Avenged Sevenfold

Having recorded its tribute to Hunter S. Thompson, “Bat Country,” only a few days prior to the writer’s death, Avenged Sevenfold is shrouded in suspicion. The young So-Cal metal outfit shot onto MTV radar as though fired from the cannon from which Thompson’s ashes were blasted at his funeral. Did the band’s transition to a classic metal sound drive Thompson into his fatal depression? Or was his suicide a ruse to start anew as a roadie for a band whose tales of partying recall Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas? We may never know the truth, but perhaps we can seek out clues in Avenged Sevenfold’s arena-style concerts. Let’s just keep asking ourselves, What would Hunter do?