Avenged Sevenfold have left their early metalcore sound behind for good, insists frontman M Shadows.

And he says none of the band have anything to do with the genre that was the staple of 2001 debut Sounding The Seventh Trumpet.

Shadows tells the Jakarta Post: “The metalcore has been left behind. It’s not something that any of us find enjoyment in listening to, so it’s not the direction we would write songs in.

“I wouldn’t hold my breath for a comeback. We are ever-evolving and never repeat ourselves.

“I want to stay away from trends and do what we want to do musically. We write music because we have to — it’s a part of our very being. As we develop I see us following our heart on this musical journey.”

A7X released sixth album Hail To The King in 2013 and Shadows said last year that they would begin work on the follow-up sometime in 2015, with a release likely next year. He also revealed the band were working on a documentary that to chart their career from just before the death of drummer Jimmy ‘The Rev’ Sullivan until the present day.