Avenged Sevenfold Release Cover of ‘Runaway’ With Zacky Vengeance on Vocals

Avenged Sevenfold continue to add to their ever evolving record The Stage with a cover of "Runaway," originally performed by Del Shannon. The song also features guitar work from The Vandals' Warren Fitzgerald, and Zacky Vengeance steps up to take on vocal duties.

It's a pretty wild and unexpected cover from the band, though that's seemed to be their M.O. recently when choosing songs to cover. The take on Shannon's original is a lot more punk sounding in nature than A7X usually churns out, which is a welcomed change up in style for the band. Zacky Vengeance's voice is also pretty great on the track, giving it the edge and speed it needs.

Of the song, lead singer M. Shadows said, “When we decided to expand the album and add new tracks, everyone in the band chose a song that would be interesting to cover. Zacky came up with the idea of doing a punk rock version of the Del Shannon classic. While in the studio, Synyster [Gates] brought up our old friend Warren Fitzgerald, saying it'd be great to have him play on the track and give the song the kind of reckless abandon he's known for with The Vandals. With Warren on board, Zacky wanted to have a crack at singing, which really put the song over the top. I do a little talking thing with him in the middle of the track, but that's it. The rest is all him and it came out great."

Zacky Vengeance adds, "I’ve always loved ‘Runaway’ and the dark undertone hidden behind the upbeat doo wop track. You can hear sincere anguish in his voice. I raised my hand to add a little punk rock flair to the vocals, have some fun, and give the fans a little something to talk about.”

Vandals' Warren Fitzgerald stated, “I’ve known the Avenged Sevenfold guys for years and obviously Brooks [Wackerman, A7X drummer] played with The Vandals, and our bands are both from Huntington Beach, so the ties run deep. But I was still surprised and honored that they asked me to play on the track. I think it’s a really cool choice for a cover and the guys were very generous in the studio. They’re all incredible musicians and to have them say, ‘Do what you do,’ was really flattering. So I did, and we had a blast, and I’m tickled to death with how it all turned out.”

It's the third song we've heard from The Stage in its evolving, constant new song form. Earlier this year, the group released the new single "Dose," Spanish-language cover of "Malaguena Salerosa" and their take on Mr. Bungle's "Retrovertigo." Who knows what they'll tackle next!

Hear "Runaway" above!

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