Two years and one month, tragedy struck. The drummer from the heavy metal hard rock band Avenged Sevenfold died. His name was James Owen Sullivan, also known as The Rev. He death was due to a polydrug intoxication. I found out the day that he died, and I was broken. I had grown up listening to Avenged Sevenfold. My eldest sister, Julie, who went to RB had shown me them in 2002. I was six at the time, and the music was so different. I was so used to listening to rap and B-96 and things like that. I was intrigued; the sound the drums could make, it sounded real, not like something a computer would make.
In the years to follow, Avenged Sevenfold would become all I would listen to. I was to the point where I wouldn’t shut up about them; my friends hated it. The Rev was, and is, my hero, and that will never change. On August 26, I had the chance to see them live. It was the greatest thing I have ever experienced in my life. They were head lining Uproar, the name of the tour, which included great bands like Escape the Fate, Seether, Bullet for my Valentine, and Three Days Grace. Avenged Sevenfold played most songs off of their Nightmare album, which I am reviewing.
“Nightmare” came out in 2010. It was dedicated to the former drummer. I thought the album was amazing; it was very dark and meaningful, from the opening song “Nightmare”, to the final song “Save Me.”
The album begins with the song “Nightmare,” which can also be heard in the game Call of Duty: Black Ops, in the zombie map moon when you complete the easter egg. The album ends with the song “Save Me.” It is an impressive ten minutes long. Many people would say they don’t have the time for a song that long, but if you find time for it, it’s a beautiful song. Like many of the songs on the album it was written and dedicated for The Rev. It’s about how the drummer had died young. The album itself has many songs on how the band was hurt and will not forget him.
There is also a song on the album called “Fiction”, originally entitled “Death.” It was the last song The Rev wrote, three days before he died. The Rev died before they were able to record the entire album as a band. The Rev, however, had recorded much of the drums and some vocals for the album, which can be heard on tracks like “Fiction” and “Save Me.” “Fiction’s” lyrics makes it seem like it’s a goodbye from The Rev, as in the song he sings, “I hope it’s worth it/here on the highway/ I know you’ll find your own way when I’m not with you.”
In the first week of the album’s release, “Nightmare” replaced Eminem’s album Recovery for the number one spot which shows that The Rev was more than just a drummer or song writer; he was a hero and role model to many.
