M. Shadows of Avenged Sevenfold was recently interviewed by Revolver, where he recalled the times he did psychedelics, later turning into an ‘existential crisis’.
Shadows first explained why he started doing psychedelics in the first place:
“I had dabbled in psychedelics when I was younger. I wanted to do it more as a medicine, and 5-MeO-DMT — toad venom — became really interesting to me as a way to see and explore.”
The frontman later explained what happened in his life:
“The experience was the shift that I needed. But it also sent me into an existential crisis for about six to eight months, one that I wouldn’t wish upon anyone. It was the deepest depression I’ve ever been in; I couldn’t leave the house, couldn’t go play sports, couldn’t go to the gym, couldn’t do anything.”
The guitarist Synyster Gates also mentioned the downside of drugs. He said:
“Psychedelics are not for everybody. You absolutely have to do a ton of research, because in some people it can trigger crazy setbacks and schizophrenic episodes. But you can’t just push it aside; there are so many breakthroughs happening in psychedelic medicine right now, and so many people that are pursuing it for the betterment of all of our psyches.”
Shadows, earlier, talked about the same drugs he and Synyster Gates have had just to experience and make ‘bold’ choices about the band’s latest album. The frontman explained:
“Me and [Synyster Gates] were exploring deeply in psychedelics throughout the last few years. One of those things, in particular, was 5-MeO-DMT. I had a very tough experience in, like, you know, type A personality [whose] ego gets completely demolished. You see yourself leave your body, and we can get into that more, but one thing that I came out of that realizing was that life is so short.
“Don’t put anything out unless it’s bold, and ‘bold’ was the word that we were using. ‘Bold’ was like, don’t just play within your genre.”
He also mentioned drifting from the usual sound of Avenged Sevenfold sound and trying to make it ‘more interesting’. The frontman later realized his wish to play melodically, in the song ‘Nobody’, was only a part of the drugs, and in short, he said the following:
“Don’t do psychedelics and make Pink Floyd. No, do your own thing and make your own stamp.”
Listen to the song below.
