Chuck Billy talks A7X and Metallica influences

Testament frontman Chuck Billy has addressed the controversy surrounding Avenged Sevenfold's latest album 'Hail to the King' and its similarities to Metallica.

During an interview with Brave Words, the singer was asked what he thought about the accusations that A7X borrowed heavily from Metallica's 'The Black Album'. Billy responded with:

"Influence is different than borrowing I think. Like us, I think we've always had our own sound, but we've always wanted to be and use the influence of early Metallica because for us it was such a new movement, a new young fresh sound.

"But we never tried to mimic that," he stressed. "We kind of tried to use that attitude and approach, the way they handled themselves, and you wanted to be cool like that [laughs]. As far as using a song or a riff, or trying to be like that, people see right through that and it actually harms you because then people really come down on you. There is only one Metallica and you don't want to copy them and do what they do".

Is 'Hail to the King' simply an homage to a great album? Or is it just a rip-off? Let us know what you think in the comments below.