Avenged Sevenfold -- 2010 New Album Preview

To say that the past few months have been difficult for Avenged Sevenfold would be a major understatement. Just about a month after the group had begun assembling the production team to work on their new 2010 album, drummer James 'The Rev' Sullivan was found dead in his home, on December 28, 2009. In the understandably tumultuous aftermath of the tragedy, the group rallied together, and ultimately decided to move forward with their new album as planned, in honor of their lost bandmate.

On February 17, in a statement on their website, Avenged Sevenfold announced to their fans that they'd entered the studio once again, with drummer Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater filling in on drums for The Rev. Portnoy, according to the group, was Sullivan's "all time favorite drummer." The California based metal group also made their motivation behind the album crystal clear, saying, "Jimmy helped leave this world an amazing gift and now it's our job to make sure to deliver that gift to our fans."

In a January interview with Kerrang!, lead singer M. Shadows confirmed a July release for the follow up to their 2007 self-titled album. As for the sound of their new 2010 album, Shadows said, "It's a dark record. The music is emotional. Our goal is to make every single part memorable, we want to evoke reactions live and at home. It'll have big rock ballads, the big fun stuff, the piano, the choir, the orchestra and all the visual things you expect but with a different, moodier vibe."

No matter how their fifth studio album sounds, though, it will likely have Sullivan's fingerprints all over it. As the late drummer's parents said in a recent interview with the Huntington Beach Independent, "Jimmy had just finished writing songs for Avenged Sevenfold's new album - he even called one his 'masterpiece.'" Sullivan's mother, Barbara, later added, "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."