Avenged Sevenfold - Shepherd Of Fire

What this video is

Released November 7, 2013 as the second single from Avenged Sevenfold's sixth studio album Hail to the King (Warner Bros. Records), 'Shepherd of Fire' arrived during a moment of self-conscious classicism in mainstream heavy metal — the band explicitly sought to channel the sonic DNA of Metallica, Black Sabbath, and Pantera. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, their second consecutive chart-topper. The…

Why it matters

Represents the commercial apex of 2010s arena/classic-influenced heavy metal, demonstrating how post-millennial metal acts synthesized retro-rock aesthetics (Sabbath, Maiden, Metallica) with modern HD video production and cross-media gaming tie-ins. The video's theatrical hellscape aesthetic and…

The director

Wayne Isham (born December 2, 1958, Vinita, Oklahoma) is an American music video and film director with over 150 credited music videos since the 1980s. A UC Santa Barbara alumnus, he cited David Bowie's 'Ashes to Ashes' as his career inspiration. His…