A brief history of Avenged Sevenfold

If you’re reading this you probably already know that Avenged Sevenfold are one of the biggest metal bands in the world. However, you probably didn’t know that ten years ago when they got their start, they were a bunch of goofy kids from Orange County who were obsessed with melodic punk acts like Bad Religion and NOFX. One of them even wore a kimono.  But once these five musicians got in the same room, they slowly evolved from board short-wearing punks into one of the most inventive and technically proficient metal acts, staked their claim at the top of the charts and toured with everyone from Metallica to Iron Maiden… all in just over a decade. Not bad. Sadly, there was one casualty in all of this— the band’s drummer, the Rev, passed away in 2009.
Today, as the band prepare to embark on their enormous Nightmare After Christmas US trek, we recount the entire story of the band’s career trajectory in all its bloody, sweat, Jack Daniels-addled glory.

1988 (roughly)
Matt Sanders (not yet M. Shadows) and James Sullivan (not yet the Rev) meet in 2nd grade. They are not into metal at this point unless it involves putting the end of their pencils in their mouths, but they become fast friends.
1994 (roughly)
Brian Haner, Jr. (not yet Synyster Gates) meets Sullivan. They all form their own respective acts shortly afterward.
1999
The punk band Successful Failure, featuring Shadows and Sullivan, merges with Zachary Baker’s (not yet Zacky Vengeance) band Mad Porn Action and Avenged Sevenfold is formed, adding original bassist Matt Wendt to the mix. The band come up with their name after Shadows picks out random terms from the Bible and the members pick their respective pseudonyms.
Avenged Sevenfold record their first demo.
Hanker a.k.a. Synyster Gates joins the band on lead guitar as does short-lived bassist Justin Sane (not the dude from Anti-Flag.)
2000
The band record their second demo and are signed to Good Life Recordings in Europe. They are given $2000 to record their debut album Sounding The Seventh Trumpet and end up having to chip in their own money just to get it completed. Gates, who had just joined the band at this point, doesn’t play on the record.
But just as they’re getting started, Avenged Sevenfold are banned from the all-ages Anaheim rock club Chain Reaction after getting into an argument with a booking agent prior to their performance with Eighteen Visions.
2001
Sounding The Seventh Trumpet comes out. Gates makes his recording debut playing on the Warmness Of The Soul EP, which is also released on Good Life. Amazingly this remains as the only EP the band has ever put out.
http://www.myspace.com/music/blog/2010/11/17/a-brief-history-of-avenged-sevenfold