The rev

James Owen Sullivan (February 9, 1981 – December 28, 2009),[1] or The Reverend Tholomew Plague, often shortened to The Rev, was an American musician, best known as the drummer for the American heavymetal band Avenged Sevenfold. He was also the lead vocalist in Pinkly Smooth, a side project where he was known by the name Rat Head, with fellow Avenged Sevenfold member, guitarist Synyster Gates.Sullivan grew up and lived in Huntington Beach, California.[2] The Rev was found dead on December 28, 2009, at the age of 28.[1]

Contents [hide]
1 Career
2 Death
3 Discography
3.1 With SuburbanLegends
3.2 With Pinkly Smooth
3.3 With Avenged Sevenfold
4 References
5 External links


CareerThe Rev obtained his first pair of drum sticks at the age of four and received his own drum setat the age of eleven.[3] In high school, he started playing in bands. Before leaving to join Avenged Sevenfold as one of the band's founding members, Sullivan was the drummer for the third wave skaband Suburban Legends. At the age of eighteen he recorded his first album with Avenged Sevenfold titled Sounding the Seventh Trumpet. His early influences included Frank Zappa and King Crimson. The Revsaid in a Modern Drummer Magazine interview that "I was raised on that stuff as much as rock and metal."[3]

Later in life he was influenced by drummers Vinnie Paul, Mike Portnoy, Dave Lombardo,Lars Ulrich, and Terry Bozzio.[4] He even had a "visual influence", Tommy Lee, on which he commented that "I never thought I'd have one of those."[3] Sullivan's signature ability which he called "thedouble-ride thing, just for lack of a better definition, because no one does it,"[5] is a technique that can be heard on tracks such as "Almost Easy", "Critical Acclaim", and "Crossroads" in whichSullivan doubles up at a fast tempo between the double bass and ride cymbals.

The band won the MTV Music Award for Best New Artist in 2006[1], beating out Rihanna, Panic! at the Disco, Angels &...