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" We make sure we have total artistic control with our albums. We were working with Interscope Records, and they had a hard time with us having all the control. So when we signed with Warner Bros., we told them we would be working hands-on with our producer, and they were cool with it. "

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" I wouldn't be one-third of the player I am today if it wasn't for Avenged. They're an inspiring group of guys, and I'm constantly challenged to write things beyond my ability and then figure out how to play them. "

Synyster Gates

Today

Play

I Am

" We tried our best for so long to make the heaviest record we could make. "

" I hate to debunk the myth - kids don't wanna hear it - but as songwriters, you have to polish your craft a little bit and hone it as much as possible. "

" He happens to be my father and an incredible musician. When he gets lucky, we let him into the studio for 20 minutes to hear a song which has been previously written for him. "

Synyster Gates

Him

Lucky

" We're trying to leave no stone unturned, to push forward in every aspect of what it means to be a band. Because this really matters to us. Metal matters to us. And we know exactly how much it means to kids out there, too. "

" Sometimes, with more progressive songs, you lose that feel somewhere along the line, but 'This Means War' never quits - the energy is always there. "

" There are those people who try to change what you're doing. We don't like that. When we went into the studio for 'City of Evil,' we had 99 percent of the songs finished and ready to record. "

" I think if you go to 'Strength of the World,' a song like that, the chorus isn't that great, but you go into the bridge and other things and the catchier parts and the better melodies we were really focused on. "

" For the first two weeks after he passed, we were done as a band. We were just done. And because of the fans and Jimmy's parents and relatives and stuff like that, they just demanded that we continue on and spread the legacy that is, you know, the crazy James 'The Rev' Sullivan. "

" Breaking Benjamin, they're such incredible songwriters. "

" My father was a studio musician, played for a lot of people like Frank Zappa and a lot of R&B bands, and was always gone doing that. Then when he was home, he was practicing. And so I always saw it, and I always wanted to do what he did. "

" I can't imagine doing anything cooler or better than what we did on 'The Stage' and felt like we're firing on all cylinders. "

" The thing about me is that I'm very fortunate to have had the opportunities with Avenged Sevenfold in songwriting. I really think it's helped to bolster my guitar playing as well. "

Synyster Gates

Think

Guitar

" We're fans of stuff like Maiden, but I think we generally get it from weirder places. For me, the Eagles' 'Hotel California' represents one of the most brilliant harmony approaches to music. Boston did it very well, too. "

Synyster Gates

Hotel

Music

" My little brother played drums, so we had a drum set over at my house. "

" We listen to a lot of hip hop. They're the ones that are trailblazing. It used to be rock, but it's really turned to hip hop, and they're doing really unique and cool things, and we wanted to do that, too. "

" Lyrically, 'Nightmare' is an absolute masterpiece to me. "

Synyster Gates

Absolute

Masterpiece

" I try to, at least, think very melodically, and my band forces me to think very melodically. "

" When we do find someone we trust, like our tour manager, they become an official part of the band. We take our time to make sure whoever we trust has our best interest in mind. "

" I think it's beneficial to practice with a metronome or drum machine in order to strengthen your sense of time. It will help your concept of time and improve your feel. "

" If you want to do things right, you have to dig deep for that inspiration. "

" There is no doubt in my mind that I was going to do what my father did, but it wasn't kind of a family-business thing. "

" I don't feel like we have that Paul McCartney gene, and I think the cool thing about us is that we know it. "

Synyster Gates

Cool

Think

" I'm a huge Weezer fan, and 'Pinkerton' is just a crazy, crazy neurotic album. "

" Some people will basically just shred all over everything, even a ballad. I'm glad I wasn't born with that genetic chip - the need to just wheedle-whee all over the place. "

" I was living out of my truck for a short while. My dad wanted to emancipate me at 16 and send me to music college. "

Synyster Gates

Music

Living

" I use Bogner amps and custom-designed Schecter guitars with Seymour Duncan Invader pickups. I beef up my tone with a Boss CS- 3 Compression Sustainer. It's kinda like my secret weapon. "

Synyster Gates

Boss

Weapon

" We're not gonna write a fusion song for Avenged Sevenfold, obviously, but I love having those elements and blending it in, and having the eclectic arrangements and stuff like that. "

Synyster Gates

Write

Love

" We have a lot of fun. There are no holds barred when it comes to writing music for us. "

" We spend a lot of time with MIDI keyboards and various processors, and we just figure it out. And all those things you hear in our songs work as submelodies and countermelodies, and everything has to fit. "