R.I.P. JAMES OWEN “THE REV” SULLIVAN
Tuesday, December 29th, 2009 at 8:34am by MetalSucksAs you may have heard by now, Avenged Sevenfold drummer James Owen “The Rev” Sullivan was found dead in his home. He was only twenty-eight years old. They’re saying he passed from natural causes, although even the sunniest optimist amongst us would probably have a hard time believing that’s the case.
An official statement from the band reads -
It is with great sadness and heavy hearts that we tell you of the passing today of Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan. Jimmy was not only one of the world’s best drummers, but more importantly he was our best friend and brother. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Jimmy’s family and we hope that you will respect their privacy during this difficult time.
Jimmy you are forever in our hearts. We love you.
M Shadows, Synyster Gates, Zacky Vengeance and Johnny Christ
A7X are a band that has repeatedly divided the metal community, be it due to their transition from metalcore misfits to cock rock revivalists, or just the general theatrically of their act. But Sullivan was a talented dude, and this is some shitty news to end the year.
RIP.. I truly never liked Avenged Sevenfold honestly.just heard one of their songs once on Sirius Radio however it sucks to die so young.. sorry for his family, friends, fans and relatives.. Dude had his whole life to conquer. Once again RIP.. I must adnit that dude was a good drummer based on the buzz that I heard about the band. Peace
ah, that sucks
i quite liked these, especially when they dropped the older shite
R.I.P. Terrible news.
I’m going to listen to Waking the Fallen today in remembrance.
Yeah man, I had the same idea…
RIP Jimmy “The Rev”
wow I was just giving it a spin yesterday and thinking how awesome it was, and then this…
Sad But True……This band died after they tried to top Waking the Fallen.
That album was the only reason to like them. Then they went all vag on everybody.
… sucks. he was the best musician in the band too.
As much as I dislike A7X’s music, I still think it’s a sad report. R.I.P.
Death to false metal!
It made me laugh…I feel bad
hahaha, class
Wow, I hope you get hit by a truck. I dislike the band, but you’re false metal if you think it’s cool to talk rudely about the death of another musician. Fuck you.
it’s not cool, but it is hilarious.
what she said. fuckbag
He was blatantly just making a joke, whereas you seem to sincerely hope he gets hit by a truck. Who’s the real asshole here? You’re a hypocrite at best.
lol u mad
Not cool man.
Full support to troll of the day.
The band sucks. Who cares. People die every day.
i wont see you tonight part 2….Only the first 1:20. If they would have kept this style minus whatever the fuck that shadows fellow is trying to do(I think its singing)
RIP
A7X i feel fir you
He was my fave :(
…so young…D.E.P
Dillinger Escape Plan?
thats what im thinkin
not a fan of the band, but he was a killer drummer
“One of the best drummers????”
“Maybe someone killed him since Avenged Sevenfold sucks?”
“They should have killed the whole band then.”
“Now emo nation has a legitimate reason for pretending to be in mourning”
Those are the comments posted on the same post on metalstorm.ee
I’m glad THIS site has class and doesn’t have posters like this…
Give it time… or have a look at one of the many Dimebag Darrell threads.
I realized. Right after I posted that, I saw two posts under mine “I wish it would have been M. Shadows instead” and i was like ahh fuck.
Im sure it will get bad any minute now..
aw man gotta admit i listened to them when i was first getting into heavy music really sad to see him go he honestly seemed like really good guy. He was really the only talented guy in the band. Time to dust off Waking the Fallen and give it a spin.
RIP The Rev
Same here… A7X helped spark my transition from nu metal to real metal, and while their vocalist is pretty terrible, the rest of the band had some talent.
the whole band isnt dead
Might as well be…. Unless they decide to re-re-release Waking the Fallen for the next 8 years you can kiss them and their credibility goodbye.
Whether you like the image of the band or not, we can all agree on this…..Waking the Fallen is at worst a very listenable album. Nostalgic. And the opposite of whatever the hell you would label these guys now.
damn grover i gotta salute you for being one of the few people on here who have some class about this, Even if you hate Avenged Sevenfold which is fine because to be honest i really am not a fan anymore other than Waking The Fallen I think there image is stupid and there newer stuff is really cliche, Jimmy Sullivan had friends and family who all loved him greatly. He is no different than you or I deserves respect after his passing. and i did not say use the name “the rev” on purpsose.
R.I.P. Rev
I wish it would have been M Shadows instead
wow and i thought the readers of this site had class.
LOLOLOLOL class…. This is not the online participation part of your community college class.
This is the anonymous internet.
Fuck you, and fuck this dead queer!
Wow…Im not sure if I should go +100 or -100 on this comment lol
Youre a dick lol
a fucking 1000+ DUDE
Yeah, given the band’s reputation, I find it hard to believe natural causes. Tough break… maybe they’ll realize what they’re doing to themselves.
Maybe they don’t care?
Dude, have you ever seen an interview with the Rev? I have the first DVD t hey released, before their self-titled, and that dude had track-marks up and down his fucking arms. Sad to see him go, this will mean no more pinkly smooth… *sigh*.
never liked them but shitty news
band had talent i guess, just not what im into.
On a totally unrelated note; I find funny how a lot of people try to justify listening to a band because that band helped them “with transition to REAL (funny!) metal” or how they used to listen to them in their (I guess) pre-adolescent years.
It’s OK if you like Nickelback, as Axl Rose says; it don’t really matter…
Anyway you 28-year-old-A7X drummer…descansa en paz chavalote
“It’s OK if you like Nickelback”
No. That’s inexcusable.
OK that’s it, I’m taking my Chad Kroeger’s Tee to the next Black Dahlia Murder’s gig.
Who likes Nickleback? Nobody. Come on.
Just most of the population, at least according to Last.fm best of 2009 charts.
Waking the Fallen had some good stuff on it….sick drumming too.
R.I.P Rev.
Fuckin blows dude. =/
bummer. talented dude. RIP.
Sad, he was a very good drummer. My friend toured with them (with a different band) around the Waking the Fallen period, and he said The Rev was a really fun dude, and possibly the biggest partier in a hard-partying group, which makes the “natural causes” thing seem even more unlikely. :/
I’m not ashamed to admit, I was a pretty big fan all the way up to City of Evil, and definitely LOVED “Waking..” and “Sounding the 7th Trumpet.” Was hoping they might rebound after their pretty awful self-titled album, but now we won’t know.
On a side note: “Warmness on the Soul” from Sounding the 7th Trumpet is my and my wife’s wedding song.
For anyone that knows A7X, that is the soft piano ballad off the first album…I didn’t have a heavy song as my wedding song or anything (the grandparents and such would probably not be down with that). At the beginning of our relationship, I would give my wife burned cds with tons of semi-heavy stuff on them, as she only knows and likes radio pop basically, so she could at least hear some of “my stuff.” I put that track on one of the discs, she always loved it, and that’s that. We didn’t pick it because we are huge A7X superfans or anything, but I’m sure I’ll get flamed anyhow. :/ It’s actually a pretty nice song, with a nice sentiment…And I liked the idea of not having a wedding song that EVERYONE else in the world has..so there that is.
It’s very romantic, that song.
Sad news. This is one band that made a transition from heavy to lighter that I actually liked.
God bless his soul.
Grew out of this band a long time ago. Sucks for his family
Lol he doesn’t have a family beyond the band o.O He says so on one of their DVDs.
Wow… this is news to me. Not a huge fan of Avenged Sevenfold (I enjoyed City of Evil but that’s about it) but I can’t deny the talent this guy had. And it’s always a shame when someone that young dies.
I’m a big fan of Waking the Fallen, not so much their newer stuff.
As a drummer myself I was a big fan of The Rev, even on their newer stuff.
He was very talented, very sad.
Maybe they’re not the best band in the world but they’re surely original and talented, included The Rev…
Time to crank City of Evil and Waking The Fallen. R.I.P., Rev.
straight up…i hate this band…but this is always sad to hear about….
he died because he sucked, not natural causes
stop being an ass…I’m pretty sure your family and friends wouldn’t like it if people hated on you after you died.
R.I.P. Jimmy, I’ll be listening to A7X all day
Hmm, then you’re probably gonna die tomorrow if people can die of sucking.
you are both mallgoth morons. im glad he died. less shitty music out there to not listen to
Oh ya and what Kind of good music are YOU making hmm?? At least the Rev had the balls to do something in the public eye what do you do? Sit on your fat ass all day trolling the net insulting dead musicians? What a life you must have.
I play actual metal. and who cares if he was in spot light, he had to sell out and suck up to get there. fuck you and your mainstream minded peers. fuck you up your stupid ass. Mmmmmmm Hmmmmmmm
You will never be 1/10th the drummer (or whatever you play) he was, and unlike The Rev, no one other than your immediate famiily (if you are lucky) will care one damn bit when you die; your impact on the world will be barely register.
If you didn’t like A7X, shut the fuck up and don’t listen to them. I don’t like the fucking Black Eyed Peas or Death Cab for Cutie, so I don’t listen to them; I don’t wish death on the members of the band.
A7X was a hardworking band that got big and has a huge fanbase. They got to see the world and probably had a shitload of fun. I bet you wouldn’t have minded being in their shoes; too bad you and your “actual metal” won’t achieve such things.
agreed.
I knew the rev, he was a great guy, and a phenomenal drummer.
it shocked me to hear the news, and hurts me to think of that band without him.
He truly elevated the talent levels of the group.
he wrote a lot of the music too.
i looked up to him and see value in his music.
he will be missed.
RIP Rev.
I wish death on the members of Death Cab for Cutie
best comment so far
R.I.P dude.
Anyone else notice the Rev looked sort of bloated lately? I always thought he started looking like he was partying just a little too hard in’09. Anyway, I am a big fan of his drum skills. Shitty news.
I approve of this death!!!
fuck u
approve!!! fuck hahahah you just made my day! thanks man
i wont miss u when ur dead
Sorry, I must have missed your article. Who are you again, and why do we care?
fuck you fake fucker im the only wut guy
Nicholas Wier. i do not care.
I approve of you getting a hatchet to the head.
Fucking juggalo…..
Oh, I’m sorry, did I say hatchet to the head? I mean BIG FUCKING BATTLE-AXE TO THE HEAD.
BTW, since when does possessing a hatchet make one a juggalo?
Since juggalos tried to decapitate their schoolmate in his driveway with a battle ax. Seriously.
I like Avenged Sevenfold well enough – I’m not sure why there’s so much animosity towards them, apart from not wanting to be associated with their other scene fans. This site opined the other day that Avenged Sevenfold always wanted to be Guns N’ Roses. I think they’re the closest thing we have to Guns N’ Roses nowadays (Axl’s project notwithstanding), which is not such a bad thing.
Honestly, I can never be happy when someone in the metal community dies. But please, a7x, for the love of god, stop referring to your members as “some of the best on the planet”. This band is so fucking full of themselves it makes me sick.
If you were in a band, I would hope you’d think your bandmates are the best musicians you could find. Otherwise, why would you play with them?
agreed. Plus, like A7X or not, he was a very talented drummer.
well he is one hell of a good drummer.
He was not in the metal community.
What are they going to say, “He was a cool dude, and an OK drummer?”
And he was pretty damn talented actually. They were basically a hard rock band in the most current state, and as far as hard rock drummers are concerned, he was at the top of the heap.
I thought this too. It seems crass to use a press release announcing a tragedy to further your own PR machine. The guy had some chops, but nobody other than some myopic A7X fans seriously considered him to be “one of the world’s best drummers”.
:’( This fuckin’ sucks. A7X has always been and will forever be one of my favorite bands. Don’t really know what this means for the future of the band… I was really looking forward to the next album. Sounds like he was pretty involved with the songwriting. Did really good backing vocals too. I’ll be cranking their stuff solely in honor for awhile, and will definitely keep him and his family in my prayers. R.I.P. Rev.
The actual COD will be released at some point, and I think we all know, deep down, it’ll be “the shame of being in A7X.” We know it.
RIP The Rev. A7X helped me discover real metal, but god DAMN did that band suck. Maybe they’ll stop making music now.
just because you said that, watch them become even more successful, you jealous fucking bastard.
I actually really dug A7X, and still give Waking The Fallen a lot of spins in my CD player. Rev was a killer drummer, and regardless of anyone’s opinion of the band, I think everyone can see the talent in him, and it’s a shame to see him die so young. Given the reputation of the band, I think everyone here knows it wasn’t of natural causes, but even so, it’s pretty rough when something like this happens. RIP dude.
What’s with Metalsucks not posting anything yesterday and only doing one post so far today?
Oh right, about this dudes death. Never liked the band, but its still sad none the less to lose a member
yeah dude seems the manssion is closed 2day..new years eve its gettin closer so nobody wants to work well peace out
Cool, so now AX7 is 1/5th less shitty.
RIP Rev and… hum, fuck this band.
A7X* – whatever they suck either way.
Bad year to be a drummer.
Damn, this sucks. 7th trumpet, Waking the fallen, and even city of evil were pretty fucking awesome albums…
RIP The Rev. Time to take Waking the Fallen for another spin. in retrospect, the album title seems ironic, no?
I was never a fan, but condolences to his family, friends, and bandmates,
DISBAND
wow are u that pathetic. if u dont like em there are millions of other bands to listen too. grow up
these guys party their asses off. they proudly profess about wanting to be the next guns n roses. so like the posers they are they party like their GNR heroes as well. little did they know that it is an absolute miracle that any of the GNR guys aren’t dead.
i hate avenged sevenfold and have no opinion on this,wont talk shit but im not gonna be all fake about it either
but “natural causes” at 28? didnt brittany murphy just die at 32 from “natural causes”?
hmmmmmm…..
wonder if they got their natural causes from the same place
Someone’s been cooking up a strong batch of the stuff.
ive gotta try some of this ‘natural causes’ stuff, it must be some pretty good shit
R.I.P. James. You’re greatly missed
very sad news
he was a sick drummer
R.I.P.
I loathe this band but he was the interesting part of the band to me. Now if I ever get dragged to one of their concerts I will be bored to tears. Damn it why did the cool dude die not the other douchebags
Lame-O. Maybe him, MJ, and Billy Mays will start a band in hell.
Billy would naturally do the “core” vocals, leaving Michael in charge of the clean. They would need a guitarist though, so Slash’s soul would play lead.
no need to be disrespectfull like that ya fucking douche the man is dead give him some respect
Why do people automatically have to respect someone because they are dead?
+ a large number
It sucks that he died so young. 28 is way to young to die. People need to realize you can be a “Hard Rockin’ Metal Dude” with out the Drugs.
‘M Shadows, Synyster Gates, Zacky Vengeance and Johnny Christ’
Seriously…?
yeah, really classy. about time they drop the bullshit stage names.
lmfao. zacky vengeance? hahahaha.
I might go start a band with my buds Coochie-Coo, Tastycake and DJ Fat-Attack
See you on the other side man, thank you for waking the fallen! peace out.
Devastated by this
RIP Jimmy
This sucks. Amazing drummer gone to young. hope your jamming with dimebag and jimmy hendrix. Rip rev
P.s. There are some extreme low lifes that are posting comments on this site. Keep your shitty comments to yourselves, a very talented musician died at a very young age and all you assholes can do is talk shit about his band and that its good he died? I have an idea, why dont you all go fuck yourselves. Get some class and grow the fuck up.
This sucks. When I first found out, I was shocked, but then again, too many celebrities have died this year so it really doesn’t have that much of a “sad” effect in the end. Never got into this band much but I did listen to their music. The Rev will truly be missed! 2009 was just one horrible year!
If this dude was truly asking for it through intense drug use as rumors suggest, then good riddance. I don’t care about this band’s members or future. If Sullivan’s death wasn’t caused by stupidity, then it’s a sad day for family, friends, and fans and I offer my condolences. But I’m not convinced that’s the case.
And this story is the best publicity Avenged Sevenfold has ever had. Early death equals music immortality.
Addiction isn’t stupidity. If you think that it is, you are really ignorant. No one wants to be a drug addict.
wrong idiot, addiction does equal stupidity because addicts were stupid enough to try the drug in the first place. don’t gimme that peer pressure bullshit either, he did this to himself and is fucking stupid for it and had it coming.
haha, who’s the idiot? drugs rule moron.
post of the year.
It seems that all of your views regarding drugs come right out of the D.A.R.E handbook, so I won’t try to reason with you.
RIP Rev…you will be missed
can’t stand them. the drum sounds on the last two albums were absolutely shitty. on par with my chemical romance’s tones. that said, it’s still a bummer. wonder what sort of “natural” causes killed him.
why do people decide to declare in their posts that they hate this band. does it really matter that much that other retards on the internet know you don’t like this band. i see this shit everytime someone in some band dies. there’s other things more important than commenting that you hated some guys art immediately after he dies. stay fucked
actually there’s NOTHING more important than letting everyone know you hate a band.
Can I waste my life too?
never liked this band but the drummer had some real talent on the skins. sux to see someone like this die young.
I remember hearing “Bat Country” for the first time and thinking it was cool ’cause of all the soloing, nothing else on the radio was like that, it was all just bland post grunge and shit. I quickly grew out of A7x after that song, But this dude’s death is unexpected.
He was a talented dude, but everyone saying he was one of the “greatest drummers of all time” is just not thinking straight. And to tell the truth, he did probably OD, so he did it to himself. RIP nonetheless.
Well ain’t that a bitch. R.I.P. James.
Wow… this is really unexpected. Avenged Sevenfold may have been a cheesy metal band but, still my heart goes out to “The Rev” and his family and the dudes in the band as well. He was a great drummer… wow I just cant believe it still happened.
Couldn`t care,like,AT ALL.
then why read, and waste your time commenting, you fucking cunt. Everyone loved waking the fallen when it came out, and if you didnt, you were probably still wondering why piss came out of ‘that little hair above your nutsack”.
All their other music sucked, but trust me, everyone was cranking waking the fallen when it dropped.
exactly.
Everyone liked them? Really? Everyone? Shitsucks
yes EVERYBODY!!! you miserable cunts…
it’s NOBODY fuckface. i don’t know why i’m still talking about this here.
I will say this from experience, I have not seen too many heavy albums that had the widespread appeal that “Waking the Falllen” had. I talked to many, many people that loved that album, a huge percentage of which were NOT fans of metal or any heavy music for that matter. Uber metalheads who normally only listen to the most underground, death and black have begrudgingly told me they love that album, as well as people who normally listen to only hip-hop, or punk, or whatever, all dig the album. Just an observation from my life. Not judging the quality of the album, just mentioning how often it has been spoken highly of in my experience.
I didn’t really like the last album or two from A7X however he still was quite a talented drummer on their first two albums.
I saw these guys play in Amarillo on their last tour and they kicked ass so I’m glad I got to see him before he went. One of my favorite bands. Rest In Peace Rev.
http://spinelanguage.com/2009/12/29/disposable-heroes/
Terrific write up… very thought provoking. Your question about whether Dime’s legacy would be looked back upon differently if his death had been a case of “death by misadventure,” rather than at the hands of a violently deranged person is especially poignant. Keep up the good work.
I don’t like em but that sucks.
regardless if you like band as a whole, the dude was a great drummer. r.i.p. buddy
DEATH TO FALSE METAL! ON DOUCHEBAG DOWN! 4 MORE TO GO!
hopefully those four are you and your family you disrespectful cunt.
I second that.
Today is a sad day RIP rev. amazing talent lost too soon everyone should respect the dead on this thread if you have negative things to say about him or his band just dont post, regardless of what your thoughts are its still a loss of a very very talented man, my best goes out to his family
I actually always kinda hated them, but there’s no denying that they are [were] all pretty freacking talented. The Rev was one hell of a kickass drummer I must admit.
RIP The Rev
December is a sad month when it comes to the death of musicians. Chuck in ‘01, Dime in ‘04, and now “the Rev”. I’m not a real fan of there music, but being a musicians myself, I respect the level of talent in that band…ok, the singer needs leasons, but none the less they shred, and Rev was a damn good drummer. R.I.P bro.
I only liked a few of their songs, mainly off of Waking the Fallen. It’s sad to see someone die so young. RIP.
I’m just glad nobody shot him. Avenged Sevenfold doesn’t need a martyr.
It’s already bad enough people call them a Metal act. They’re about as Metal as the Twilight movies.
I won’t say it isn’t sad that he died. It just isn’t sad to me. He played drums for a hack piece of shit band that did nothing more than pander to audiences for money and sell Affliction shirts. He probably was a pretty good drummer, too bad it was all talent being held back by garbage.
I won’t say I’ll shit on his grave, but I do hope this band breaks up so we won’t have to see them pollute any more tours promoting bad releases.
R.I.P. Rev…Sorry your last notes were played for a piece of shit.
P.S. THIS IS WHY YOU CUT YOUR COCAINE!
Avenged Sevenfold was one of the bands that made listen to real Metal. I mean they may not be real metal and some of their songs are quite shitty but Avenged Sevenfold has their place.
Now I fear that A7X would change into a real shitty band.
unrelated note:
WHY HAVE THEIR BEEN VIRTUALLY NO POSTS HERE FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS??
Damn what it is with drummers these days, is that the third that gone too soon in the past few months?
well, thats what you get when your rich, famous, and with a drug habit. no love lost.
I bought Waking the Fallen and left it in my CD player for six months. I quite enjoyed City of Evil, Sidewinder being a personal favorite.
I don’t see any benefit to calling A7X a shit band or untalented. They have made both great and not so great music but at least they haven’t made the same album over and over again.
Does it matter if it’s popular or underground? As long as you like it that really shouldn’t matter. I love Metallica, BTBAM, Lamb of God, Mastodon and I’m not ashamed to admit…T.I. and Taylor Swift.
RIP Rev. Super talented dude.
I applaud your honesty
“natural causes” might be you died cause your heart stopped. of course your heart probably stopped because of the drugs..
Another wastoid druggie from a shit band dies. Good fucking riddance.
What are you, 15? “Wastoid druggie?” Give me a break.
Butthurt Avenged Sevenfold fan spotted.
And the award for oxymoron of the year goes to….
Maybe he can jam with those members of Great White who perished in the night club fire in Shitty Musician Hell.
Talking shit about a band and saying their music sucks is all fine and dandy. But wishing death upon people, and saying shit like “good riddance” in reference to the dead (in what is essentially a memorial thread) is really ridiculous. There are TONS of bands I think are a giant waste of time and that I loathe, but I would never wish death on the members of said bands, or act as if said band members dying was a good thing. Some of you need to grow the fuck up…this could be your brother, son, or best friend that died….I know this is the fucking internet, and everyone has a pair of brass balls behind a computer screen, but be civilized for fuck’s sake…
Like the man once said, “If there’s a rock and roll heaven, you know they have one hell of a band.” So many talented musicians have gone so young…hopefully somewhere in the great beyond, the Rev is laying down one hell of a jam right now with Cliff Burton, Dimebag Darrell and Randy Rhoads, maybe with Layne Stayley on vocals. (Is it just me, or has this year been the Year Of Celebrity Death? And no one dies at 28 from “natural causes” BTW; we’ll see what the tox results have to say.) I was never the biggest A7X fan, but the Rev was an excellent drummer; if memory serves, Neil Peart actually called him the best in the business a couple of years back. For a drummer, you don’t get a much higher compliment than that. All condolences to his family, friends and bandmates. He will be missed.
Some of you excuses for humans commenting on this sad death of a young talented drummer are fucking disturbed..are you all so detatched from real life that you think its cool to piss on a young mans grave? Maybe its because all you fucking dopes are 15 or 16 yrs old and havnt a fucking clue what this guys family and friends and band mates are going through…yeah your all so METAL….funny how many dumb fist pumping maniacs here are starting their comments with the disclaimer ‘I dont care for A7X…or they transitioned me into ‘real’ metal,yet you know enough to make an effort to go online and jump on the dudes grave,hey when your going through your own personal grief I hope there’s a website I can do the same……what the fuck has the world come to? RIP James….
i never liked Avenged Sevenfold anyways. so… FUCK YOU.
thanx for proving my point waldo!!
oh you’re so welcome
i was devastated when i heard the news. i’ll miss him, RIP
any chance i can listen to these comments in your native English accents? that would be fun sevenfold.
Look, A7X are indeed a shit band, but stuff like this is always tragic. If this makes you happy, then you are a douche.
Jesus, do I have to do all the writing for this site anymore? Let me help out by truncating this article into something a little closer to truth
*ahem*
As you may have heard by now, Avenged Sevenfold drummer James Owen “The Rev” Sullivan was found dead in his home. He was only twenty-eight years old. Nothing of value was lost.
Man, don’t be that guy…
To late sir, I am indeed, “that guy” if by that guy you mean “that AWESOME guy”….. make awesome look bigger in your mind
Sorry… No awesomeness here… Nothing about this thread is ‘awesome’…
THAT is how the post should have been dude. you da man.
Yeah, you da’ man bro, you really dissed the shit outta a dead guy on the internet..you a cold azz nigga…
Anyone in here that says they dislike A7X are fucking retards. Their music and talent surpasses most of the garbage circulated amongst you fuckheads. Truly sad news, it blows me away how many people don’t recognize the talent the rev had and have a little more respect for someone who has contributed so much to our world of metal.
Bob Sagat?
technical proficiency doesnt equal good music.
doesnt mean he deserved to die though
+1
to hear these guys brag and boast about their drug and alcohol exploits in interview after interview, you really can’t feel too sorry for the dude.
I still do feel sorry for him, but you are right, they were constantly bragging about their drug use exploits. I remember reading an interview (I believe with one of the guitarists, Gates perhaps?) where the interviewer was noting how the guitarist pulled out like an ounce bag of coke and was bragging about how they do “piles of coke” in A7X, typical stupid drug dick-sizing. I really hope The Rev’s death (ESPECIALLY if it was indeed was drug related, which I would say is 95% certain) brings the other guys in the earth down to earth regarding their partying, making them realize that they aren’t actually immortal. :/ However, sometimes even this kind of scare doesn’t stop people; I know ple nty of people that got WORSE (regarding their drug use) even after an incident like this; using more and more drugs to cope with the tragedy. I just hope for the best for those guys, regardless of what they have become musically, and hope they can move on and become quality, productive individuals.
I really didn’t like that band, but it does suck that he died.
and what the fuck would you know about “the garbage circulated amongst” our “fuckheads” zach?
I hate this band. I hate everything about them.
But with that said, it’s always sad when someone so young dies. Whether it was his fault or not, it means that a life was either wasted, or never given the proper opportunity to fulfill its potential, and that is sad.
Thank you.
Wasted.
The real tragedy isn’t another young man losing his life. That’s bad in any culture. The fact that he may be viewed as a martyr is simply not tolerable
“it means that a life was either wasted, or never given the proper opportunity to fulfill its potential”.
For fucks sake man, Life is not Guaranteed to anyone! The only proper opportunity you get is at birth if everything goes well. This guy was fortunate enough to have what he had before him and if he was into partying then he made his choice as wise or unwise as it may be! Yes, it is sad but I feel more sorry for the people out there who have serious diseases as well as the kids that never get a chance to mature and gain wisdom – They don’t have a choice!
Ya!
Maybe that band will quit now!
or may be, just may be, it’s a sign from God, telling the band that they should quit and stop bothering with metal heads. just saying…
hey all you people whining about this guy..
yeah it sucks when anyone dies
but all this shit about “wow what a drummer of a lifetime” and shit….?
nobody talke about this guy like he was a dave lombardo when he was alive..so just stop your sappiness ok?
you mighta liked him or his music…cool\
but stop calling him the greatest drummer to ever eat a sandwich-
cuz its no secret that avenged sevenfold SUCKS
THIS THIS oh so much this.
R.I.P. Terrible news. I was pretty into their old stuff when I was younger, then City of Evil and their self titled album grew on me after I listened to them for a while. Rest in Peace.
^^^
I hate every last one of you.
Slow news day yesterday? Sucks the dude died but that’s the only thing that happened yesterday??? How am I supposed to fuck off at work with no fucking updates???
the internet: some people take it seriously, some don’t. i think every thread on the internets about this on any board had some dissent… who gives a shit
Stop ruining the name Chaz with your weak non offensive shit and poor grasp of the English language.
While its a shame the dude died, I honestly couldn’t give a toss about their music and I think most people who are saying “RIP, he was one of the most talented drummers in the world” etc are completely doing so out of guilt. He wasn’t one of the worlds most talented drummers, and they were an average metalcore band/shitty cock-rock revival band depending on which stage of their career you look at.
Also, natural causes? LOOOOOL.
He didn’t die of natural causes…he died from the agony of being a mind-blowing drummer trapped in a terrible band. To those celebrating his death, I hope he comes back to impale you with his drumsticks and feed on your flesh (I’d say brains, but it’s obvious you have none).
R.I.P. Maybe in heaven, he’ll get a chance to shine with other great musicicians. I can already see him being greeted by Dimebag Darrell.
You had to ruin a great post with a shitty joke about having no brains….
What? It’s true. Just look at all the posts celebrating his death.
Regardless of natural causes. I feel for those survived by his death. I will keep his friends, family and band in my prayers.
That being said. I was really into metalcore when this band released it’s metal albums not my thing. I do feel they did a good job at making party hard rock. Nothing against them I just really feel with .hopesfall., 7 Angels 7 Plagues, and so many other bands releasing ground breaking music (to me at least) I just could do without these guys.
Still sad.
I like how the bands you listed suck.
I feel for his family and friends. As for the scene losing a drummer, meh.
tomorrow I’m delivering a table and chairs to a family whose house burnt down on Dec 23. That affects me more.
good man
More of this!
The Rev definitely tore it up on the drums on their first two albums, before they turned into the most terrible band in the universe. He also definitely did tons of cocaine and other drugs. I’m pretty sure the rockstar lifestyle the band was trying so hard to achieve caught up with him. I can’t help but speculate that if they had remained a hardy, punk-ass club band that just played metal instead of trying to be Guns N Roses this might not have happened.
True that. I’m consistently bummed when I think about how rad their first two albums were.
the amount of butthurt in these comments from A7X fans is DELICIOUS
The amount of smug from A7X haters on the other hand, is reaching dangerous levels.
I grew out of the band many years ago. I won’t deny that I thought Waking The Fallen was a really enjoyable and catchy album at the time. Regardless of what I think about the music though, Jimmy Sullivan was a really talented drummer, I felt that without his drumwork, A7X would be much more shite.
Rest In Peace, James Sullivan.
I’ve read all the comments I can on this page and I’ve come to this conclusion. There are a few different kinds of people that are making posts here. The first and most obvious are the social rejects who are posting hateful statements and responses to other posts, clearly just to piss people off. They have a right to do so as this is the internet and they have the protection of their computers to keep them from being shot. More power to you if it keeps you from killing yourself and distracts you from your shitty lives. Though I’m 100% positive nobody would miss you if you died, I don’t wish it upon you because I’m not a shithead.
The second group is the group consisting of speed metal and black metal listeners who think that no music is worth listening to if it doesn’t contain at least 12 scales per second under the heaviest distortion backed up by never ending blast beats. Almost every musician who’s ever picked up an instrument and learned anything about it at all can play a scale and if they worked solely on speed, could play any of that speed metal shit. True talent comes from the ability to create sounds that meld together to form a feeling from the music. I’m not impressed by most of that dark metal bullshit, as it does not effectively make me feel like doing anything but turning it off. True that Avenged Sevenfold has, as of late, toned their music down and has made some less than reputable tunes, however their roots are clearly expressed as heavy metal in “Sounding the Seventh Trumpet” and mostly in “Waking the Fallen”. To those of you that think that James was not a good drummer, please actually listen to him before making a judgement. If you listen to the entirety of his work and still have your opinion of him being shitty, then so be it, but i think many of you would be surprised at how talented he really was. Was he the fastest drummer? Clearly not the case, but he had taste, something many of you will never be close to achieving, whether you want to or not. As for the band being considered “Metal” anymore… I don’t think they are really in the metal field as much as hard rock. Their music has evolved over the years and they have clearly shifted genres. I still love the music they make, regardless of what genre they are technically in. Every member of the band is talented to say the least and the death of James was both unexpected in my eyes and tragic for fans and those close to him. Being a drummer myself, I have nothing but good things to say about his drumming. He was fast, tasteful, creative, and clean, which is more than I can say about many of the metal bands’ drummers that i have heard recently.
I wrote this post at 2:30 in the morning, so forgive any spelling or grammar mistakes i may have made. I also realize i have been rambling through at least 2/3 of the second paragraph, but i have no intentions of proofreading this.
To those who have bad shit to say to my post, i’m 100% positive that i don’t care about you or shit that you have to say.
To those of you who just want to bash A7x: keep in mind that they got famous for a reason. To spell it out for you, people like them. If you would like to get technical about it, I challenge you to be a part of a band that sells more records and sells more tickets. Only when you have achieved this will i find your claims to be credible. To say the least, they are better than you.
To the family and friends of James: I’m sorry for your loss. Just know that you are not alone in grief.
To those who are fans: I was devastated by the news and you are also not alone in grief.
To “The Rev”: Rest in Peace. You were loved. You were respected. You were talented. You will be missed.
P.S. no comment is necessary as i don’t care what most of you have to say. This was mainly just to vent a little bit.
“The second group is the group consisting of speed metal and black metal listeners who think that no music is worth listening to if it doesn’t contain at least 12 scales per second under the heaviest distortion backed up by never ending blast beats.”
While I totally agree that a musician should play to suit their own songs and not just show off or whatever, the fact that you think that “twelve scales per second… backed up by never ending blast beats” is black metal just shows you haven’t listened to black metal, and therefore know nothing about it. In fact I think its more accurate to say that Avenged Sevenfold are guilty of trying to fit in as many notes per second on their later albums.
“To those of you that think that James was not a good drummer, please actually listen to him before making a judgement.”
I have listened to quite a few of their songs and from what I can tell, he was a good drummer, but not one of the best. Even within metalcore, there are far better drummers like Chris Pennie or Shannon Lucas.
“P.S. no comment is necessary as i don’t care what most of you have to say. This was mainly just to vent a little bit.”
I’m pretty sure not many people care what you have to say either.
i dont get how people deduce a troll to be a total reject
i was more referring to speed metal with that statement, not black metal. My real point is that technicality isn’t the sole factor that determines whether or not music is “good”. In hindsight, I suppose it’s all in the mind of the beholder, and not my place to tell, but going by numbers and hard fact, the underground bands who produce most of that music have fan bases that tend not to grow to a very large number in comparison to mainstream. Not to say that there aren’t instances where some bands get more publicity than they deserve, but their true popularity shows in how many shows they can’t sell out.
And i didn’t say “total” rejects. I said “social rejects”.
i also agree with you that he was not the best drummer in the world, including all genres and categories within those genres, but he did play very well for the music he was playing to. I think it would be quite a challenge to find a new drummer who can write quite as tasteful beats for A7x.
I realize someone will probably make the comment that if i didn’t care what people think, i would not respond to the replies, but the truth is that i was much less interested in people’s opinions when i wrote the initial comment then i am now. I realize i will probably not ever meet any of you in person and therefore your opinions aren’t really consequential to my opinions of the band or their drummer, but it’s interesting to have a conversation with someone who differs from my thoughts.
if you do respond to something i’ve said, please just make it an intelligent response and not just something to be an asshole.
I also fail to see where Avenged Sevenfold has applied the “12 scales per second” aspect in their music. The only times that i can hear anything like that is during soloing sections of their songs, which is where they belong for the most part if it’s going to be present in the music at all.
lol one of the best drummers maybe stick spinners but thats about as deep as it can get
+1
Good. I fucking hate this band and I fully support anything to knock them down a peg… or six.
You fully support people dying, so those around them can “get knocked down a peg,” and maybe gain some humilty? Do you even realize how fucking idiotic that sounds? I think you are a cocky asshole, so can I wish death on your family? That would probably “knock you down a peg :/
Why has no one fucking mentioned the death of Pinkly Smooth?? PS is fucking amazing, and now we’ll never get another record out of them!
His drugs ran out, he listened to his music, he realized it’s shit and did a ton of drugs to forget what he heard = His last hour
So, what you’re saying is that he ran out of drugs, and in response did more drugs. Good call.
When you wrote that comment, did you actually think it was witty, or useful?
I would not say one of the best drummers however. It would suck to die that young RIP.
This sucks, not only because he was true talent, but also because there is absolutely no hope for a return to form for this band. Waking will never be topped. EVER.
Christopher Reeve does a better job “walking” than anything these guys have ever put out
fucking stick twirl’n douche. Now the drummer from Atreyu needs to go and we’ll have a great 2010.
If there is one complement I can give to a sick fuck like you, it’s that you have a most appropiate pseudonym.
On the other hand, I would also like to see Brandon Shitter kick the bucket instead of kicking the bass-drum pedal.
Haha, well at least the band members didn’t make a necklace from his skull fragments and use his dead body as an album cover. *cough cough* MAYHEM…
I don’t feel sympathy for him, natural cause my ass, if he’d taken care of himself I bet he’d still be here.
I do feel sympathy for his family and such. Don’t feel so bad folks, he probably had a better life than all of us ever will.