The Rev - Wikipedia

American musician (1981–2009) For the style used when addressing clergy, see the Reverend. For other uses, see Rev (disambiguation).

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Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan
Background information
Also known as	The Rev Jimmy Rathead
Born	James Owen Sullivan(1981-02-09)February 9, 1981
Origin	Huntington Beach, California, U.S.
Died	December 28, 2009(2009-12-28) (aged 28)Huntington Beach, California, U.S.
Genres	Heavy metal metalcore experimental metal ska punk alternative metal
Occupations	Musician songwriter
Instruments	Drums vocals piano
Years active	1998–2009
Formerly of	Avenged Sevenfold Pinkly Smooth Suburban Legends

Musical artist

James Owen "Jimmy" Sullivan (February 9, 1981 – December 28, 2009), also known by his stage name The Rev (shortened from his prior stage name The Reverend Tholomew Plague), was an American musician and songwriter. He was the drummer, pianist, backing vocalist, and occasional co-lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold, which he co-founded in 1999. He was previously the lead vocalist and pianist of the avant-garde metal band Pinkly Smooth and drummer for the ska punk band Suburban Legends from 1998 to 1999.

Early life

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James Owen Sullivan was born on February 9, 1981.[1] He was of Irish descent[2] and was raised Catholic in Tustin, California.[3] He received his first pair of drumsticks at the age of five and his own drum set at the age of twelve.[4] While in high school, he started playing in bands.

Career

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Avenged Sevenfold

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Before leaving to join Avenged Sevenfold as one of the band's founding members, Sullivan was the drummer for the third wave ska band Suburban Legends.[5] At the age of 19, he recorded his first album with Avenged Sevenfold, Sounding the Seventh Trumpet. His early influences included Frank Zappa and King Crimson. He stated in an interview with Modern Drummer that he "was raised on that stuff as much as rock and metal."[4]

Sullivan was influenced by drummers Vinnie Paul, Mike Portnoy (who would later be his fill-in with Avenged Sevenfold), Dave Lombardo, Lars Ulrich, and Terry Bozzio,[6] stating "It's funny [...], of all my influences, Tommy Lee is a visual influence. I never thought I'd have one of those."[7] Sullivan had a signature drum fill which he called "the double-ride thing" or "the Double Octopus", stating that he did so "just for lack of a better definition".[8] It is a short fill consisting a full bar of sixteenth single notes played unison on double bass drums and two ride cymbals, and can be heard on tracks such as "Almost Easy", "Critical Acclaim", "Crossroads", and "Dancing Dead".

Sullivan served as the drummer, composer, songwriter, vocalist, and pianist for the band. His vocals are featured in several Avenged Sevenfold songs, including "Strength of the World", "Afterlife", "A Little Piece of Heaven", "Almost Easy", "Scream", "Critical Acclaim", "Lost", "Brompton Cocktail", "Crossroads", "Flash of the Blade" (an Iron Maiden cover), "Art of Subconscious Illusion", "Save Me", and "Fiction". He also wrote and composed several songs for Avenged Sevenfold including "A Little Piece of Heaven", "Afterlife", "Almost Easy", "Unbound (The Wild Ride)", "Buried Alive", "Fiction", "Brompton Cocktail", "Welcome to the Family", "Save Me", among others. Avenged Sevenfold released a demo version of "Nightmare" featuring Sullivan on an electronic drumset and providing some vocals which were later used on the album Nightmare, released after his death.

At the second annual Revolver Golden God Awards, Sullivan won the award for "Best Drummer". His family members, and Avenged Sevenfold, received the posthumous honor on his behalf.[9]

In an Ultimate Guitar online readers' poll of the "Top Ten Greatest Drummers of All Time", Sullivan appeared at No. 8, placing higher than Bill Ward of Black Sabbath and lower than Keith Moon of the Who. In 2017, he once again appeared in Ultimate Guitar's list of Top 25 Greatest Singing Drummers, at No. 5.[10]

Pinkly Smooth

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Pinkly Smooth was an avant-garde metal band formed in 2001 in Huntington Beach, California, as a side project of Sullivan. It originally featured him (under the name "Rathead") on vocals, along with fellow Avenged Sevenfold member Synyster Gates on guitar and former Ballistico band members Buck Silverspur (under the name "El Diablo") on bass, as well as Derek Eglit (under the name "Super Loop") on drums. They released only one album, Unfortunate Snort, which featured former Avenged Sevenfold bassist Justin Meacham (under his stage name "Justin Sane") as a keyboard player.

Artistry

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Initially influenced by punk rock during his youth, Sullivan was also influenced by artists such as Frank Zappa, Dave Weckl, Terry Bozzio, Dream Theater, Pantera, Rush and Slayer.[11]

Death

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On December 28, 2009, Sullivan was found unresponsive at his home in Huntington Beach, California.[12] Upon arrival to the hospital, he was pronounced dead at the age of 28.[13] Police stated that his death was not suspicious and appeared to be from natural causes. An autopsy performed on December 30 was inconclusive, but toxicology results released six months later revealed the cause of death to be an overdose of alcohol, diazepam, oxycodone, oxymorphone, and nordiazepam.[14] The coroner noted an enlarged heart as a "significant condition" that may have played a role in his death.

On January 6, 2010, a private funeral was held for Sullivan. Avenged Sevenfold dedicated their fifth studio album Nightmare to him, as well as songs including "So Far Away", which had been written by his bandmate and childhood friend Synyster Gates, and "Fiction", which Sullivan had written three days before his death.[15][16]

Sullivan's bandmate M. Shadows later said in an interview with Hard Drive Radio, "The eeriest thing about it is there is a song on the album called 'Fiction' [a nickname Sullivan gave himself] which started out with the title 'Death'. And it 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, three days later, he died."[15]

Legacy

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Sullivan's triple bass drum kit from the 2008 Taste of Chaos tour was donated for display at a Hard Rock Cafe in Las Vegas.[17] It has since been taken down after the Hard Rock Cafe closed due to COVID-19. Another drum kit he used is displayed in a Hard Rock Cafe in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.[18][needs update] In 2024, Brandon Toews of Drumeo wrote: "The original drummer and founding member of Avenged Sevenfold has become an iconic figure in rock and metal with his skills, creativity, and huge personality. Though he passed away far too soon at just 28 years old, his drumming continues to make a massive impact – and he’s quickly become a legend in his own right."[19]

Discography

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with Suburban Legends

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• Origin Edition (1999)

with Pinkly Smooth

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• Unfortunate Snort (2001)

with Avenged Sevenfold

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• Sounding the Seventh Trumpet (2001)
• Waking the Fallen (2003)
• City of Evil (2005)
• Avenged Sevenfold (2007)
• Live in the LBC & Diamonds in the Rough (2008)
• Nightmare (2010) (posthumous; lyrics, composing and vocals featured; vocals and drums on demo tracks; co-lead vocals on "Fiction", growl on "Save Me", songwriting on all songs)
• Life Is But a Dream... (2023) (posthumous; bridge melody on "Mattel" and lyrics on "Beautiful Morning")

with Brian Haner

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• Fistfight at the Wafflehouse (2010) (posthumous; drums on "Bring My Baby Back")

References

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1. ^ "Jimmy The Reverend Sullivan". DRUMMERWORLD. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
2. ^ "US metal band Avenged Sevenfold on their Belfast debut and Irish roots". The Irish News. June 1, 2018. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
3. ^ "Avenged Sevenfold remember the Rev: "He never ceased to create music that touched my very soul"". loudersound.com. February 17, 2010.
4. ^ a b "Modern Drummer Magazine Interview Oct. 2006". Moderndrummer.com. Archived from the original on August 4, 2010. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
5. ^ "Here are all the bands that every member of Avenged Sevenfold were in before Avenged Sevenfold". Loudersound. April 24, 2023. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
6. ^ "January 5, 2010". Allcurrenthotnews.com. Archived from the original on June 9, 2011. Retrieved October 29, 2011.
7. ^ "James "The Rev" Sullivan | Modern Drummer Magazine". www.moderndrummer.com. December 2009. Archived from the original on April 29, 2018. Retrieved December 23, 2016.
8. ^ "DRUM! Magazine Interview Nov. 2007". Drummagazine.com. September 16, 2011. Archived from the original on March 10, 2012. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
9. ^ "Revolver Golden Gods Awards 2010: The Winners | Latest News". Metal Injection. April 9, 2010. Archived from the original on December 5, 2011. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
10. ^ "Friday Top: 25 Greatest Singing Drummers". Ultimate-guitar.com. Archived from the original on June 17, 2017. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
11. ^ "Jimmy Sullivan (The Rev) Was A Drumming Genius: Here's Why - Drumeo Beat". Free Online Drum Magazine | The Drumeo Beat. March 25, 2024. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
12. ^ "MTV Newsroom". Newsroom.mtv.com. December 29, 2009. Archived from the original on October 23, 2011. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
13. ^ Lewis, Randy (December 30, 2009). "James 'The Rev' Sullivan dies at 28; drummer for heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 27, 2016. Retrieved January 6, 2017.
14. ^ "Avenged Sevenfold Drummer Died of Accidental Overdose". rollingstone.com. June 9, 2010. Archived from the original on May 24, 2012. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
15. ^ a b "Has The New Avenged Sevenfold Album Been Given A Title?". Metal Hammer. May 14, 2010. Archived from the original on May 17, 2010. Retrieved May 14, 2010.
16. ^ "Avenged Sevenfold: The Rev's Passing Steered Album's Lyrical Direction | Interviews @". Ultimate-guitar.com. Archived from the original on September 6, 2010. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
17. ^ "Memorabilia". Hard Rock Cafe. Archived from the original on October 20, 2013. Retrieved July 14, 2013.
18. ^ "Hard Rock Cafe, Gatlinburg, Tennessee- Drum set belonging to Avenged Sevenfold drummer Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan displayed at the Hard Rock Cafe in Gatlinburg".
19. ^ "Jimmy Sullivan (The Rev) Was A Drumming Genius: Here's Why - Drumeo Beat". Free Online Drum Magazine | The Drumeo Beat. March 25, 2024. Retrieved November 17, 2025.

External links

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• Media related to The Rev at Wikimedia Commons

v t e Avenged Sevenfold
M. Shadows Zacky Vengeance Synyster Gates Johnny Christ Brooks Wackerman Matt Wendt Justin Sane Dameon Ash The Rev Arin Ilejay
Studio albums	Sounding the Seventh Trumpet Waking the Fallen City of Evil Avenged Sevenfold Nightmare Hail to the King The Stage Life Is But a Dream...
Extended plays	Warmness on the Soul Black Reign
Other albums	Live in the LBC & Diamonds in the Rough The Best of 2005–2013 Live at the Grammy Museum
Singles	"Chapter Four "Unholy Confessions" "Burn It Down" "Bat Country" "Beast and the Harlot" "Seize the Day" "Walk" "Almost Easy" "Afterlife" "Dear God" "Scream" "Nightmare" "Welcome to the Family" "So Far Away" "Not Ready to Die" "Buried Alive" "Carry On" "Hail to the King" "St. James" "Shepherd of Fire" "The Stage" "God Damn" "Mad Hatter" "Nobody"
Other songs	"Second Heartbeat" "I Won't See You Tonight" "A Little Piece of Heaven" "Fiction "This Means War" "The River"
Tours	Avenged Sevenfold Tour
Related articles	Discography Pinkly Smooth Mike Portnoy Brian Haner Asphalt Legends
Category

v t e Suburban Legends
Aaron Bertram Brian Klemm Edward Larsen Chris Lucca Brad Polidori Brian Robertson Vincent Walker Chris Batstone Luis Beza Dallas Cook Brent Feige Mikey Hachey Phillip Inzerillo Fred Johnson Josh Lander Chris Maurer Tim Maurer Justin Meacham Derek Lee Rock Jimmy Sullivan
Studio albums	Rump Shaker Dance Like Nobody's Watching: Tokyo Nights
EPs	Dance Like Nobody's Watching
Producers	John Avila Dallas Kruse

Authority control databases: Artists	MusicBrainz