Over the weekend, Knotfest descended on Toluca, Mexico, for two days stacked with some of the biggest names in rock and metal. Headlining the first night (Saturday, Oct. 15) were Avenged Sevenfold. With the bill-topping slot a highlight in its own, fans were treated to a welcome surprise as they were the first to witness the new song "The Stage" performed live (video above).

Avenged Sevenfold took the stage after thrash icons Slayer, tearing through 13 songs in all, including classic cuts like "Nightmare," "Hail to the King," "Bat Country," "Buried Alive" and more. After closing the first part of the set with "Acid Rain," the band walked back out in front of their lavish stage design, reclaiming the spotlight and sending fans into ecstasy as they tore into the eight minute new track, "The Stage."

The song, which debuted just two days before the Knotfest Mexico appearance, opens with a tapping guitar melody, which fans instantly recognized as the soon-to-be classic. A fitting encore choice, "The Stage" details morbid forms of human entertainment that have taken place throughout history.

With the arrival of the new song late last week, the Deathbot website was launched as well. The home page allows fans to submit questions, which are met with indeterminate responses. In the days leading up to the release of "The Stage," numerous sightings of the band's Deathbat mascot were reported around the world and Chris Jericho tweeted a new A7X record would be coming in December, insinuating the title would be Voltaic Oceans.

No particulars concerning the title of the forthcoming record or release date have been made known at this time.

See Where Avenged Sevenfold's Albums Landed on the Top 100 Hard Rock + Metal Albums of the 21st Century

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