Californian metal titans Avenged Sevenfold have announced their imminent return to UK shores next year. The announcement follows the recent, surprise release of their seventh album The Stage, which was marked simultaneously by a unique, 360 degrees, virtual reality live performance, played on top of Capitol Records’ building in Los Angeles.

The release of The Stage is the band’s first release on Capitol, as well as their first time working with the likes of Joe Barresi, who has previously worked with heavyweights like Queens of the Stone Age, and Tool.

Lyrically and thematically, The Stage shows a growth in both scope and ambition, with the eleven track album linked by themes of artificial intelligence, and the acceleration of technology’s expansion, for better and for worse.

The band have cited the works of Elon Musk and Carl Sagan as key influences on the album. The album’s closing track is 15 minutes long, and features a spoken word section from famed astrophysicist Neil Degrasse Tyson, who wrote his segment specifically for the album.

The last time Avenged Sevenfold visited the UK was in 2013, in support of their last album, Hail to the King, which culminated in the band’s first ever headline set at Download Festival in 2014. Next year’s tour begins on January 7, at Dublin’s 3 Arena, and concludes with two massive night’s at London’s O2 Arena. On the tour, the band will be supported by Swedish metal veterans In Flames, and Simon and Garfunkel tribute act Disturbed. The full list of dates can be found below, and tickets can be bought here.

January 2017
7/1- 3 Arena- Dublin
10/1- The SSE Hydro- Glasgow
12/1-Metro Radio Arena- Newcastle
13/1- Genting Arena- Birmingham
15/1- Sheffield Arena
16/1- Manchester Arena
18/1- Motorpoint Arena- Nottingham
19/1-  Motorpoint Arena- Cardiff
21/1- O2 Arena – London
22/1- 02 Arena- London