AVENGED SEVENFOLD Frontman Talks About New Song 'Not Ready To Die'

Orange County, California's AVENGED SEVENFOLD has released "Not Ready To Die", a new song featured in Call of Duty: Black Ops. The track is available on the "Escalation" map pack that was released on May 3.

Speaking to Revolver magazine, AVENGED singer M. Shadows was asked when the track was written. "We had a little break between the 'Nightmare After Christmas' tour and the 'Welcome To The Family' tour," he said. "So it was written, like, in four days that we had off. So it was pretty rushed. It was pretty incredible, though, because we really wanted to do it. It was written, like, a month or two ago."

Regarding the lyrical theme of the track, M. Shadows said, "The song is about the game. There's a full backstory to what [the makers of Call Of Duty] been doing for years with their 'Zombies' series. I'm a big fan of the game, I play it all the time, so I got caught up in the story. They sent me over the full storyline, so I made sure it was going along the lines of the zombie story. So that's what it's about."

With 2 billion hours played and counting, Call of Duty: Black Ops consistently draws millions of gamers around the world online every day. Escalation's four new multiplayer maps and unprecedented Zombie experience, featuring famed director George A. Romero, Robert Englund, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Michael Rooker and Danny Trejo, and an original music track from AVENGED SEVENFOLD titled "Not Ready To Die", will continue this global phenomenon.

The Escalation content pack's new multiplayer maps include:

* "Hotel", where players to battle it out on the roof of a Cuban luxury hotel and casino against the vivid backdrop of old Havana;
* "Convoy", which delivers intense, close-quarters combat at the scene of an ambushed U.S. military convoy;
* "Zoo", which sets gamers on an eerie ride through an abandoned Soviet Russian Zoo with danger at every turn;
* "Stockpile", which pits players in a remote Russian farm town, housing secret WMD facilities; and
* "Call Of The Dead", Escalation's Zombie experience that assembles a zombie-carnage dream team to fight against a new and undefeatable zombie horde menace, all set in the dark, ice-covered isles of Siberia.

"We took the community's feedback to heart, and the result is five of the most creative and varied maps we have ever made," said Treyarch studio head Mark Lamia. "'Call Of The Dead' is an homage to the great horror films that have inspired the team and represents a deep commitment to our Zombie fans. Being able to collaborate with such talented artists and musicians was an absolute honor and thrill for everyone involved. We think the fans are going to go crazy over it!"

The Call of Duty: Black Ops Escalation pack is available first on Xbox LIVE Marketplace for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft for 1,200 Microsoft Points.

Developed by Treyarch and published by Activision Publishing, Inc., Call of Duty: Black Ops is rated "M" (Mature) by the ESRB for blood and gore, intense violence and strong language.

"Not Ready To Die", the new single by AVENGED SEVENFOLD, is now available for download on the iTunes store.