But under an amendment to the law introduced in the 1980s, record companies can claim lost profits on uncompleted albums, which is what Warner Brothers intends to do, according to Billboard.

A7X's lawyer Howard E King says: "Avenged Sevenfold recently exercised the rights given them by this law and ended its recording agreement with Warner Bros Records.

King adds that, since A7X signed the deal with Warner in 2004, the label has undergone "multiple regime changes that led to dramatic turnover at every level of the company, to the point where no one on the current A&R staff has even a nodding relationship with the band."