. Instead, they decided to strip everything back. This Means War is the peak of that "stripping back" philosophy. No bells. No whistles. Just a riff that repeats until it's burned into your brain.
The Legacy of the Hail to the King Era
Looking back from 2026, the Hail to the King era feels like a necessary bridge. Without the massive commercial success of tracks like This Means War, would the band have had the freedom to go completely off the rails with the progressive, cosmic themes of The Stage? Probably not. You have to buy yourself some "creative capital" with the suits at the record labels.
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This song gave them that capital.
It also forced the band to develop a thicker skin. When you’re being mocked by your peers in other bands, you either fold or you double down. Avenged Sevenfold doubled down. They played the song even louder. They leaned into the "Kings" persona.
Interestingly, if you listen to the track today, the production by Mike Elizondo—who is known for his work with Dr. Dre and Eminem—really stands out. The drums sound like cannons. The bass is thick and muddy in the best way possible. It doesn't sound like a "thin" record. It sounds like a stadium. And that's really what This Means War by Avenged Sevenfold was meant to be: a stadium anthem for a new generation of metal fans who maybe hadn't spent their childhoods dissecting the Black Album yet.
What You Should Do Next
If you want to really understand the DNA of this track, do a side-by-side listening session. But don't just look for the similarities. Look for the differences.
- Listen to the Solo: Notice how Synyster Gates uses chromatics and fast-picked runs that Metallica never would have used.
- Check the Vocal Harmony: M. Shadows uses a very specific layering technique in the chorus that is pure A7X.
- Watch the Live Version: Go find the performance from "Live at the Grammy Museum" or any of the big festival pro-shots. The energy of the crowd tells you everything you need to know about whether the song "works" or not.
The debate over whether it’s too close to Metallica will probably never die. That’s okay. In the world of rock and roll, being talked about—even for being a "thief"—is better than being forgotten. This Means War ensured that Avenged Sevenfold wouldn't be forgotten. It's a heavy, groovier-than-hell piece of history that marks the moment A7X decided to become the biggest band in the world, even if they had to borrow a few tools from the masters to get there.