It’s often the lead singer and the guitarist who has the songwriting responsibilities in a band. However, in Avenged Sevenfold, the late drummer Jimmy Sullivan came out with numerous hits and fan favorites. In a recent interview with 93X Radio, Synyster Gates praised the Rev’s songwriting talent and thanked him for writing the best song in A7x’s catalog.
Jimmy ‘The Rev’ Sullivan was a significant member of Avenged Sevenfold’s career. Apart from playing the drums, he also played piano, provided backing and co-lead vocals, and wrote some of the A7x’s hits, including ‘Afterlife,’ ‘Almost Easy,’ ‘Fiction,’ ‘Save Me,’ ‘Welcome to the Family,’ and ‘A Little Piece of Heaven.’
Sadly, on December 28, 2009, the Rev died of an overdose. However, just days before his passing, he left Avenged Sevenfold fans a track he wrote. The song, titled ‘Fiction,’ appeared on A7x’s ‘Nightmare’ album and was seen as the late drummer’s way of saying goodbye to his bandmates and fans.
Recently, Synyster Gates paid tribute to the Rev while talking about the need to progress when writing new songs. He stated that ‘A Little Piece of Heaven’ was proof that A7x was evolving, and it’s a devotion to the Rev’s exceptional imagination. Gates then said even though the song had little guitar work, the late drummer’s lyrics made it a hit that’s still a fan favorite.
Speaking in a recent interview, Synyster Gates said the following:
“You’ve got to evolve constantly. If I’m trying to write ‘Bat Country’ or ‘Unholy Confessions’ again, I’ve failed before I’ve even started. That’s not the mindset. So, you got to switch things up, and I think our catalog is proof of that. You have a song like ‘Unholy Confessions,’ and you also have a song like ‘A Little Piece of Heaven.’
That’s a fan favorite with hardly any guitar, and it’s just complete devotion to our brother’s unbelievable and unique imagination. To me, that’s the most important thing. That’s probably our best song, and it’s very, very little guitar work. So, to me, it’s songwriting first and then connecting with your fanbase.”
So, Synyster Gates believes songwriting and the ability to connect with the fanbase have the utmost importance when making new pieces. According to the guitarist, Jimmy Sullivan did this the best, especially with the song ‘A Little Piece of Heaven.’
