Bloody-Disgusting and MySpace Horror have received sketches and drawings straight from the Avenged Sevenfold archives of Zacky Vengeance. These drawings take you through the behind the scenes evolution of one of Avenged Sevenfold’s album covers. Let's see if you can guess which one before we make it to the final image. We’ll be posting a new image each day to clue you in.

When Jimmy 'The Rev' Sullivan died suddenly at the end of 2009, Avenged Sevenfold were left devastated and unsure of their future. Five months on, in this week's Kerrang! magazine frontman M. Shadows and guitarist Synyster Gates talk for the first time about the hell the band have been through and discuss their forthcoming album, Nightmare.

Avenged Sevenfold have finally released the name of their new album and its release date.

The LP is called Nightmare and it’ll be in stores on July 17th. The band’s first new single, which is the title track of the album, hits radio today and all digital outlets on May 18th.

This is the band’s first album since their drummer, James “The Rev” Sullivan, died last December. Dream Theater’s Mike Portnoy stepped in to play drums for this record and will also tour with the band this summer when they headline the Rockstar Uproar Energy Drink Tour. You can see all the dates for that tour at the official website.

We’ve heard the new Avenged Sevenfold track and they’re hitting back with a vengeance on ‘Nightmare’!

Avenged Sevenfold’s new track ‘Nightmare’ has hit the airwaves at US Radio and Metal Hammer have heard the track! Check out our preview of what you can expect from the track below!

First off, it has to be said that weighing in at an epic 6:16, ‘Nightmare’ includes all of the colossal twists and turns that fans of the Orange County ragers have come to expect. It’s a rock n’ rollercoaster ride with truly spectacular moments peppered throughout the track.

Opening with a simple piano that sounds like a sinister musicbox, guitars and drums pound in together that mirror the initial musicbox melody. The drum fills are intensely furious and mirror the classic style of The Rev, machine-gun styled and militaristic. Epic lead-guitar leads soar across the track before M Shadows wails “Nightmare!” and chugging rhythm tracks take over.

The verse kicks in trademark Avenged fashion. Shadows vocals punctuated under a killer riff in similar style to that of Critical Acclaim. Punchy, anthemic and ready for war. The Twitter message last week (“Dragged ya down below, Down to the Devil’s show To be his guest forever… (Peace of mind is less than never)) provides the first lyrics to the track. The verses are classic Avenged but have the power of Black-album era Metallica and the swagger of early GNR. Massively impressive.

The 30-second clip that has been doing the rounds on YouTube is the chorus of the track. Uplifting and instantly memorable, it’s easy to see why ‘Nightmare’ serves as the first single on the album.

Something that becomes apparent throughout the track is that Dream Theater’s Mike Portnoy has done an incredible job of replicating The Rev’s drumming style. It has always been such an essential part of the A7X sound and Portnoy has it down to a tee, throwing in unconventional rhythms but remaining solid at all times.

Following the second chorus, a hearty Shadows laugh is followed by a change in pace and the first blazing guitar work from Synyster Gates. The rhythm tracks thuds away as Gates unleashes a lead-line that could strip the paint off the walls of the room you’re sat in. The fuel-injection quickly kicks in underneath Gates’ wailing solo. If you’re an Avenged fan, this will blow your brains out of your ears.

The solo ends with a confrontational call-and-answer vocal line from Shadows. What impresses is that, there’s so much going on within the track and all things impact like a punch to the bridge of the nose.

‘Nightmare’ is an Avenged Sevenfold classic in-waiting. The hard-rock meets metal hybrid that Avenged have perfected over the years is on the top of it’s game. If this doesn’t have you salivating over the release of A7X’s upcoming album this summer, there’s almost no hope for you.

Avenged Sevenfold are back and it sounds awesome!

Southern California's AVENGED SEVENFOLD recorded its new album, titled "Nightmare", with drummer Mike Portnoy of DREAM THEATER recording the drum tracks after the death last December of the band's drummer and main songwriter, James "The Rev" Sullivan. But singer M. Shadows told The Pulse of Radio that not only did Portnoy replicate the drum patterns Sullivan had already written for the record, but Sullivan himself makes an appearance as well. "Jimmy actually left a couple of vocals on the record," he said. "They're kind of like a goodbye. It just happens that he sang 'em in key, he sang the words very clearly, and there was no bleed in the mics or anything, and so we used 'em on the record. So Jimmy actually sings on the record. All of his drum fills are intact, it feels like Jimmy playing. So it feels like our last record with Jimmy, pretty much."

Shadows also told HardDrive Radio that Sullivan wrote his last song for the album, originally called "Death", just three days before he passed away.

Sullivan was found dead at his California home on December 28, 2009. The cause of death has not yet been revealed.

"Nightmare" will arrive in stores on July 27 via Warner Bros. Records. The CD was produced by Mike Elizondo (DR. DRE, EMINEM) and is currently being mixed in New York City by noted engineer Andy Wallace (SLAYER, SEPULTURA, NIRVANA, DISTURBED). The title track is also the first single from the record. A 30-second clip can be streamed below.

Portnoy will play with AVENGED SEVENFOLD on all their 2010 tour dates as well, including the Uproar Festival tour with DISTURBED and STONE SOUR that begins in late August.

Dragged ya down below,
Down to the Devils show
To be his guest forever…
(Peace of mind is less than never)

Avenged Sevenfold's M Shadows and Synyster Gates (although I call them Matt & Brian) were in the hardDrive studios yesterday and we had a fine time. We started with a group hug and condolences on the tragic and untimely death of Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan, their drummer. The new album, "Nightmare," is dedicated to his memory and although it's not exactly a concept album, it does center around The Rev. The eeriest thing about it is there is a song on the album called "Fiction" (a nickname The Rev gave himself) which started out with the title "Death." And the song 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 3 days later, he died. Freaky! The guys have been in town mixing the album and are almost half completed with Andy Wallace. Meanwhile, watch for a video interview with Matt on our website, coming soon.

I just wanted to say to Avenged Sevenfold, because I know you visit our website that I think your music fucking sucks and it was an absolute chicken shit move to have your lawyer contact me to take an image down because every one of you fuckers are absolutely too scared. Now go do some drugs, work on killing yourself like the idiots you are and stop worrying about what we do.

Here’s a tip: Spend some of the time you use surfing metal websites to actually write a good fucking song.

Thank you,

James/Heavy Brutal

Today in the hardDrive studios, Avenged Sevenfold in their first national radio interview since the death of James "The Rev" Sullivan. I can not wait to see the guys, give them a group hug. Stay tuned for that soon.....