This Means War

Guitarist Synyster Gates told MusicRadar.com that for this song, "We wanted a really impactful, riff-based intro but one that would also feature our dual lead harmony approach. It's pretty cool how it fits into the slow groove of the track and just hammers through." Gates added that all his solos were improvised initially – the guitarist would go in, get his bearings and see what he came up with. For this song he, "was hearing something chaotic in the intro, a machine-gun spray that would build into something more melodic."

The song isn't about military warfare, rather it concerns the internal battles within our minds. Vocalist M. Shadows explained to Kerrang! magazine: "Lyrically, it's not about going to Iraq and shooting people. It's more about the war inside your head, and living with the decisions that you make that everyone's battling in their own way."

The song's music video was directed by Andrew Baird (Cage The Elephant, Carrie Underwood). The clip is described in the press release as "a grisly street fight on the dark streets of an urban metropolis. Haunted by dark creatures and lost souls."