As far as the album goes - I hope you are enjoying it. It is truly an amazing piece of art. Adventurous, fun, musical - yet still manages to punch you in the gut at times. Definitely has some old school Avenged, but in a totally new way. I've never heard Matt sing better. Took a minute to get used to it - but this is who he is today - and it's awesome! So proud they are still evolving. And don't even get me started on Brooks. Good Lord!
My single contribution to this album wa...s the outro solo on Angels. I come in at 4:06 and play til the end.
When I play on an Avenged record they always "direct" me. That is to say - I play an idea and then they work with me to refine it into what they want. Always collaborative. And usually a process that's somewhat time-consuming.
This time was different. I walked in, Syn handed me his guitar and said "Get the tone you want". I worked with the producer for about 5 minutes and we tweaked until I had the sound I wanted - (a little more gritty and raw than Syn's usual sound).
Then I asked Matt, "What do you want on this?"
He said, "I want you to play whatever the fuck you want to play."
So I did.
The producer looked at Matt. Matt looked at Syn. Syn looked at the producer.
Then they all looked at me and said, "Um, we can listen back to that - but I think we're good."
So - believe it or not - that was the first take. One take and I played exactly what you hear.
That almost NEVER happens in the studio. Especially on an improvised solo that lasts a minute and a half.
Maybe it was luck, maybe it was a bit of skill or the fact that they chose a song they knew I could nail. Perhaps a combination of all of the above. It doesn't matter and I don't care. I have spent enough time in studios laboring for hours over a solo to know that I wasn't about to ask for a second take.
Four months later and the guys are still talking about my "one take".
For an old musician - it doesn't get any better than that.
