Avenged Sevenfold

Sounding the Seventh Trumpet is the first full length album from American metal band Avenged Sevenfold. After it was released in 2001 on Good Life Recordings, it was re-released by Hopeless Records on March 19, 2002. It featured slightly different cover art (the original didn't have the title on the cover, while the re-issue did). The re-release featured a track formerly on the Warmness on the Soul EP, "To End the Rapture (Heavy Metal Version)", which was the only track on the album to feature new guitarist at the time, Synyster Gates.

Track listing

1. "To End The Rapture" - 1:24
2. "Turn The Other Way" - 5:37
3. "Darkness Surrounding" - 4:49
4. "The Art Of Subconscious Illusion" - 3:46
5. "We Come Out At Night" - 4:45
6. "Lips Of Deceit" - 4:09
7. "Warmness On The Soul" - 4:20
8. "An Epic Of Time Wasted" - 4:19
9. "Breaking Their Hold" - 1:12
10. "Forgotten Faces" - 3:27
11. "Thick And Thin" - 4:15
12. "Streets" - 3:06
13. "Shattered By Broken Dreams" - 7:04

* All songs written by Avenged Sevenfold except track 12, M. Shadows

Personnel

* M. Shadows - Vocals and Melodies
* Zacky Vengeance - the Shadow Axe
* Justin Sane - Bass and Piano
* The Reverend Tholomew Plague - drums
* Additional screams on "The Art of Subconscious Illusion" by Valary Di Benedetto and Mr. Plague
* Recorded at Westbeach in Hollywood, California, USA
* Produced, engineered and mixed by Donnell Cameron and Avenged Sevenfold
* Assistant Engineered by Henrah Kruzchev
* Mastered by Ramon Breton and Avenged Sevenfold at Oceanview Mastering
* *Synyster Gates - guitar on "To End the Rapture" (Re-Release)

Videography

* Warmness on the Soul

Waking the Fallen is Avenged Sevenfold's second full-length release and the first to feature Johnny Christ on bass. This was the last Avenged Sevenfold album to feature their metalcore sound. It is also the last album on which frontman M. Shadows screams excessively, although there is much more melodic singing on this album than their previous album, Sounding the Seventh Trumpet. It is also the last album to be recorded in California near their hometown of Huntington Beach, before moving their recording operations to Houston, Texas. It was released on August 26, 2003 by Hopeless Records. The song Chapter Four is also featured in NHL 2004, Madden 2004, and NASCAR Thunder 2004. The song Eternal Rest is featured on the Saw IV Soundtrack. The constant theme of the album seems to be aimed towards the end of humanity and especially aimed towards the apocalypse, particularly in the song "Chapter Four", which directly references the story of Cain and Abel, this theme goes hand in hand with the numerous amount of biblical references not only in "Waking the Fallen" but in all of Avenged Sevenfold's albums up to date.

Track listing

1. "Waking the Fallen" 1:42
2. "Unholy Confessions" 4:43
3. "Chapter Four" 5:42
4. "Remenissions" 6:06
5. "Desecrate Through Reverence" 5:38
6. "Eternal Rest" 5:12
7. "Second Heartbeat" 7:00
8. "Radiant Eclipse" 6:09
9. "I Won't See You Tonight, Pt. 1" 8:58
10. "I Won't See You Tonight, Pt. 2" 4:44
11. "Clairvoyant Disease" 4:59
12. "And All Things Will End" 7:40

Songs

I Won't See You Tonight

This is a two-part suicide-themed song. These particular songs are based on the perspective of a person whose friend has committed suicide.

First part

Arguably the saddest song in Waking the Fallen, it is also the longest song at 8 minutes and 58 seconds and also is the only song on the album to not feature any screaming by the lead singer M. Shadows.

This song is actually dedicated to a former band member, Justin Meacham. Before Johnny Christ came to the band, Meachem was the lead bass player. Unfortunately he had bipolar disorder, and tried to kill himself with cough syrup.

The story is mentioned in Take Action tour (2003) magazine. In an interview with Matt Shadows:

Q: Has anyone in your band had personal experiences with depression or suicide?

A: Our old bass player actually did; he tried to commit suicide with Cough medicine and he ended up going insane because of it. So, we've definitely [sic] seen what depression can do to someone.

Q: Is he ok now?

A: No, he's pretty screwed up. He went to a mental institution for quite a few months, and when he got out, it was like he was on acid all the time. Eventually, we had to let him go because it was too much.

Second part

Due to the nature of the emotions and inconceivability of the act, the song is harsher than the first part, where the person has already resolved to commit the act. Here the screaming signifies the despair, frustration and sorrow of the friend who has been left behind.

A comparison for this idea, (a two part movement that showcases the effects of suicide) can be found on 1996 album The Great Southern Trendkill by Pantera. The songs "Suicide Note Pt. I" and "Suicide Note Pt. 2" are obvious influences for "I Won't See You Tonight Part 1" and "I Won't See You Tonight Part 2".

Trivia

* The album sold 370,000 copies across the world, and 310,000 were sold in America.
* The Songs "I Won't See You Tonight Pt.1" and "I Won't See You Tonight Pt. 2" have a resemblance to Pantera's "Suicide Note Pt.1"

and "Suicide Note Pt. 2" from their 1995-1996 album "The Great Southern Trendkill".

* The album is the last Avenged Sevenfold album to have M. Shadows screaming lyrics, however, he does still scream on some songs, such as Critical Acclaim and Beast and the Harlot.
* The album is the first to feature the full current line-up (M. Shadows, Zacky Vengeance, Synyster Gates, The Rev and Johnny Christ).
* Originally Intro to the Single Beast and the Harlot (from album City of Evil) was going to be an Outro the this Album.

Videography

A video was made for the track "Unholy Confessions" on March 6, 2004. It was a live video with the actual track dubbed over. It featured the fans before and during an Avenged Sevenfold concert. According to vocalist M. Shadows, it was requested by their new label, Warner Bros. Records in order to publicize the band before their 2005 album City of Evil.

Credits

* M. Shadows - lead vocals, piano, keyboards
* Synyster Gates - lead guitar, backing vocals
* Zacky Vengeance - rhythm guitar, backing vocals
* Johnny Christ - bass, backing vocals
* The Rev - drums, backing vocals
* Mudrock - producer
* Fred Archambault - co-producer
* Scott Gilman - orchestrations, programming

City of Evil is Avenged Sevenfold's third full-length album. It was released on June 7, 2005 by Warner Brothers. This album is somewhat of a departure from the band's previous metalcore style, most notably in that lead vocalist M. Shadows has largely departed from screamed vocals. The guitar work in the songs is also more technical and in a more metal style. Much like Judas Priest's Turbo album, this new style has created controversy between older fans; some labeling the band as sell-outs due to their new, more mainstream sound. On the other hand, the album has earned the band many newer fans that they could not have had with their older sound. It has been rumored that true reason behind the change of vocal style had to do with M. Shadows blowing out his vocal box, though the band currently denies this (yet M. Shadows does not sing in their previous style when performing older songs live). The album was certified gold in January 2006 and ranked number 63 on the October 2006 issue of Guitar World magazine's list of the 100 greatest guitar albums of all time.

Reception

Avenged Sevenfold's third CD showed a great departure for them both musically and sonically. The album was met with solid reviews from critics and garnered a lot of attention. The album is their best selling record to date, with approximately 800,000 copies sold in the United States alone.

Track listing

1. "Beast and the Harlot" - 5:40
2. "Burn It Down" - 4:58
3. "Blinded in Chains" - 6:34
4. "Bat Country" - 5:13
5. "Trashed and Scattered" - 5:53
6. "Seize the Day" - 5:32
7. "Sidewinder" - 7:01
8. "The Wicked End" - 7:10
9. "Strength of the World" - 9:14
10. "Betrayed" - 6:47
11. "M.I.A." - 8:47

Videography

City of Evil features most of the songs that Avenged Sevenfold has made videos for. On May 4, 2005, they released a promotional video for "Burn It Down", which was done in the same way as "Unholy Confessions" on Waking the Fallen (live video with dubbed music). On July 28, 2005, their first professional video for a song on the album, "Bat Country", was released. It was directed by Marc Klasfeld. On February 6, 2006, "Beast and the Harlot" was released. This was a few weeks after it had been leaked on YouTube.com It was directed by Tony Petrossian. More recently, on June 30, 2006, the video for "Seize the Day" was released on Avenged Sevenfold's MySpace. The video was directed by Wayne Isham.

Facts

* "Bat Country" was written in dedication to the infamous writer/reporter, Hunter S. Thompson. The title comes from the 18th page 3rd chapter of Thompson's book, "Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas", where Raoul Duke (Hunter S. Thompson) says "We can't stop here. This is bat country."[2]
* "Betrayed" was written about Nathan Gale's shooting of Dimebag Darrell.
* "M.I.A." was written after M. Shadows talked with friends who were fighting in Iraq.
* Various songs from the album were featured on EA Games, and on other medias. They consist of:
o Beast and the Harlot - Guitar Hero II, Burnout Revenge, Burnout Legends, MTV Movie Awards 2007
o Burn It Down - MTV2 Headbanger's Ball Compilation, Best of Taste of Chaos and Saw III soundtrack.
o Blinded In Chains - Need For Speed: Most Wanted, Need For Speed Carbon (Unreleased Beta) Arena Football 06, 2007 MTV Movie Awards
o Bat Country - Madden NFL 06, NHL 06, SSX On Tour
* In the film Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, you can see a City of Evil album billboard outside the Virgin megastore where Borat is going to a Pamela Anderson signing.
* On a game on the Taste Of Chaos website thee is a City of Evil picture on a bin when fighting in the theme park
* City of Evil gets its name from a lyric in "Beast and the Harlot," though it should be noted that the phrase "City of Evil" in the song may refer to the city in the book of Revelation (Babylon), where the album title may refer both to that as well as Las Vegas, the setting of part of Thompson's book
* The main riff of Beast and The Harlot was based on one of Ozzy Osbourne's Crazy Train chorus riffs, as confirmed by Synyster Gates in a 2006 interview .

Credits

* M. Shadows - vocals, piano
* Synyster Gates - lead guitar, backing vocals
* Zacky Vengeance - rhythm guitar, backing vocals
* Johnny Christ - bass, backing vocals
* The Rev - drums
* Additional guitars and pedal steel by Brian Haner
* Acoustic solo left on "Sidewinder" by Brian Haner
* Brian Haner, Suzy Haner, Valary DiBenedetto and Kasey DiBenedetto on "M.I.A"
* Scott Gilman - Producer, orchestrations, string conductor, additional keyboards and percussion
* Justin Meacham - Additional piano on "Seize the Day" and "Sidewinder"

Avenged Sevenfold (also known as The Black & White Album, in reference to The White Album and The Black Album because of its black and white and otherwise featureless cover.) is the self-titled fourth full-length album by Avenged Sevenfold, released on October 30, 2007 by Warner Bros. Records. The album, originally slated for an October 16 release, was delayed by two weeks in order to provide more time to complete bonus material and production for the record, including the making of a cartoon. The album debuted at number 4 on the Billboard 200, selling about 94,000 copies in its first week. The album has sold over 373,637 copies.

Lead up to release

Avenged Sevenfold revealed the track listing for the upcoming album on their YouTube profile on August 9, 2007, as well as their text messaging service, A7X Mobile. The band has also posted a teaser on a recent YouTube blog featuring an excerpt of vocalist M. Shadows screaming in the studio.

On August 17, 2007, a clip was posted with about 2 minutes of their first track on the new album, "Critical Acclaim" on the band's YouTube. The single was later downloaded in its entirety on YouTube and released on the iTunes Store on August 28.

In the weeks leading up to the album's release, a series of ten video clips, called "webisodes," were recorded featuring "Wolfie the Fox." The first webisode was released on August 24, 2007; a 3:41 clip that was posted on the band's YouTube. The clip consists of a pre-recorded phone message from "Wolfie the Fox" and a few scenes of their process of making "Critical Acclaim". Each of the subsequent webisodes was similar in content. The clips featured a short mock-interview between M. Shadows and Wolfie the Fox, various band members during the making of various tracks for "Avenged Sevenfold," and other background videos. About eleven days before the album's release, The Wolfie Trailer was posted on YouTube. In it, Wolfie sings "Critical Acclaim" and talks about the MVI version of the new album. The webisodes can all be viewed on the band's MySpace and YouTube pages.

By September 9, 2007, news leaked of the completion of a music video for the song "Almost Easy". It was directed by P.R. Brown, known for his collaborations with Mötley Crüe and Marilyn Manson, among many others. On September 12, 2007, the release date of the single "Almost Easy" was announced and was released six days later on September 18 to purchase via digital download.

The month of October was a busy one for the upcoming album. On October 3, Kerrang! released an article in which M. Shadows and Synyster Gates were interviewed about the new album. This day also saw the release of a live performance of "Almost Easy" at the Warped Tour 2007. Originally the band intended to release this footage if viewers watched the official music video for the track on YouTube 150,000 times. Though the goal fell short at 120,000 the band still released the footage. Another live video, featuring the third track "Scream" performed in Liverpool, England was posted on YouTube on October 11. The song was also heard during a commercial for the Scream Awards on Spike TV. M. Shadows can clearly be heard singing, "You know I make you wanna scream," which is an excerpt from the chorus. "Scream" was performed live at the 2007 Spike TV Scream Awards on October 23. Also, LoveLine played the radio premiere of "Afterlife" and "Almost Easy", which was guest hosted by M. Shadows and The Rev. Three days before, the Keyclub revealed an animated music video for "A Little Piece of Heaven".

To promote their new album, Avenged Sevenfold started their US tour on October 29, headlining in Los Angeles, CA at The Wiltern. Their opening acts are Black Tide and Bloodsimple.

On October 30, 2007, Avenged Sevenfold was released in stores everywhere.

Post-release

In an interview with Total Guitar magazine, lead guitarist, Synyster Gates, stated that an unreleased track from their demo sessions would be released in a few months time. Sure enough, on January 16, it was announced that Avenged Sevenfold would be releasing a never before heard B-Side called "Crossroads" on January 17. It became available to hear for free for Fan Club members and registered MVI members (via Fan Club), then a few days later the band released a download link to all of its myspace friends and fans to download it for free.

On November 19, it was announced on Rockline that "Afterlife" would be the next single and video; Afterlife's official music video was realised on Avenged Sevenfold's website on the 5'th of March. In addition, the video for "A Little Piece of Heaven" was released January 7, again exclusively for MVI owner. The video was also released on iTunes on February 12. To add, "A Little Piece of Heaven" was released on YouTube, February 12, through the official Avenged Sevenfold account.

The live music video for "Dear God" was filmed during the Taste of Chaos show at Miami, FL and Long Beach, California.

March 19, "Making of Afterlife" was available for MVI owners.

Reception

The album has received mixed reviews according to metacritic. It placed number 4 on the charts at its release.

Track listing

1. "Critical Acclaim" - 5:14
2. "Almost Easy" - 3:54
3. "Scream" - 4:48
4. "Afterlife" - 5:53
5. "Gunslinger" - 4:11 (featuring Shanna Crooks)
6. "Unbound (The Wild Ride)" (original title: "Disneyland Acid Trip") (featuring Zander Ayeroff and Annmarie Rizzo) - 5:11
7. "Brompton Cocktail" - 4:13
8. "Lost" (original title: "Fast Melodic") - 5:02
9. "A Little Piece of Heaven" (original title: "Big Bear") (featuring Juliette Commagere) - 8:00
10. "Dear God" (original title: "Country Rocker") (featuring Shanna Crooks) - 6:33

[edit] Bonus tracks

* "Almost Easy" (Jam-Along version) (iTunes bonus track) - 3:55
* "Bat Country" (Live at Hammerstein Ballroom) (iTunes pre-order bonus track) - 6:04
* "Crossroads" (b-side) (MVI exclusive) - 4:27
* The other b-sides are to be released with the bands upcoming DVD Road to Realization.

MVI

* The Making of Avenged Sevenfold
* The Making of Avenged Sevenfold (Animated Short)
* A Little Piece of Heaven (Animated Music Video)
* Crossroads B-side (Song)
* Studio Tour
* Producer for a Day
* Pre-encoded MP3s for all tracks
* Future Avenged Sevenfold Updates (e.g. songs, videos, etc.)
* Preview of Wolfie's new rap album "Wolfin' It Up" [Rumour, conformed by Wolfie himself]
* Making Of "Afterlife" Video

Leaks

Around October 13, 2007, previews of each song from the album were leaked on the internet. Warner Bros. is suing the website that leaked the previews. Three days later, on October 16, the song "Gunslinger" was also leaked onto the internet by Warner Bros. for publicity. In addition, Warner Bros.-sanctioned YouTube videos have been posted containing the song.

According to Diditleak.com, Avenged Sevenfold was leaked onto the internet on October 19, 2007 via a Dutch website by four teenagers, and other various sources. Additionally, the band released the album onto the "official" MTV site "The Leak".

Credits

* M. Shadows - Lead Vocals
* Synyster Gates - Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals
* Zacky Vengeance - Guitar, Backing Vocals
* Johnny Christ - Bass, Backing Vocals
* The Rev - Drums, Vocals

* Avenged Sevenfold - Producer
* Fred Archambault and Dave Schiffman - Engineers
* Drum Tech - Mike Fasano
* Guitar Tech - Walter Rice
* Fan Producers For A Day (MVI) - Daniel McLaughlin and Christopher Guinn

* String Arrangements on "Afterlife" and "Unbound (The Wild Ride)" by Marc Mann and Avenged Sevenfold
* String Arrangements on "Brompton Cocktail" by Bruce Fowler and Avenged Sevenfold
* Strings, Horns and Choir Arrangements by Steve Bartek and Marc Mann on "A Little Piece of Heaven"
* Programming on "Critical Acclaim" and "Scream" by Jay-E
* Piano on "Almost Easy" by Greg Kusten
* Piano and Organ by Jamie Muhoberac on "Critical Acclaim", "Unbound (The Wild Ride)", 'Lost", and "A Little Piece of Heaven"
* Percussion on "Brompton Cocktail" by Lenny Castro
* Lap and Pedal Steel & Banjo on "Dear God" and "Gunslinger" by Greg Leisz
* Additional vocals by Shanna Crooks on "Gunslinger" and "Dear God"
* Additional vocals by Zander Ayeroff and Annmarie Rizzo "Unbound (The Wild Ride)"
* Additional vocals by Juliette Commagere on "A Little Piece of Heaven"
* Additional vocals by Jaime Ochoa on "Critical Acclaim".

M. Shadows (born Matthew Charles Sanders on July 31, 1981), is the vocalist/lead singer for the American hard rock/metalcore band Avenged Sevenfold. He is from Huntington Beach, California but presently lives elsewhere in Orange County.

Biography

Early years

In his youth, Matthew Charles Sanders was notorious for his disorderly conduct and misbehavior. He was kicked out of two different Huntington Beach schools, one for smashing a woman's car windows after a sixth-grade pizza party and another for defacing campus property in seventh grade with his friend Johnny DeGuzman.

On the A7X (nickname for Avenged Sevenfold) DVD, while all of the members were talking about how they got their stage names, M. Shadows said that he got his name because when he attended and graduated El Modena High School and the band was just starting out, he was a darker kid (hence the name "Shadows") but he also wanted to incorporate his name, Matt, into his stage name. Matt was reduced to M and since has been known as M. Shadows.

Music career

In following years, Shadows formed a number of bands with Avenged Sevenfold's rhythm guitarist Zacky Vengeance. He was previously a member of a punk group called 'Successful Failure'. While in this band he penned the song "Streets," which would later be recorded after Avenged Sevenfold was formed, and released on their first album, Sounding the Seventh Trumpet.

Shadows feels a strong support for the troops serving the United States, having very close friends who are currently in service in Iraq. The song "M.I.A." ("Missing in Action") was written in tribute to these friends. The song "Gunslinger" from Avenged Sevenfold's self-titled album further expresses these feelings (though it was stated in the album's extra MVI that it's not just about troops - "it can be about anyone away from home, missing their families").

He is the only member from Avenged Sevenfold not to have the purple and red coffin on their right middle finger.

Vocal style

In the band's debut album, Sounding the Seventh Trumpet, M. Shadows' vocals had a heavy metalcore influence and consisted mostly of screaming and guttural roars. This style gradually decreased in later albums into more conventional clean singing and had been completely jettisoned by the release of City of Evil, the band's mainstream debut. The internet rumor that M. shadows had surgery on his throat is incorrect. In an interview on the All Excess DVD, Shadows stated that he had decided several years before the making of City of Evil that it would be an all singing album. He had made it clear to their producer, Mudrock, that the album they were working on at the time Waking the Fallen would be half singing and half screaming, and that the next would be all singing. Some of Shadows' biggest musical influences are Megadeth, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Pantera, and Guns N' Roses. He is also very fond of Phil Anselmo's super group Down as well as strongly appreciating their first album NOLA

Guest appearances

At current writing, M. Shadows premiered in 5 confirmed events:

* "The River" by Good Charlotte (Vocal)
* "Buffalo Stampede" by Cowboy Troy (Vocal)
* "I Let Go by Eighteen Visions" (makes a short appearance in the video, no singing)
* "Savior, Saint, Salvation" by Bleeding Through (Vocal)
* Like Always by Kisses For Kings

Zacky Vengeance (born Zachary James Baker on December 11, 1981) is the rhythm guitarist and back up vocalist for the band Avenged Sevenfold.

Biography

In the Avenged Sevenfold DVD "All Excess" he recalls that before Avenged Sevenfold, he played in a one time punk band called MPA*, which stood for "Mad Porno Action". He implies that they were not successful, and was arrested after their concert for supposedly "stealing all the mics." He and M. Shadows (who at the time was singer for the band Successful Failure) formed Avenged Sevenfold. He took the name Zacky Vengeance, stating that he had grudges against many people who doubted his success. He was also responsible for the creation of the acronym "A7X". Stating that the 'A' stood for avenged, and then the 7 stood for seven and the X was for fold . He is also left-handed. He taught himself how to play the guitar when he was thirteen. The guitar he first learned on was actually his dad's, and was a right-handed model that he played upside-down. Baker has stated that there are many bands that influence him. "I still love the heavy bands. I love... Danny Elfman and Elvis Costello. [It's] all over the place - I think that's the best way to be."

Baker has been sponsored by Schecter Guitar Research since 2004, and has custom S-1 models out. He uses Seymour Duncan Pickups in all of his guitars and is currently a featured artist on the company's website along with Synyster Gates.

His brother, Matt Baker, is a member of the band The Dear & Departed. He also has a sister named Zina Baker.

Contrary to popular belief, Zacky's middle name is not Jonathan, he stated this himself on a Vengeance University MySpace blog. His middle name is James.

Vengeance University
Zacky V. Presents... logo
Zacky V. Presents... logo

Baker released a clothing line called "Zacky V. Presents...". The current design features the popular "Vengeance University" logo, which Zacky designed himself. The line currently features t-shirts and belt buckles, featuring his trademark "Est. 6661" tagline on it. 6661 flipped upside-down and backwards is 1999. This is when Avenged Sevenfold was formed.

Equipment

Guitars

Zacky uses Schecter Guitars

* S-1
* S-1 Bada Bling Mirrortop
* Tempest Extreme
* Carvin SC-90
* Vengeance Custom 'see thru' cherry/Standard chrome hardware
* custom "Gynecologist" black with red blood splatter s-1 flat top
* Custom "Gynecologist" White w/ Blood Splatter S-1
* Schecter ZV Special (Gold/Silver)
o Zacky also uses a number of other custom S-1 models.
o All guitars are loaded with Seymour Duncan SH-4 JB-102 Humbuckers.

*
o In the DVD from the 2003 Warped Tour, Zacky is seen playing a Carvin SC-90 "Les Paul-esque" guitar; this was probably before his current Schecter endorsement.

Amplifiers

* Bogner Ubershall and Caveman Head
* Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier Head
* Marshall JCM-2000

Speaker Cabinets

* Bogner Uberkab 4x12 Cabinet
* Mesa/Boogie Triple Recto Cabinet

Effects Units and Accessories

* Boss TU-2 Chromatic Tuner
* Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor
* Visual Sound H2O Liquid Chours
* Line 6 Tonecore Coise Constrictor
* Line 6 DL4 Delay Modeler
* Ibanez LF7
* Seymour Duncan SFX-01 Pickup Booster
* Voodoo Lab PEDAL POWER 2
* Voodoo Lab GCX Audio Switcher
* Ernie Ball "skinny top, heavy bottom" strings
* Dunlop Tortex yellow plectrums 0.73mm (Avenged Sevenfold logo)
* White Get'm Get'm Sergeant Stripes Strap

Trivia

* He has a dog called Ichabod C. for whom he made a myspace page.
* He is half German and half Italian.
* He used to play baseball on a scholarship in High School and if he hadn't gone on to play in Avenged Sevenfold he would have pursued a career in professional baseball.
* He used to work in a coffee shop.
* He is left-handed

The Rev (born James 'Jimmy' Owen Sullivan on February 10, 1981), short for The Reverend Tholomew Plague, is the drummer and backing vocalist of Avenged Sevenfold.

Biography

At the age of 10, The Rev got his own drum set. The Rev attended a Catholic school with M. Shadows, and was expelled in the 2nd grade. The Rev was also expelled from Huntington Beach High School in 2000, and was then expelled from the reform school resulting in his dropping out. The Rev was in and out of homes as a teenager living in his car and at a laundromat where he worked. At one time he lived with Synyster Gates, where Papa Gates has said Jimmy is eccentric to a nearly dangerous level and is the most natural musician he has ever met.His first record was released with the band Suburban Legends at the age of 18.

He was also formerly the drummer for third-wave ska band Suburban Legends, and drummer/vocalist for Avenged Sevenfold side project Pinkly Smooth. The Rev took part in the band Ballistico as their guitarist and vocalist. On the Avenged Sevenfold DVD, All Excess, while discussing how each member got their stage names, it was stated that Sullivan attained his name via a shortened version of The Reverend Tholomew Plague. The decision was seemingly random, as there were no specific reasons stated as to the inspiration for the name. He had a tendency to wear eccentric outfits such as outrageously colored kimonos or bath robes, baggy shorts, and flourescent socks. In the DVD, he was said to terrorize people on his campus while wearing the eccentric outfits , and rode around in a golf cart.

Some of his favorite bands are Rancid, The Transplants, Slayer, and Organized Riot. Sullivan cites his influences as being Vinnie Paul of Pantera, Dave Lombardo and Paul Bostaph of Slayer, Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater, and Terry Bozzio

Sullivan uses and is sponsored by DW Drums, although he appears in advertisements for DW's budget company, PDP, his old tour set was a PDP. He is also sponsored by Sabian cymbals, Pro-Mark sticks and Evans drum heads.

Recognized for vocals in side project Pinkly Smooth, Sullivan is utilized as a back-up vocalist in Avenged Sevenfold. Besides screaming with M. Shadows in songs Chapter Four and Eternal Rest, the single from the band's eponymous album, Critical Acclaim features Sullivan at lead vocals during the chorus of the song, both singing and screaming. His vocals are also featured in other songs from the Avenged Sevenfold eponymous album.

The Rev is featured singing in the songs he wrote, "A Little Piece of Heaven", "Brompton Cocktail", "Afterlife", and "Almost Easy". He also sings in "Critical Acclaim","Scream" and "Lost", both from the eponymous album.

Equipment

Avenged Sevenfold [2007]

DW Drums

* DW Collector Series with a Snakeskin Wrap and Black Hardware on drums
* 22"x18" Bass (x5)
* 8"x7",10"x8", 12"x9", 13"x10", Mounted Toms
* 14"x12",16"x14", 18"x16" Mounted Floor Toms
* 14"x5" All-Maple snare

Hardware

* DW 9000 series with all boom stands
* dw 9000 single pedals
* DW Combo Rack

Cymbals

* 14" Sabian AAX Xcelerator Hi-Hats
* 19" Sabian Paragon Chinese
* 11" Sabian Signature Max Splash
* 10" Sabian AAX Splash Brilliant(2)
* 19" Sabian AAX Metal Crash
* 10" Sabian Chopper Effects Cymbal
* 20" Sabian AAX Xplosion Crash Brilliant
* 22" Sabian AAX Metal Ride(2)
* 18" Sabian AA Metal-X Chinese

Heads

* Evans EQ4 Batter Clear
* Evans EQ3 Resonant Black
* Evans Genera G2 Clear
* Evans Genera G1 Clear
* Evans Power Center Reverse Dot
* Evans Hazy 300 Snare Side

Sticks

* Pro-Mark TX5BW Wood Tip Hickory

City of Evil [2005]

DW Drums

2003 to 2005

* 22x18 bass drum (DW 5000 single pedals)
* 10x8 tom tom
* 12x9 tom tom
* 14x12 mounted floor tom
* 16x14 mounted floor tom
* 14x4 maple snare

2005 to 2007(He actually used pdp LXE Series, In Kurillian Birch finish from 05-07)

* 22x18 x2 bass drum (dw 9000 singles)
* 8x7 tom tom
* 10x8 tom tom
* 12x9 tom tom
* 14x12 mounted floor tom
* 16x14 mounted floor tom
* 14x4 maple snare

Sabian Cymbals

* 14" Sabian AAX-XCelerator Hi-Hats
* 18" Sabian AA Metal-X Crash
* 19" Sabian AA Metal-X Crash
* 24" Sabian AA Metal-X Ride
* 18" Sabian AA Metal-X China
* 9" Sabian Mike Portnoy Signature Max Splash
* 11" Sabian Mike Portnoy Signature Max Splash

DW Hardware

2006 to 2008 (DW 9000)

Pro-Mark Sticks

Pro-Mark Natural 5B nylon Tip