WHAT THEY SAID
"I prefer my prompts and the collective hive mind and efficiency of the future. Just my opinion but I embrace it." * Zacky Vengeance said that on X on October 29, 2026, after Avenged Sevenfold caught heat for pairing AI-generated artwork with their annual Deathbats Misfits cover *, ‡. He also joked AI will kill everyone *.
THE DETAILS
- The artwork accompanied a cover of the Misfits' "Horror Business," part of the band's yearly tribute for their fan club *.
- He claimed most designers he has worked with over roughly 20 years were lazy and allowed themselves to be replaced through complacency and greed *, ‡.
- One of his pro-AI posts was, by his own admission, written using AI *, ‡.
- He named Wes, Cam and Micah as collaborators AI cannot replace, and said he has bought artwork from an artist named Eddie *.
- Context from Louder: M. Shadows backed AI publicly in 2023, and the surprise Statica EP landed in July with a full album teased ‡.
WHO IS RIGHT
Calling two decades of designers lazy is the indefensible part, that is blaming workers for a tool their clients chose. His jab at people raging about AI on AI-driven platforms * lands, but it does not excuse the insult.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
Unresolved: no other Avenged Sevenfold member has commented, and the Statica album is still coming †, ‡.