Avenged Sevenfold
The meaning behind the name.
Comes from a biblical story in the Book of Genesis, specifically a verse about the first murder. After Cain kills his brother Abel, God declares that anyone who harms Cain will be “avenged sevenfold”. The band chose the name for its dramatic and poetic imagery, which fits their music, though they are not a religious band.
Origins
Avenged Sevenfold (abbreviated as A7X) is an American heavy metal band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1999. The band’s current lineup consists of vocalist M. Shadows, guitarists Zacky Vengeance and Synyster Gates, bassist Johnny Christ, and drummer Brooks Wackerman.
Passing of Jimmy “The Rev“ Sullivan
James Owen Sullivan (February 9, 1981 – December 28, 2009), also known by his stage name The Rev (shortened from his prior stage name The Reverend Tholomew Plague), was an American musician and songwriter. He was the drummer, pianist, backing vocalist, and occasional co-lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold, which he co-founded in 1999.
On December 28, 2009, Sullivan was found unresponsive at his home in Huntington Beach, California. Upon arrival to the hospital, he was pronounced dead at the age of 28. Police stated that his death was not suspicious and appeared to be from natural causes. An autopsy performed on December 30 was inconclusive, but toxicology results released six months later revealed the cause of death to be an overdose of alcohol, diazepam, oxycodone, oxymorphone, and nordiazepam. The coroner noted an enlarged heart as a “significant condition” that may have played a role in his death.
On January 6, 2010, a private funeral was held for Sullivan. Avenged Sevenfold dedicated their fifth studio album Nightmare to him, as well as songs including “So Far Away“, which had been written by his bandmate and childhood friend Synyster Gates, and “Fiction”, which Sullivan had written three days before his death.
Sullivan’s bandmate M. Shadows later said in an interview with Hard Drive Radio, “The eeriest thing about it is there is a song on the album called ‘Fiction’ [a nickname Sullivan gave himself] which started out with the title ‘Death’. And it was the last song The Rev wrote for the album, and when he handed it in, he said, ‘That’s it, that’s the last song for this record.’ And then, three days later, he died.