In 2016, M. Shadows and Synyster Gates engaged in a full and frank exchange of views about the speed and course set by the good ship Avenged Sevenfold. The points of order under discussion by the group’s singer and lead guitarist – respectively, Matt and Brian to their friends – were issues fundamental, perhaps even existential, regarding motivation, working hours, private lives, and the division of professional and familial responsibilities amid the constant thunder of a rolling rock group. As with so much of what lies at the core of A7X, these topics were tied together by a desire to find harmony in a shared instinct for constant evolution. “It was during [the making of 2016 album] The Stage record that Brian and I really had it out in terms of workload, wor...