Avenged Sevenfold Targeted in Deeply Concerning Hack

Heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold and their fans were the targets of a bizarre hack last month. Lead singer M. Shadows appeared to announce the band dropped out of two upcoming U.S. festivals in the latest episode of the band's podcast. However, the episode was bogus and created using deep fake AI technology to mimic the singer's voice.

The episode of their Trax podcast claimed Avenged Sevenfold would no longer play the Welcome to Rockville and Sonic Temple festivals while they work on a new album, reports Consequence. The announcement sounded genuine and even surfaced on the podcast's Spotify page. A tweet with a link to the bogus podcast was even published on their Twitter page.

"Yikes! This is NOT TRUE," Shadows tweeted on Feb. 26. "We are still playing. Getting to the bottom of this."

Avenged Sevenfold also published a statement on their own page, urging fans to only follow their Discord page for genuine news. "Our accounts were compromised over the weekend and have now been recovered. Our festival appearances have not been cancelled," they wrote on Feb. 27. "For the time being, please go to our Discord for all future communications. Thank you for your patience."

The fake announcement was quickly deleted. The hackers used deep fake technology to trick fans into thinking the festival shows were canceled so they can finish their upcoming album. "We've been working tirelessly on this new music and are committed to bringing it to you as soon as possible," the fake voice claimed. "We know that canceling more shows is a major disappointment, and I want to assure you that this is a decision we did not make lightly. Many of you will be let down and frustrated. And for that, we are deeply sorry."

Avenged Sevenfold is preparing to release Life Is but a Dream... on June 2. It is their first studio album since The Stage in 2016 and features the single "Nobody." The album is inspired by author Albert Camus and features art by Wes Lang. The Welcome to Rockville show on May 19 in Daytona Beach, Florida will be the first stop on their tour to promote the record. The group will also perform at Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival in Columbus, Ohio on May 26. They have a show scheduled for Kia Forum in Inglewood, California on June 9 and a Madison Square Garden show set for June 23. They will also perform at Aftershock in Sacramento on Oct. 5.