Avenged Sevenfold's gold selling City of Evil launched the Orange County band from clubs to arenas, including a coveted slot opening for Guns 'N Roses in Europe. It also made A7X one of the most polarizing and scrutinized groups on the scene. For Evil's follow-up, frontman M. Shadows plans to let the music speak for itself. "One thing I can tell you is not to expect a part two of any of our records," he says. "I think we found ourselves in the last year. I think [the next album is] not going to sound like anybody, and it will sound like Avenged Sevenfold." Shadows says the group plan to use a "less is more" approach; they have a couple adventurous songs that are epic in scope but not necessarily in length. The band want to concentrate on texture and are discussing the possibility of working with multiple producers. Besides, after a year on the road, they're all tired of dual-guitar harmonies – and stories about the fall of Babylon. "The lyrics are going to be more straight-to-the-point," says Shadows. "This will be a much more real record that everyone can relate to, about stuff that everyone deals with.

