Following the release of the hotly anticipated Avenged Sevenfold track "Mad Hatter" from upcoming video game Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, fans have been vocally critical of the song's mix, finding it overly compressed and feeling it lacked the band's usual attention to recording detail.
And upon further review, A7X agree. Singer M. Shadows took to Reddit over the weekend saying that they too were taken aback when they first heard the streaming version of their new track, and would release a new re-mixed version of "Mad Hatter."
"We were pushing the limits in a lot of different ways and once the compression of streaming services and radio got a hold of it the clarity become muddied," Shadows said. "I heard it on the radio and was like 'Oh Shit!' The good news is we live in a world were you can quickly fix your mistakes and we have done just that."
Fans reacted positively, appreciating Shadow's willingness to expound on the lackluster quality of the first mix on such an accessible platform. The frontman even elaborated on how the inadequate mix made the cut:
"I'd put this in the "we fucked up" category," said Shadows. "Mixing and mastering happened while we were in Europe and we were getting stuff sent over and all listening on different headphones. Old mix just pushed it a little far but no one had a set of speakers we trusted being on the road and such. By the time we got home we were used to the sound but hearing it on the radio next to other things allowed us to gain some perspective on it. All good. Sucks but it will all be fine."
The singer also addressed concerns around whether the song will be updated for iTunes purchases, candidly admitting he wasn't sure how that would work but hoped listeners wouldn't have to pay for the updated download. "It's unfortunate but you may have to purchase the song again. Sucks but we feel fixing this now is better then leaving the current mix since it's still not even a week old," he told user SynSvn. Making good on this promise, he posted this link to a free download as well.
The new and improved version of "Mad Hatter" is set for availability via all streaming services by the end of today. Check it out via Spotify now below.
