Avenged Sevenfold - Hail To The King - Meaning of the song
This is the lead single and title track from Avenged Sevenfold's sixth studio album. It was the band's first album with new drummer Arin Ilejay. Following the death of Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan, the stickman joined the band as a touring drummer in 2011, before becoming an official member in 2013.
The Nightmare, the band's previous album, had an emotional heaviness to it as it dealt with the loss of The Rev. Avenged Sevenfold, on the other hand, returned to writing metal lyrics with Hail to the King. M. Shadows, a vocalist, told Kerrang! magazine: "It's just really good storytelling. We reverted to what we wanted the band to be in the first place, which was more enjoyable. Metal, in my opinion, should not take itself too seriously."
Synyster Gates, a guitarist, explained: " "I've been playing a lot of gypsy jazz guitar – Django Reinhardt and a few others – so for the intro, I kind of apply that technique to metal. It added a cool new dimension to rock music that I hadn't really heard before "He stated. "The entire solo is built around minor blues changes. I like it when it transitions to that regal feel, which corresponds to the lyrics. Many people are perplexed and believe it is neo-classical, but it is actually gypsy jazz."
M. Shadows, a vocalist, has added: "More than coming up with riffs, we tend to come in and talk about the vibe we want for the song. Then we build around that vibe, writing riffs to fit. We make an effort not to waste time on things that don't work. We throw something out as soon as it takes us out of the vibe we're trying to create."
The song tells the story of a tyrannical king who executes anyone who opposes him.
"Hail To The King' raises the question of how society perceives itself. People have elected kings and leaders since the beginning of time, they have supported presidents, and they have cried over who the new Pope is. Sometimes you have to take a step back and ask yourself, "What are we doing here?" Why do we need so many people to tell us how to live our lives?' That applies to both God above and Satan below. Who is the ruler? We have a lot of kings. It was one of those moments when we said the statement, sang it in a song, and it was like, 'wow, that really hits a nerve and means something.' We knew that some people would interpret it as us saying, 'We're the kings,' but we were willing to face that level of criticism because it was about something much deeper than that."
Hail To The King - Lyrics
Watch your tongue or have it cut from your head Save your life by keeping whispers unsaid Children roam the streets, now orphans of war Bodies hanging in the streets to adore Royal flames will carve a path in chaos Bringing daylight to the night (night) Death is riding into town with armor They've come to take all your rights Hail to the king, hail to the one Kneel to the crown, stand in the sun Hail to the king Hail! Hail! Hail! The King... Blood is spilt while holding keys to the throne Born again, but it's too late to atone No mercy from the edge of the blade Dare escape and learn the price to be paid Let the water flow with shades of red now Arrows black out all the light (light) Death is riding into town with armor They've come to grant you your rights Hail to the king, hail to the one Kneel to the crown, stand in the sun Hail to the king Hail! Hail! Hail! The King... There's a taste of fear (hail, hail, hail) When the henchmen call (hail, hail, hail) Iron fist to tame the land (hail, hail, hail) Iron fist to claim it all Hail to the king, hail to the one Kneel to the crown, stand in the sun Hail to the king, hail to the one Kneel to the crown, stand in the sun Hail to the king! Hail! Hail! Hail!
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