The Stage is the seventh studio album by American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold. It was released on October 28, 2016 via Capitol Records.The Stage is the first Avenged Sevenfold album to feature Brooks Wackerman on drums after the departure of Arin Ilejay in 2015. It's the band's longest studio album at 73:40 thus beating City of Evil by almost a minute.
Tonight, October 27th, Avenged Sevenfold, will give a global, 3D /360-degree, live-streamed virtual reality performance in partnership with Universal Music Group (UMG), the world leader in music-based entertainment, Capitol Records and VRLIVE. Fans around the world will be able to view the live stream on UMG’s newly released VRTGO VR platform, powered by VRLIVE’s advanced technology, and experience Avenged Sevenfold’s electrifying set as if they were there for this first-of-its-kind immersive event. VRTGO is freely available on iOS and Android.
“We are constantly working to create opportunities for our artists to connect with their fans in new and exciting ways,” says Michelle Jubelirer, COO, Capitol Records. “We’re thrilled to work with Avenged Sevenfold and VRLIVE to bring this unique experience to Avenged Sevenfold fans around the world.”
VRLIVE will also be streaming the event to 50 Samsung Gear VR headsets on the ground level at the event for the guests to virtually transport themselves to the stage. The event will be shot using the Nokia OZO camera, the first purpose-built VR camera with immersive spatial audio to deliver the best in VR music experiences.
“VRTGO is a truly immersive and creative platform for our artists to tell their stories and invite their fans around the world to experience live performances and music videos like never before,” says Deborah Hyacinth, SVP Digital Marketing Innovation, UMG. “We’ve employed state of the art technology to make VRTGO a cross-device platform and home to some of the world’s best VR content.”
"We are excited about our partnership with Universal Music Group as it gives us the opportunity to provide the viewing audience with unprecedented levels of access,” stated VRLIVE Founder and CEO Heiner Lippman. “Virtual Reality is destined to change the media landscape, which will enable users to not just view entertainment, rather, it allows them to experience it, and VRLIVE will continue to transform how people view and interact with the world around them.”
On December 2nd, Warner Bros. will release a best-of compilation package of Avenged Sevenfold's biggest Warner Bros. hits to date. The two-disc set, titled The Best Of 2005-2013, features 18 songs from Avenged Sevenfold's best-selling Warner Bros. albums released between 2005 and 2013 including City Of Evil, Avenged Sevenfold, Nightmare and Hail To The King. The package also features a cover of Black Sabbath's "Paranoid", originally on the Warner Bros. tribute album Covered, A Revolution In Sound as well as two original songs that Avenged Sevenfold wrote for video games: "Carry On" (Call Of Duty II) and "Not Ready To Die" (Call Of The Dead). The album will be available at all physical and digital retailers on December 2nd.
While at Warner Bros., Avenged Sevenfold achieved worldwide success with a string of best-selling albums - including their 2005 platinum breakthrough City Of Evil, 2007's Avenged Sevenfold, which topped the Billboard Alternative, Hard, and Rock Charts, and two consecutive #1’s on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart, Nightmare (2010) and Hail To The King - achieving Diamond, Platinum and Gold awards for album sales in nearly a dozen countries. They have also scored a series of Top 10 singles at multiple formats, including "Bat Country”, "Almost Easy”, "Scream”, "Nightmare”, "Welcome To The Family”, "So Far Away" and "Hail To The King”, and their latest, "Shepherd Of Fire”. The band, which hails from Huntington Beach, CA, have become known for their spectacular live shows, routinely selling out arenas worldwide and headlining some of the biggest and most prestigious music festivals.
Avenged Sevenfold will be returning to the UK in January with special guests Disturbed and In Flames. The 8-show tour will start January 10th in Glasgow, Scotland and come to an end on January 21st in London, England at the O2 Arena.k.