Kerrang! intervista M. Shadows

Come vi avevamo anticipato qualche tempo fa, nell’ultimo numero della rivista Kerrang! c’è una breve intervista a Matt. Gli argomenti trattati sono stati: commenti riguardo l’anno trascorso, il suo intervento al ginocchio, il Natale e la scrittura di un nuovo album.

How has your year been, sir?
– “It’s been pretty busy. We’ve done a lot of work, played some big shows, been around the world and had lots of fun. So in that respect, it was a year to remember. But at the same time it was a healing process to tour the Nightmare album.”

Is it still hard to go onstage each night without The Rev?
– “It was harder in the beginning but we’re happy to be onstage again now. It’s been nearly two years, so we have a better perspective on life. We still miss Jimmy so much, but we’re happy to remember him with the fans by playing his and our songs every night. It’s not as sad as it used to be, it’s more joyous now. If we hadn’t gone back out there, we’d still be in a dark hole, so I’m really proud of the guys for getting up and getting out there.”

What’s been the highlight of your year?
– “Being in Europe was huge for us. There are a lot of markets and cities that hadn’t really accepted our understood Avenged Sevenfold yet; finally some of them clicked. Mostly, we were excited to see System Of A Down – we were very excited to see them come back. It was also nice that we got some respect from England because that was one of the first places that cared about the band.”

Away from the band, what will you remember about 2011?
– “I had knee surgery because I was in pain all the time; I was wearing knee braces onstage. But finally, it’s fixed. So that’s something I’ll definitely remember. Aside from that, I’ve played a lot of video games, been to a lot of weddings and a lot of my friends have started having kids.”

You’ve reached that age…
– “I know. I’ve only just turned 30, so I think of us as pretty young but suddenly all our friends are popping out kids and getting married. It’s crazy.

What’s Christmas like Chez Shadows?
– “We’re not going to get home until the 18th, so we’re only going to have six days to get ready for it, but I love Christmas. My wife will cook a big meal on Christmas eve for all the family. She’ll get a big tree and decorate the whole house for when I get home from tour. When you’ve been on planes and buses all day, you don’t get a Christmassy vibe – so I love getting home to it. I love all that stuff the holiday season makes me feel good.”

Will you be dressing up as Santa at any point?
– “Ha! Maybe when i have kids but not anytime soon.”

What’s the best album you’ve heard this year?
– “I love the new Mastadon album, The Hunter. I’ve been listening to that solidly for weeks. It’s awesome.”

You’re film of the year?
– “I like The Rum Diary but I’m not sure it’s something everyone would love.”

Best gig you’ve seen?
– “System Of A Down at Download.”

Have you got any resolutions for the new years?
– “We’ll start thinking about the next record pretty soon. I get this need [for us] to prove ourselves again. I get anxious and excited about it, so I’m looking forward to starting on that next summer. So we’ll write in the summer, which will be a big, important thing, but I’ve got no idea when we’ll release it.”