AVENGED SEVENFOLD Nearly Split Up After Drummer's Death

In an interview for this week's Kerrang! magazine, the surviving members of Southern California's AVENGED SEVENFOLD speak openly and frankly about the death of their drummer and "brother," Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan.

"We were all ready to quit for the first week after [The Rev's death]," reveals guitarist Synyster Gates. "There was no way we could imagine being in a band anymore. But, quickly, that went away because your logic comes back to you. You start to realize that, had it been you, you would have shuddered at the thought of the rest of the guys not continuing.

"He left us such amazing music and his family said, 'You guys have to keep going'," Gates added. "We had support from everybody, so that made it a lot easier. I realized that, if it had been me, I would want everyone else to continue and that was what made me know we could go on."

AVENGED SEVENFOLD released the first single and title track from its upcoming album, "Nightmare", to radio stations on Monday (May 17). Singer M. Shadows told The Pulse of Radio that the album started out as a concept record, but that idea was dropped after the death of the band's drummer, James "The Rev" Sullivan. However, Shadows added that he kept the song's lyrics the same as a tribute to his fallen bandmate. "'Nightmare' is one of those songs that was the beginning of the record and it was setting us up for this big story," he said. "Jimmy loved the lyrics so much that when he passed away, I didn't want to change them. And I figured, if this record's gonna be about Jimmy, I'm not gonna change stuff he loved about it, 'cause there's already so many songs that are about him, or with him in it, and just have to do with that whole dark side of everything we were going through."

"Nightmare" was made available from digital retailers on Tuesday (May 18). "Nightmare" the album will arrive in stores on July 27.

Drums on the record were handled by Mike Portnoy of DREAM THEATER, who will also perform with the band on all its 2010 tour dates.

Sullivan was found dead in his home on December 28, 2009 from causes that have not been released to the public.

"Nightmare" will follow up AVENGED SEVENFOLD's self-titled 2007 album, as well as its breakthrough 2005 disc, "City Of Evil", which featured the hit "Bat Country".

The band will co-headline this summer's Uproar Festival tour with DISTURBED, starting on August 17 in Minneapolis.