Vinnie also talked about pulling for his sentimental favorite, the late Jimmy "The Rev' Sullivan for 2010's Golden Gods for "Best Drummer."

"My personal favorite is a very sentimental favorite," he said. "I'm pulling for Jimmy 'The Rev' Sullivan, who is no longer with us. He played in AVENGED SEVENFOLD, and he was just an amazing person and an incredibly talented drummer that brought a whole lot of new energy and fire to playing drums.

"God bless you, Jimmy. We miss you. And I hope you win."

forgive us for the lack of updates. but were trying to get back to being productive we promise.

Finished tracking drums with MP. They sound fucking amazing. Jimmy will be proud. Jimmy's also smiling knowing that Mike Portnoy has a deathbat forever tattooed on him. To show Mike that A7X is deeper then just a band I got one to match his. Jimmy would have done the same. Mike realized that our fans and friends are considered family. Being an A7X fan isn’t always easy because it means you’re not only gonna laugh with us, but cry with us and defend us on occasion. If you’re part of the family it's for life. Shads dedicated his right hand to our brother, without hesitation. I believe what we all share together is magical and wouldn't have it any other way...Ill try my best to keep you updated from the studio.
much love
ZV
A7X

Just finished the A7X drum tracks... what an amazing experience! Me & Zacky celebrated by getting matching Death Bat tats here in the studio. I must thank the amazing A7X fans for being so open and welcoming to me.. I was fearing them being very defensive over The Rev's drum throne but they've all been so supportive, open-minded, understanding and excited by the news... it is a huge relief to me and the guys... What an awesome family spirit these guys have...lotsa love! Hopefully this wont be the last time we play together..

Just got home from the studio. The guys are holding up well - given the circumstances. The album sounds amazing and Mike is just tearing it up. I wish Jimmy could be there to hear his idol play on songs he wrote. NOBODY would get a bigger kick out of it than him. Can't wait to record my tracks and pay tribute to Jimmy's memory.


(click image for a bigger view)

http://twitpic.com/142a6b - Well well well look who I found, Mister M. Shadows

Even under normal circumstances, I would've been happy to help the guys out in any way I could as I think Avenged Sevenfold are a great band...but under these incredibly sad and tragic circumstances, I must say I am truly honored to have been asked to play with them...and I didn't even have to think twice about saying yes.

These guys are a true family and it is an incredibly emotional experience to be here with them for the first time without their lost brother. But they have welcomed me into the family with open arms and there's a real excitement to make the record they had set out to make...

I am treating my participation on this album with the utmost respect for Jimmy's memory and am remaining as true as possible to the drum parts that he wrote for the songs and the record he wanted to make.

I want their fans to realize that I'm not trying to step into or fill The Rev's shoes...I'm just merely lacing em up for him!

MP

I want our fans to know that with Jimmy in our hearts, our journey to record has officially began. Jimmy helped leave this world an amazing gift and now it's our job to make sure to deliver that gift to our fans. We asked Jimmy's all time favorite drummer Mike Portnoy to record on behalf of him. Mike said it would be an honor and without question that’s what Jim would have wanted. Its comforting to us that someone like Mike, who is undoubtedly revered as one of the best drummers in the world, held such respect and adoration for the Rev's abilities. Even though it will never be the same without our brother by our side, his essence lives in our hearts and through the music he helped create. He was a legend before any of the success or any of that bullshit and we are fucking excited to lay this down for our fans, and especially for Jimmy.
-Avenged Sevenfold

Avenged Sevenfold drummer leaves demos — and a poignant message — after his untimely death.

“I hope you’ll find your own way when I’m not with you.”

The lyrics jump out to the listener. The sparse, haunting, discordant ballad, consisting only of Jimmy “The Rev” Sullivan on piano, drums and vocal, fills the room — the same room where, last May, my teenage son and I visited with Joe and Barbara Sullivan, parents of the drummer from Avenged Sevenfold. We were there for a column I was writing about how proud the parents were of their son’s success.

The song continues, and it is stunning; introspective, moody — no formal lyrics for the most part. Instead, what appears to be a “guide vocal,” random words serving as placeholders for what will be written later. But the line appears again, slightly revised, “I think you’ll find your own way when I’m not with you.”

Here in the same room where, in January, I watched the band members comfort the family after Jimmy’s funeral.

The same room where a little boy named Jimmy Sullivan grew into a big drummer.

The song ends with, “I know you’ll find your own way when I’m not with you.”

These are some of the last words recorded by the Rev, just weeks before his death.

Barbara Sullivan wipes tears away from her eyes. We listen to some more music that Jimmy had been working on up until the end, in preparation for the new Avenged Sevenfold album. When the songs end, Joe Sullivan breaks the silence.

“He was really creating beautiful music, and I think the fans would be comforted by that,” he says.

The Sullivans are aware of the impact their late son had, not just on people here in Huntington Beach, but around the world. That’s why we’re here — because they want to reach out to the fans, to comfort and clarify, to give them an update. (My son is with me this evening as well, because he not only loves the band, he loves the Sullivans, too.)

“I was planning on waiting until the coroner’s results were in to talk about Jimmy — but realized that whatever the report has to say just really doesn’t matter,” Barbara tells me. “Now that a little time has passed, I am able to read some of the fan postings, and want to share a few details that might bring them comfort. The last few months of Jimmy’s life were good ones.

“Although Jimmy was never married (as is often erroneously reported), he had found his true best friend and soul mate, Leana. He had just had eye surgery that let him see without glasses. He called me one morning to tell me the story of not being able to find his glasses, wanting to know what time it was, realizing he could see the clock, and watching it for 10 minutes!

“Jimmy had just bought a condo and a new car, finally acknowledging that he was doing well as a musician. He had also spent a lot of time with his friends and family, especially over the holidays. Jimmy and Leana were Beauty and the Beast for Halloween, he sang Irish songs with the extended Sullivan family on Thanksgiving, and he asked for and received a ‘decorative chicken’ (crazy Jimmy randomness) for Christmas!”

Barbara shares a photo from this past Halloween, taken just several feet from where we sit this evening in the living room. It is a beautiful image of a vibrant couple.

And she continues. “Most important to him, Jimmy had just finished writing songs for Avenged Sevenfold’s new album — he even called one his ‘masterpiece.’ When he wrote songs, he would record tracks of his singing, playing the piano and drumming — then, when he played them for me, he would sing the orchestra or guitar parts that would be added later. I am thankful that I got to tell him how much I liked and admired his music.

“Jimmy wrote some really good songs. I was so proud of him, and I know that even though it will be very hard for them, the band will do a great job getting them recorded soon. Needless to say, these ‘all Jimmy’ recordings are almost impossible for me to listen to yet, but what a blessing to have them.”

Joe Sullivan adds, “We love what the fans have been saying. They’re actually teaching us things about Jimmy with their words and stories. These young people, all over the world, are a real community, and we appreciate all of their good thoughts. Also, we want fans to know how much we love the guys in the band. That brotherhood they have, they gave Jimmy a place to be himself, to create, to be The Rev. What an amazing group of young men — and women, and parents, too. The extended Avenged Sevenfold family is just incredible.”

As tough as it is to recount, Barbara also wants fans to be aware of some other things. “I want to share with the people who cared about him that Jimmy died peacefully, in his sleep,” she says. “No coroner’s report yet, but she did tell me that his heart just quietly stopped. I am thankful that he was home instead of on the road, that he was not alone, that he was on top of the world, that I got to spend a lot of time with him in the last few months, and that he will be remembered with a smile by so many.”

This past Christmas day, Jimmy told his mom he had a surprise for her. She asked what it was. He told her that the band’s album “City if Evil” had gone platinum. But she already knew this. What was the surprise? She was puzzled.

He passed away just several days later. Just days after that, the surprise arrived: Jimmy had ordered five customized copies of the platinum album, framed with the album cover art and inscribed to family members. One for Joe, one for Barbara, one for each of his two sisters and one for his brother-in-law. Looking at two of the framed pieces in the living room, it says a lot about the young man.

It was one final gesture that defined Joe and Barbara’s big-hearted, life-of-the-party, over-the-top kid who, though he may have been a successful drummer in a wildly popular band, never took the thrill for granted — and never missed an opportunity to share his excitement with his family.

I ask Barbara if I can mention the story for this column. “Oh, I think his fans would like to know about this. He loved those fans so much. And this is just another one of those things that made Jimmy, well — Jimmy.”

It made him Jimmy. And it made him “The Rev,” a rock and roll hero from Huntington Beach who, for many, will live on forever. Or rather, in a spelling his fans have embraced, “FoREVer.”

"The reason I got a memorial tattoo for someone I barely knew is because he and the band mean a lot to me. For one thing, they're the reason I've met a lot of my current friends, including my best friend who I talk to every day, even though we live over 1000 miles apart. I know a lot of people think it's cheesy to say, but they've also helped me through personal problems. If I'm having a bad day or am in a bad mood, their music, videos, dvds, whatever....help me feel better. Jimmy was someone who I've seen and talked to more than I have a lot of my family in the last 5 years. It was a horrible thing when he suddenly passed away, and he will be missed by a lot of people for a long time."

April's tattoo was done by Mike at Body Graphics Tattoo in South Windsor, CT