Cannabis Indica

"Carry On"
Single by Avenged Sevenfold
from the EP Black Reign
B-side"Instrumental"
ReleasedSeptember 24, 2012 (September 24, 2012)
RecordedAugust 2012[1]
GenreHeavy metal
Length4:15
LabelWarner Bros.
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Mike Elizondo
Avenged Sevenfold singles chronology
"Buried Alive"
(2011)
"Carry On"
(2012)
"Hail to the King"
(2013)
Audio sample

"Carry On" is a song by American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold. The song was released on iTunes on September 24, 2012.[2][3][4]

Music style and lyrical themes[edit]

The song is a fast, uptempo song inspired by "classic metal" and thrash metal.[5]

In an interview with the band's lead singer M. Shadows about the song's meaning he said, "I wanted to be more vague. Sometimes, I feel like my lyrics meander a little bit, and our songs are so big I need to write more words than are necessary. I wanted to leave these lyrics more open-ended. I felt that the term "Carry On" was perfect not only for the characters but for AVENGED SEVENFOLD moving forward. I stuck with that. I just wanted to write some epic lyrics you could think about when you were driving down the street or on your horse."[5]

In popular culture[edit]

The song plays after the end credits of Call of Duty: Black Ops II in a non-canon music video, showing the band as well as two characters from the game, Raul Menendez (voiced by Kamar de los Reyes) on guitar (guitar played by 'Scarlett') and Sergeant Frank Woods (voiced by James C. Burns) on drums, as the song plays a montage of cutscenes and gameplay elements. It is also used in the reveal trailer for the game's Zombies mode.

Record Store Day release[edit]

For Record Store Day 2013, the band released the song on a 12-inch picture disc. The A-side has the album artwork, while the B-side has the band's Deathbat logo in black on a white background.. The numbers '75' and '60' are written above the wings.

12-inch picture disc
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Carry On"
  • M. Shadows
  • Synyster Gates
  • Zacky Vengeance
  • Johnny Christ
4.15
2."Carry On (Instrumental)"
  • M. Shadows
  • Synyster Gates
  • Zacky Vengeance
  • Johnny Christ
4:15
Total length:8:30

Chart performance[edit]

Chart Peak
Czech Republic Rock (IFPI)[6] 11
US Rock Airplay (Billboard) 18
US Rock Songs (Billboard)[7] 20
US Heatseeker Songs (Billboard)[8] 18
US Digital Songs (Billboard)[9] 70

Personnel[edit]

Avenged Sevenfold
  • M. Shadows – lead vocals
  • Zacky Vengeance – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
  • Synyster Gates – lead guitar, backing vocals
  • Johnny Christ – bass, backing vocals
  • Arin Ilejay – drums

References[edit]

External links[edit]

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