Shepherd of Fire

"Shepherd of Fire"
"Shepherd of Fire"
Single by Avenged Sevenfold
from the album Hail to the King
Released	November 7, 2013
Genre	Heavy metal;
Length	5:25
Label	Warner Bros.
Songwriters	M. Shadows; Synyster Gates; Zacky Vengeance; Johnny Christ;
Producer	Mike Elizondo
Avenged Sevenfold singles chronology
Music video
	"Shepherd of Fire" on YouTube

"Shepherd of Fire" is a song by American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold. Released on November 7, 2013, it is the second single from the sixth studio album Hail to the King. The single was a No. 1 single on the US Mainstream Rock charts, their third single to do so.^[1]

"Shepherd of Fire" is the theme song of the Call of Duty: Black Ops II Zombies map "Origins", included in the final downloadable content compilation Apocalypse.^[2] It is also featured in the mixed martial arts game EA Sports UFC.^[3]

Personnel

Avenged Sevenfold

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

Session musicians^[4]

Brent Arrowood – sound effects
David Campbell – orchestral arrangement and conductor
Suzie Katayama – cello
Ed Meares – upright bass
John Fumo, Rick Baptist – trumpet
Alan Kaplan – trombone
Steven Holtman, Andrew Martin, Jaime Ochoa – bass trombone
Douglas Tornquist – tuba
Joe Meyer, John Reynolds – horn

Production

Mike Elizondo – production, sound effects
Brent Arrowood – assistant engineer
Chris Sporleder – assistant engineer
D.A. Frizell – illustrations, treatment
Adam Hawkins – engineer
Paul Suarez – pro-tools
Cam Rackman – paintings, portraits
Andy Wallace – mixer
Bob Ludwig – mastering engineer

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for "Shepherd of Fire"
Chart (2013–2014)	Peak position
Canada Rock (Billboard)^[5]	31
Czech Republic Rock (IFPI)^[6]	8
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)^[7]	49
UK Rock & Metal (Official Charts)^[8]	12
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)^[9]	28
US Rock & Alternative Airplay (Billboard)^[10]	9

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for "Shepherd of Fire"
Chart (2014)	Position
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)^[11]	62
US Rock Airplay (Billboard)^[12]	29

Certifications

Certifications for "Shepherd of Fire"
Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ)^[13]	Gold	15,000^‡
United Kingdom (BPI)^[14]	Silver	200,000^‡
United States (RIAA)^[15]	Platinum	1,000,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

↑ "Avenged Sevenfold – Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved August 23, 2014.
↑ "AVENGED SEVENFOLD: Trailer For 'Hail To The King' Animated Series". BlabberMouth.
↑ "EA SPORTS UFC SOUNDTRACK". EA Sports. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
↑ "Hail to the King - Avenged Sevenfold – Credits – AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved October 4, 2014.
↑ "Avenged Sevenfold Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved June 28, 2013.
↑ "CZ - Radio - Top 20 Modern Rock" (select "Top 20 Modern Rock" into the search box, then select "201414"). hitparada.ifpicr.cz. Retrieved March 14, 2023.^{[dead link]}
↑ "Avenged Sevenfold: Shepherd Of Fire" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
↑ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart on 7/9/2013 – Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 28, 2013.
↑ "Avenged Sevenfold Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 28, 2013.
↑ "Avenged Sevengold Chart History (Rock & Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
↑ "Hot Rock & Alternative Songs – Year-End 2014". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 31, 2020. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
↑ "Rock Airplay Songs – Year-End 2014". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 28, 2019. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
↑ "New Zealand single certifications – Avenged Sevenfold – Shepherd of Fire". Radioscope. Retrieved June 12, 2026. Type Shepherd of Fire in the "Search:" field and press Enter.
↑ "British single certifications – Avenged Sevenfold – Shepherd of Fire". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 10, 2026. Select singles in the Formats field. Type Shepherd of Fire Avenged Sevenfold in the "Search:" field.
↑ "American single certifications – Avenged Sevenfold – Shepherd of Fire". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 4, 2021.

This 2010s rock song-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information.

[1] "Avenged Sevenfold – Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved August 23, 2014.

[2] "AVENGED SEVENFOLD: Trailer For 'Hail To The King' Animated Series". BlabberMouth.

[3] "EA SPORTS UFC SOUNDTRACK". EA Sports. Retrieved March 23, 2023.

[4] "Hail to the King - Avenged Sevenfold – Credits – AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved October 4, 2014.

[sc_Billboardcanadarock_Avenged_Sevenfold-5] "Avenged Sevenfold Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved June 28, 2013.

[6] "CZ - Radio - Top 20 Modern Rock" (select "Top 20 Modern Rock" into the search box, then select "201414"). hitparada.ifpicr.cz. Retrieved March 14, 2023.^{[dead link]}

[sc_Finland_Avenged_Sevenfold_Shepherd_Of_Fire-7] "Avenged Sevenfold: Shepherd Of Fire" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved November 25, 2022.

[sc_UKrock_-8] "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart on 7/9/2013 – Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 28, 2013.

[sc_Billboardrocksongs_Avenged_Sevenfold-9] "Avenged Sevenfold Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 28, 2013.

[sc_Billboardrockairplay_Avenged_Sevengold-10] "Avenged Sevengold Chart History (Rock & Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved January 21, 2022.

[11] "Hot Rock & Alternative Songs – Year-End 2014". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 31, 2020. Retrieved October 20, 2025.

[12] "Rock Airplay Songs – Year-End 2014". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 28, 2019. Retrieved October 20, 2025.

[New_ZealandAvenged_SevenfoldShepherd_of_FiresingleCertRef-13] "New Zealand single certifications – Avenged Sevenfold – Shepherd of Fire". Radioscope. Retrieved June 12, 2026. Type Shepherd of Fire in the "Search:" field and press Enter.

[United_KingdomAvenged_SevenfoldShepherd_of_FiresingleCertRef-14] "British single certifications – Avenged Sevenfold – Shepherd of Fire". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 10, 2026. Select singles in the Formats field. Type Shepherd of Fire Avenged Sevenfold in the "Search:" field.

[United_StatesAvenged_SevenfoldShepherd_of_FiresingleCertRef-15] "American single certifications – Avenged Sevenfold – Shepherd of Fire". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 4, 2021.

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v t e Avenged Sevenfold
M. Shadows Zacky Vengeance Synyster Gates Johnny Christ Brooks Wackerman Matt Wendt Justin Sane Dameon Ash The Rev Arin Ilejay
Studio albums	Sounding the Seventh Trumpet Waking the Fallen City of Evil Avenged Sevenfold Nightmare Hail to the King The Stage Life Is But a Dream...
Extended plays	Warmness on the Soul Black Reign
Other albums	Live in the LBC & Diamonds in the Rough The Best of 2005–2013 Live at the Grammy Museum
Singles	"Chapter Four" "Unholy Confessions" "Burn It Down" "Bat Country" "Beast and the Harlot" "Seize the Day" "Walk" "Almost Easy" "Afterlife" "Dear God" "Scream" "Nightmare" "Welcome to the Family" "So Far Away" "Not Ready to Die" "Buried Alive" "Carry On" "Hail to the King" "St. James" "Shepherd of Fire" "The Stage" "God Damn" "Mad Hatter" "Nobody"
Other songs	"Second Heartbeat" "I Won't See You Tonight" "A Little Piece of Heaven" "Fiction" "This Means War" "The River"
Tours	Avenged Sevenfold Tour
Related articles	Discography Pinkly Smooth Mike Portnoy Brian Haner Asphalt Legends
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