.jpg)
546.jpg)
Tracklist front / back album covers
1. "The Stage" 8:32
2. "Paradigm" 4:18
3. "Sunny Disposition" 6:41
4. "God Damn" 3:41
5. "Creating God" 5:34
6. "Angels" 5:40
7. "Simulation" 5:30
8. "Higher" 6:28
9. "Roman Sky" 5:00
10. "Fermi Paradox" 6:30
11. "Exist" (narrated by Neil deGrasse Tyson) 15:41
Total length: 73:35
Deluxe Edition Bonus Disc
1. "Dose" 4:58
2. "Retrovertigo" (Mr. Bungle cover) 4:39
3. "Malagueña Salerosa" (traditional cover) 4:15
4. "Runaway" (Del Shannon cover, featuring Warren Fitzgerald) 2:49
5. "As Tears Go By" (The Rolling Stones cover) 2:54
6. "Wish You Were Here" (Pink Floyd cover) 5:14
7. "God Only Knows" (The Beach Boys cover) 3:34
8. "The Stage" (live from The O2 Arena in London) 9:16
9. "Paradigm" (live from The O2 Arena in London) 4:43
10. "Sunny Disposition" (live from The O2 Arena in London) 9:32
11. "God Damn" (live from The O2 Arena in London) 4:43
Total length: 56:37
Avenged Sevenfold Band Members / Musicians
M. Shadows – lead vocals, additional guitars on "Sunny Disposition"
Zacky Vengeance – rhythm guitar, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Runaway"
Synyster Gates – lead guitar, backing vocals, co-lead vocals on "As Tears Go By", classical guitar on "The Stage", 12-string guitar on "Wish You Were Here"
Johnny Christ – bass, backing vocals
Brooks Wackerman – drums
Papa Gates – outro guitar solo (track 6)
Jason Freese – keyboards (tracks 1, 2, 8, 10, 11)
Brian Kilgore – percussion (tracks 4, 8, 9)
Eric Gorfain – strings (track 5)
River James Sanders, Tennessee James Baker – backing vocals (track 7, 8)
Valary Sanders – nurse (track 7)
Michael Suarez – additional sound effects (track 7)
Angelo Moore, Walter Kibby – additional horns (track 3)
Neil deGrasse Tyson – spoken word (track 11)
Warren Fitzgerald – additional guitar ("Runaway")
John Krovoza – cello
Ian Walker – contrabass
Stephanie O'Keefe – french horn
David Ralicke, Nick Daley – trombone
Jordan Kats – trumpet
Leah Katz - viola
Daphne Chen – violin
Joe Barresi and Avenged Sevenfold – production
Andy Wallace, Josh Wilbur – mixing
Bob Ludwig – mastering
Paul Suarez – mixing engineer
Ignacio Lecumberri – assistant mixing engineer
Nick Fainbarg – technical engineer
Management and label
Larry Jacobson – management
Samantha Tripses – management
Mitra Darab – Capitol Records marketing
Hannah Keefe – Capitol Records marketing
The Stage is the 7th studio album by American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold. It was released on October 28, 2016, through Capitol Records, their first release through the label. It is the first Avenged Sevenfold album to feature drummer Brooks Wackerman, who joined the band in November 2015 but was not revealed as previous drummer Arin Ilejay's official replacement until Ilejay's departure in 2015, because the band wanted to find a drummer that would "fit in".
Written and recorded throughout 2016, The Stage was musically different for the band, marking a progressive metal sound. It is Avenged Sevenfold's first concept album, with its main theme being based on artificial intelligence and self-destruction of society. It is the band's longest studio album at 73 minutes and 35 seconds, thus beating 2005's City of Evil by almost a minute. In addition to being their longest album, The Stage features their longest song to date, "Exist", with a run-time of 15 minutes and 41 seconds.
Upon release, the album debuted at number four on the Billboard 200. The title track was nominated at 60th Annual Grammy Awards (2018) in "Best Rock Song" category. The Foo Fighters won the award with their track "Run".
