Revolver Magazine And M Shadows Talk “Carry On,” Lana Del Rey, The New Avenged Sevenfold Album And More

What has it been like working with Arin on this album with writing?
M: It’s been good, man! It’s been cool. A lot of it’s been us refreshing
him on what our influences are and where we’re coming from as a band.
There’s a lot of things that he was never brought up on that we have to
quickly get him acquired to such as Pantera and Metallica and Slayer and
Megadeth and we’re introducing him to these records that were literally
the biggest records when we were growing up. Just records that you have
to know. He’s much younger and he grew up listening to Avenged
Sevenfold and Bullet For My Valentine, ya know? So it’s a completely
different generation and it makes me feel old to even talk about it.
Right now, we’re handing him [Pantera's] Far Beyond Driven and
[Metallica's] Master of Puppets and saying, “Learn these albums. You
need to learn these things” because when we’re talking about “groove
metal,” we’re not talking about some Warped Tour band. We’re talking
about fucking Pantera! We’re talking about Black Sabbath, ya know? So
we’re getting him acquired to that and I think he’s learning really
quickly what we’re looking for. We’re not looking for an overly
technically proficient drummer. We’re looking for a guy that knows how
to fit the song and be in the groove and play the right thing in the
right moment. It’s been cool. It’s been good. He’s been doing really,
really well.

What is it that you like about the Lana Del Rey record?
M: I just love her songwriting. I think it’s a really well-done record.
It’s warm. I just love her songwriting. The melodies are brilliant, I
think. The production is great. I mean, it’s something I love to listen
to, throw it on, and I love every song on that record. It’s one of those
things that I can throw on and push shuffle and never be bummed when
something comes up.