Avenged Sevenfold
My Love For Them Est. 5002
It was a day like any other, raining outside, typical for here, isn’t it? I was flicking through the music channels constantly trying to find at least one decent song. Suddenly, there was this roaring from the television, the roaring of a voice. It immediately grabbed my full attention - something, which is difficult to grab. I was pulled in by the lights, the sounds. Who were these people?
Five guys playing instruments, I’d never seen them before, I didn’t know who they were but I was eager to know. The music making a thin lining of vibrations around my body, I loved this music. How could I love a band that I only, just now, had heard?
As the vibrations buzzed, the chorus was screeching, I had it on full blast.
“Turn it down! I can’t hear myself think!” my mother bellowed from the kitchen, I ignored. I was enjoying this too much to turn it down now.
I caught a glimpse of the song name, unfortunately not the band. ‘Bat Country’, it read. I had to know more, I just had to. Running up stairs to go online to find who sung this song I tripped, twice. A carpet burn formed on my leg, the heat just seemed to fly off, I wasn’t bothered the slightest.
I typed ‘Bat County’ into Youtube hoping to find some answers, millions and millions of videos appeared before my hungry eyes. “Avenged Sevenfold - Bat Country”, I seen, clicking onto it, it began with a light rumble getting louder and louder. “Heeeee who makes a beast outta himself, gets rid of the pain of being a maaaan yeaaa” shouted the singer. ‘Bat Country’ wasn’t enough, I craved more, I was like an addict. I was hooked on this band, my own form of heroin. But I didn’t want to be like most girls, only liking a band for their looks. I wanted to know everything about these mysterious five guys, but keep my mind on the music. Which, when I look back, it's a difficult thing to do because they are equally good looking as they are talented.
I hunted them down on Wikipedia, scrolling down until I reached the ‘Members Of Avenged Sevenfold’ section. I didn’t know anything about these five characters, their names, their ages, or where they were even from. However, that was soon to come clear. Matt, Zacky, Brian, Jimmy and Johnny are from Orange County, California and they are, Avenged Sevenfold. I learnt their birthdays, and their stage names. I'll be honest, only 'Zacky Vengeance' and 'The Reverend Tholomew Plague' stuck in my head at first.
Now that I had learnt everything I thought I could possibly need, I began my search on getting my hands on their albums, the first I ever bought was ‘City Of Evil’ released in 2005, featuring classic songs as ‘Bat Country’, ‘Seize The Day’ and ‘Beast and The Harlot’, it seemed reasonable to get an album with a song I was familiar with rather than something I wasn’t. My mother told me that if I didn’t like this album it would be a complete waste of sixteen pounds, but she needn’t have worried. In fact, the words didn’t even need to leave her mouth. This was the most amazing music I had heard in a long time. I went physically crazy, this album was insanely breathtaking.
I repeatedly played my CD for weeks on end - I couldn’t get enough. It was a new found drug, which I had to have. I needed that happiness to take over all the oxygen that filled my lungs, I felt if I didn’t have it, then my life would never be the same. Repeating the CD so many times that it actually wore out, it started to jump and scratch which I got frustrated about as it would be a few days before my next one would arrive. This was the time before such great things as Spotify you see, but that isn’t the point, I love having the cases and booklets for Cds they mean more that way. Though on the upside, I don’t need to worry about not having any Avenged Sevenfold music for a few days, I’ve got spare copies, copies on Spotify and probably two of each original. Am I seriously crazy?
For 2 years I carried on repeating ‘City Of Evil’ and by then, I had ‘Waking The Fallen’ as well, which equally was repeated. I waited, biting my nails as it was being confirmed that Avenged Sevenfold would be releasing a new album. I was more than excited, to say the least. I practically wanted to go to their houses an tell them to hurry up with it, but of course, they’d have me arrested or something. So, I waited impatiently for weeks on end. Finally, it was in my hands - their self titled album. The song I knew most was ‘Afterlife’ as it got so much airplay. But I decided to dive head first into another song, one that I thought seemed quirky and interesting. ‘A Little Piece Of Heaven’, it starts of quite strange. It builds up a plot, and I’m sitting there thinking to myself ‘OH MY GOD! I LOVE THIS!’ not even 1:30 seconds in. It’s a dark song about how a man kills a woman to preserve her for his 'needs', but then she comes back from the grave to kill him, he got what he deserved right? Don't let that put you off, it’s very funny as well. ‘The Rev’ sings a part in that song, that just gets me laughing almost every time. He’s hilarious. Their lyrics are always so detailed that it paints a little picture inside your head - it's not something you experience with many bands nowadays.
The happiness this band gave me, would soon crash into a thousand, small, sharp, painful pieces in the most horrible of ways. Every album amazes me, I love them. They amaze me, I love them. But there’s just one giant problem. On the 28th of December, 2009, Jimmy ‘The Rev’ Sullivan, passed away. He was grabbed away from us, and we couldn’t unlease him from the grip of what took; it was just too strong, too strong for the friends, the family and the fans. He was gone.
When I heard the news, my heart sank a thousand feet. I was in complete in denial, Jimmy can’t die, he’s Jimmy! Was the words that kept repeating in my mind. I kept thinking it must be a joke, a sick, twisted joke, that perhaps even Jimmy came up with himself. He was always a joker, but I knew, deep in my mind that not even Jimmy would do that. So then, I tried to force myself to think that it was a nightmare, that I would wake up, see his face on my posters and it would all be fine. He’d be heading to the studio with the guys to record the album they were beginning. But none of that happened and it completely crushed me.
He couldn’t die, he was only 28, how could he die? Why him? I thought as the realisation that one of my heroes had left the world. I couldn’t believe it, I just couldn’t. My body was numb, my heart ached. I cried none stop for a week, even in Morrison’s, I got extremely strange looks, but I didn’t give a damn. At the end of the week my eyes were so sore that I couldn’t actually cry anymore.
Sure, I’ve had relatives die, a lot of close ones at that. But when they died, I was young. The impact of their deaths didn’t hit me as hard as Jimmy’s, that sounds completely, utterly cruel and awful but it’s true. I felt like I lost my own brother, that someone ripped my heart out off my chest and splattered it to the floor. I was empty, there’s a spot nobody could ever fill. No matter who they were, or how hard they tried.
I've desperately wanted to see this band live, to meet them, to give them hugs and thank them for making my life seem like something worth living since I first heard 'City Of Evil'. They made me realise a lot of things, important things. To not always take the bad comments people throw at you, why should I? I’m just as good as anyone else. And Jimmy, he showed me that I always have to Seize The Day. I shouldn’t ever take anything for granted, because I never know what is round that corner. To me, these guys will always be my heroes. Because they show as much love and respect for their fans, as their fans so them, it's two way. Unlike most, these days. However, it’s heartbreaking that in death our best friend, our brother Jimmy had to show us how important and special life is, you have to hold onto it when you have the chance. Fo’REV’er he will live in my heart, my soul, my mind. As long as I live, he’ll be with me, every step of the way.
Five guys playing instruments, I’d never seen them before, I didn’t know who they were but I was eager to know. The music making a thin lining of vibrations around my body, I loved this music. How could I love a band that I only, just now, had heard?
As the vibrations buzzed, the chorus was screeching, I had it on full blast.
“Turn it down! I can’t hear myself think!” my mother bellowed from the kitchen, I ignored. I was enjoying this too much to turn it down now.
I caught a glimpse of the song name, unfortunately not the band. ‘Bat Country’, it read. I had to know more, I just had to. Running up stairs to go online to find who sung this song I tripped, twice. A carpet burn formed on my leg, the heat just seemed to fly off, I wasn’t bothered the slightest.
I typed ‘Bat County’ into Youtube hoping to find some answers, millions and millions of videos appeared before my hungry eyes. “Avenged Sevenfold - Bat Country”, I seen, clicking onto it, it began with a light rumble getting louder and louder. “Heeeee who makes a beast outta himself, gets rid of the pain of being a maaaan yeaaa” shouted the singer. ‘Bat Country’ wasn’t enough, I craved more, I was like an addict. I was hooked on this band, my own form of heroin. But I didn’t want to be like most girls, only liking a band for their looks. I wanted to know everything about these mysterious five guys, but keep my mind on the music. Which, when I look back, it's a difficult thing to do because they are equally good looking as they are talented.
I hunted them down on Wikipedia, scrolling down until I reached the ‘Members Of Avenged Sevenfold’ section. I didn’t know anything about these five characters, their names, their ages, or where they were even from. However, that was soon to come clear. Matt, Zacky, Brian, Jimmy and Johnny are from Orange County, California and they are, Avenged Sevenfold. I learnt their birthdays, and their stage names. I'll be honest, only 'Zacky Vengeance' and 'The Reverend Tholomew Plague' stuck in my head at first.
Now that I had learnt everything I thought I could possibly need, I began my search on getting my hands on their albums, the first I ever bought was ‘City Of Evil’ released in 2005, featuring classic songs as ‘Bat Country’, ‘Seize The Day’ and ‘Beast and The Harlot’, it seemed reasonable to get an album with a song I was familiar with rather than something I wasn’t. My mother told me that if I didn’t like this album it would be a complete waste of sixteen pounds, but she needn’t have worried. In fact, the words didn’t even need to leave her mouth. This was the most amazing music I had heard in a long time. I went physically crazy, this album was insanely breathtaking.
I repeatedly played my CD for weeks on end - I couldn’t get enough. It was a new found drug, which I had to have. I needed that happiness to take over all the oxygen that filled my lungs, I felt if I didn’t have it, then my life would never be the same. Repeating the CD so many times that it actually wore out, it started to jump and scratch which I got frustrated about as it would be a few days before my next one would arrive. This was the time before such great things as Spotify you see, but that isn’t the point, I love having the cases and booklets for Cds they mean more that way. Though on the upside, I don’t need to worry about not having any Avenged Sevenfold music for a few days, I’ve got spare copies, copies on Spotify and probably two of each original. Am I seriously crazy?
For 2 years I carried on repeating ‘City Of Evil’ and by then, I had ‘Waking The Fallen’ as well, which equally was repeated. I waited, biting my nails as it was being confirmed that Avenged Sevenfold would be releasing a new album. I was more than excited, to say the least. I practically wanted to go to their houses an tell them to hurry up with it, but of course, they’d have me arrested or something. So, I waited impatiently for weeks on end. Finally, it was in my hands - their self titled album. The song I knew most was ‘Afterlife’ as it got so much airplay. But I decided to dive head first into another song, one that I thought seemed quirky and interesting. ‘A Little Piece Of Heaven’, it starts of quite strange. It builds up a plot, and I’m sitting there thinking to myself ‘OH MY GOD! I LOVE THIS!’ not even 1:30 seconds in. It’s a dark song about how a man kills a woman to preserve her for his 'needs', but then she comes back from the grave to kill him, he got what he deserved right? Don't let that put you off, it’s very funny as well. ‘The Rev’ sings a part in that song, that just gets me laughing almost every time. He’s hilarious. Their lyrics are always so detailed that it paints a little picture inside your head - it's not something you experience with many bands nowadays.
The happiness this band gave me, would soon crash into a thousand, small, sharp, painful pieces in the most horrible of ways. Every album amazes me, I love them. They amaze me, I love them. But there’s just one giant problem. On the 28th of December, 2009, Jimmy ‘The Rev’ Sullivan, passed away. He was grabbed away from us, and we couldn’t unlease him from the grip of what took; it was just too strong, too strong for the friends, the family and the fans. He was gone.
When I heard the news, my heart sank a thousand feet. I was in complete in denial, Jimmy can’t die, he’s Jimmy! Was the words that kept repeating in my mind. I kept thinking it must be a joke, a sick, twisted joke, that perhaps even Jimmy came up with himself. He was always a joker, but I knew, deep in my mind that not even Jimmy would do that. So then, I tried to force myself to think that it was a nightmare, that I would wake up, see his face on my posters and it would all be fine. He’d be heading to the studio with the guys to record the album they were beginning. But none of that happened and it completely crushed me.
He couldn’t die, he was only 28, how could he die? Why him? I thought as the realisation that one of my heroes had left the world. I couldn’t believe it, I just couldn’t. My body was numb, my heart ached. I cried none stop for a week, even in Morrison’s, I got extremely strange looks, but I didn’t give a damn. At the end of the week my eyes were so sore that I couldn’t actually cry anymore.
Sure, I’ve had relatives die, a lot of close ones at that. But when they died, I was young. The impact of their deaths didn’t hit me as hard as Jimmy’s, that sounds completely, utterly cruel and awful but it’s true. I felt like I lost my own brother, that someone ripped my heart out off my chest and splattered it to the floor. I was empty, there’s a spot nobody could ever fill. No matter who they were, or how hard they tried.
I've desperately wanted to see this band live, to meet them, to give them hugs and thank them for making my life seem like something worth living since I first heard 'City Of Evil'. They made me realise a lot of things, important things. To not always take the bad comments people throw at you, why should I? I’m just as good as anyone else. And Jimmy, he showed me that I always have to Seize The Day. I shouldn’t ever take anything for granted, because I never know what is round that corner. To me, these guys will always be my heroes. Because they show as much love and respect for their fans, as their fans so them, it's two way. Unlike most, these days. However, it’s heartbreaking that in death our best friend, our brother Jimmy had to show us how important and special life is, you have to hold onto it when you have the chance. Fo’REV’er he will live in my heart, my soul, my mind. As long as I live, he’ll be with me, every step of the way.