Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan Remembered

A year ago today, the metal world lost possibly one of the greatest drummers of it's time.  Since the age of four when he received his first drum sticks, The Rev had a passion for drums and music as a whole.  Best known for his incredible talent on drums with Avenged Sevenfold and his self titled "double-ride thing" where he doubled up at a fast tempo between double bass and ride cymbals, (can be heard on "Almost Easy" and "Critical Acclaim") something that to this day is unheard of by any other drummer.

He was also a pianist, songwriter, and vocalist with Avenged Sevenfold, merely expanding his unfathomable resume as a musician. Possibly his most well-known songwriting took form in the song "A Little Piece of Heaven."  The song has somewhat of a cult following as it is rarely played by radio stations due to it's graphic and twisted nature, but that's what fans love about it.  It's ingenious combinations of furious drums, playful and melodious piano, big band feel combined with gruesome yet fun lyrics, it was something only The Rev could conquer in his mind; and to most this was his masterpiece.

But Sullivan was more than just a one of a kind drummer. He was a one of a kind person.  For those of us that never had the honor of sharing a conversation with Sullivan we can only know him through videos and interviews where his quirky and cheerful personality made every single person around him enjoy whatever it is they happened to be doing at the time. He was just someone who you admired as a musician and wished that you had 100 friends just like him.

So on this day, one year later, we honor the memory of one of the truly iconic musicians of our time and simply say, "While you may be hard to find, we hope you've found your peace just on the other side."