Avenged Sevenfold’s Synyster Gates: ‘I still miss The Rev every single day’
He reflects on his late bandmate seven years on
More than seven years on from Jimmy ‘The Rev’ Sullivan’s untimely passing, Avenged Sevenfold’s Synyster Gates says his late bandmate is never far from his thoughts.
Speaking to the Irish Times at the opening night of The Stage world tour at Dublin’s 3Arena, Synyster – real name Brian Haner, Jr. – was asked whether he still thinks about The Rev.
He responded: "Yeah, of course. I mean everybody's lost somebody and I think they all miss them incredibly. Do you miss them to tears every day? I'd like to say yes, but I would be lying; I don't miss him to tears.
“But you think of him… He makes me smile every day — he makes me still shake my f***ing head every day — thinking about what an exceptional human being he was. And I think that's truly important. And then at certain times you have, where… it's not déjà vu, or whatever it is, but it feels like you just lost him; you'll have that surge of emotion, and it's fresh and new, and then, yeah, it'll bring you to your knees and to tears.
“But every single day, many moments of the day, he's definitely missed and reflected upon and smiled at."
Elsewhere in the interview, Synyster opened up about Avenged Sevenfold’s lavish live shows and told fans what to expect. You can watch it in full here.
In other Avenged Sevenfold news, the band announced yesterday that they’ll be hosting a pop-up shop in London’s Camden Market from Friday 20th January until Monday 23rd January coinciding with their London O2 Arena shows.
Following triumphant shows in Dublin, Glasgow and Newcastle, Avenged Sevenfold continue their tour at Sheffield Arena on Sunday night (15th January).
Select tickets are available from Kerrang! Radio Tickets now.