The Pentagon Channel’s MC2 Andrew Krauss interviews Avenged Sevenfold singer and consummate nice guy M. Shadows at the Jiffy Lube Live in Washington, D.C. on August 31, 2010 as part of the Rockstar Energy Drink Uproar tour.  In addition to discussing the band moving forward despite the loss of A7X drummer Jimmy ‘The Rev’ Sullivan late last year and beating out Eminem in the charts, Matt announced that the band will be playing a USO tour soon, with dates still TBD in Iraq and Kuwait. Stay tuned for more details.

Watch the video interview below.

Avenged Sevenfold have been submitted for seven Grammy awards. The following categories are: Best Hard Rock Performance (Nightmare), Best Short-Form Music Video (Nightmare), Best Rock Song (Nightmare), Best Rock Album, Album of the Year, Song of the Year (Nightmare), and Record of the Year.

Nominations will be announced on December 1, 2010 during the 3rd Annual Grammy Nominations Concert on CBS.

In a post on www.avengedsevenfold.com, Avenged Sevenfold frontman M. Shadows wrote a very touching post about his friend, brother and A7X drummer Jimmy ‘The Rev’ Sullivan who tragically passed away on December 28, 2009:

“I don’t know how to start this or know where to begin.

“First, I would like to thank all the fans for their support through the passing of Jimmy. It has been comforting to see his fans, our fans, and everyone in general, give their support.

“Jimmy was my best friend, as he was best friends with many other people, including the members of AVENGED SEVENFOLD. He was hands down the greatest person I have ever known. I told him I loved him every day. He demanded your love and was never afraid to give it back.

“I have walked side by side with Jimmy, every day, for the last 18 years of my life. I have no memories before Jimmy, and it’s going to be damn hard to move forward without him here. It still doesn’t seem real. He was my best friend, songwriting partner, band mate, confidant, and most importantly, he was my brother.

“The crazy thing about Jimmy was that every day was a crazy story.

“We have told our favorite Jimmy stories for the last two weeks and never have we repeated ourselves. This guy was magical. The outpour of art from his soul was unlike the world has ever seen.

“Unless you spent a day with Jimmy, or 18 years, it’s impossible to explain, so I’m not going to try.

“He inspired people in different ways. He wasn’t just a drummer; he honestly didn’t care so much for the technical side of drums, ’cause he could play anything he wanted. He was all about creating beautiful songs, original fills and hopefully touching people with his art and mind.

“He told all of us for years, including his parents, that he knew two things in life. He wanted to be a rock star, and that he wasn’t going to live past 30 years old. He was right on both counts, but I know Jimmy, and if he knew how much pain this would cause for the ones he left behind, he would have done anything he could to stick around a little longer.

“Jimmy gave so much and in the end it was his time to go. All my reasons for wanting him to stay are selfish and I know he is in a better place than this, so in a way I’m joyful that my best friend is now at peace. He made it to the other side first and I can’t wait to hang with him again.

“I have so much to say but can’t find the words, so I will wait until time can allow me to find a way to express myself. As for the rest of us, it has become clear what we need to do. We had just finished writing a record with Jimmy.

“I can’t promise what the future holds because right now it’s too painful to think about, but we know we need to record and put out this record in honor of Jimmy, for Jimmy.

“He would call me every night to talk about songs and tell me ‘this shit is gonna change the world.’ I agreed with him. Unfortunately, I didn’t know it would be on these terms.

“Please be patient with us for we cannot imagine how hard this is gonna be to get through; we just know we have to do it for his legacy. After that, who knows? But I know Jimmy will help us make that decision when the time comes.

“I love you, Jimmy, and I feel like the luckiest man in the world to have known you and spent 18 years of my life with you.

“Rest in peace, my friend.”

Avenged Sevenfold drummer James Owen Sullivan was found dead at his home in Huntington Beach, California Monday December 28, 2009 at 1PM. Orange County Coroners office was investigating 28-year old Jimmy Sullivan’s passing, although reports indicate that it appears as if the drummer died of natural causes.

The band posted this on their official Myspace blog:

“JIMMY “THE REV” SULLIVAN
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”

Check out dudeGaGa86’s Avenged Sevenfold member ring entrances in WWE Smackdown! vs Raw 2008 using Create-A-Wrestler.

He’s posted his work of other bands as well – Hollywood Undead, All Time Low and Bring Me The Horizon. Check them all out here.

Avenged Sevenfold’s manager Larry Jacobson tweeted this message earlier today:

“heard 3 amazing new a7x songs friday night. can’t stop listening.”

Can you be patient or is the wait driving you crazy?

Avenged Sevenfold verified their official Twitter account. While you’re there, follow our tweets too!

http://twitter.com/TheOfficialA7X
http://twitter.com/lapdogterror

Avenged Sevenfold frontman M Shadows was asked to comment on his favorite albums from 2009 and here’s what he said:

“That’s tough. My favourite non-metal album is Dave Matthews ‘Big Whiskey And The GrooGrux King’. Megadeth’s album was great. I think the new Atreyu record is good. I think the metal album of the year would have to be Dream Theater’s Dark Clouds And Silver Linings. I love Dream Theater. The new record is unbelievable. I like a lot of prog stuff and I like a lot of the European metal stuff but to me Dream Theater… I love big, long songs and I love listening to Petrucci and Portnoy, and I even like James Labrie’s voice, so…

Do you think an Avenged Sevenfold fan would be surprised that you have such esoteric tastes?

“We like to throw our fans curveballs. But if it’s good I’ll listen to it. I listen to everything from pop music to Maroon 5, all sorts of shit. I just love it all, I eat it up. At the end of the day I don’t listen to only metal – you can’t eat steak every night! You have to have to have Taco Bell once in a while…”

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