Emerging alongside other like-minded bands like Atreyu and Eighteen Visions in the early-2000s, Huntington Beach’s Avenged Sevenfold didn’t experience massive success out of the gate. With 2003’s Waking The Fallen, though, the band experienced a quantum leap in their songwriting skills. More accessible than anything released prior (the members of A7X were exceedingly young at their inception), the engine that drove the band’s early material was late drummer Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan.
Undoubtedly, The Rev’s drumming skills were quite good. Even on the band’s debut album Sounding The Seventh Trumpet, his talent was evident – with a fast, technical style that would also improve with time. On Waking The Fallen, the band’s ambition exploded, with classic hard rock and metal motifs blending with their metalcore sensibilities. And on tracks like “Chapter Four” (which is about the story of Cain & Abel, and also appeared on the Madden 2004 soundtrack) and live staple “Unholy Confessions”, his drum fills really showcase his talent. What’s more is that he had a hand in writing many Avenged Sevenfold songs, including entire A7X tracks like “Fiction” – which ended up being the last song he ever wrote for the band before his passing in December of 2009. Plus, a measure of his immense talent was the fact that he played a major role in writing their self-titled theatrical centerpiece “A Little Piece Of Heaven”, where his vocal interplay with M. Shadows is, well, unforgettable.
The thing is, The Rev made even complicated drumming look pretty easy, especially on video. Case in point, the video of him playing “Almost Easy” in the studio. The man knew how to double kick faster than any Pokemon, and quite often contributed vocals at the same time on many A7X songs as well. Undoubtedly, without The Rev’s presence and obviously infectious spirit and talent, Avenged Sevenfold would have been a far different band than they became. The man even played in a third wave ska band before his Avenged Sevenfold days, where his penchant for more avant-garde styles helped shape his future.
My best friend died 13 years ago today. Since then the center of my life has been my 10 and 8 year old sons. It hurts that they never got to know each other. It’s all a dream. RIP Jimmy. 💔
— M. Shadows (@shadows_eth) December 28, 2022
A true virtuoso, The Rev’s talent and unique playing style rubbed off on the next generation of drummers, to be certain. When you consider that the last 20 years of rock + metal would sound far different without his unique playing style (see: the double-ride technique), you know that legacy will stand foREVer.
