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"Fiction" is a song by American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold. It was released on their fifth studio album, Nightmare. The song was written by the band's original drummer Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan, who died in December 2009. The song is a duet between The Rev and M. Shadows.

Background

On December 28, 2009, the Rev was found unresponsive in his Huntington Beach home, and was later pronounced dead upon arrival to the hospital. Shortly after his death, Avenged Sevenfold dedicated their fifth studio album Nightmare to him.

"Fiction" was the final song The Rev wrote. Parts of "Fiction" were originally written by The Rev for his and bandmate Synyster Gates' project Pinkly Smooth. It was finished only three days before his death, under the title "Death". The demo of the song featured only The Rev, with him performing on vocals, piano and drums. M. Shadows and Gates stated in an interview to Hard Drive Radio:

"The eeriest thing about it is there is a song on the album called 'Fiction' 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".

Recording

"Fiction" is one of only two songs featuring The Rev on Nightmare, although his writing and drum arrangements are featured on every song. The song features both The Rev and Shadows on lead vocals. The Rev's favorite drummer, Mike Portnoy (then of Dream Theater), was brought on to finish drums on the album. On this song specifically, Portnoy said he "had to play it exactly as (Jimmy) left it."

Personnel

References

1. 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.
2. ^ "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.
3. ^ "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.
4. Karan, Tim (May 17, 2010). "AVENGED SEVENFOLD ANNOUNCE TITLE, RELEASE DATE FOR ALBUM". Alternative Press. Retrieved May 18, 2010.
5. "10 Best Avenged Sevenfold Songs". What Culture. 13 December 2019. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
6. Epstein, Dan (27 July 2018). "AVENGED SEVENFOLD'S 'NIGHTMARE': THE TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH BEHIND 2010 NO. 1 ALBUM". Revolver Mag. Retrieved 9 October 2022. "Fiction" was actually a Pinkly Smooth song back in the day. It was a final song that we didn't complete.
7. Carter, Emily. "8 lesser known Avenged Sevenfold songs that everyone needs to hear". Kerrang. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
8. Titan, Aaron. "Avenged Sevenfold - Nightmare Review". 411 Mania. Archived from the original on 2012-10-09. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
9. Epting, Chris (17 February 2010). "In The Pipeline". LA Times. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
10. "Late AVENGED SEVENFOLD Drummer (Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan) 'Appears' On Band's New Album". Blabbermouth.net. Roadrunner Records. May 14, 2010. Retrieved May 14, 2010.
11. Linnen, Jared (January 12, 2022). "Avenged Sevenfold - The Tragic Story of The Rev's Final Song". Loudwire. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
12. "MIKE PORTNOY WILL BE DRUMMING WITH A7X". Avenged Sevenfold. July 31, 2010. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved October 24, 2011.
13. Micallef, Ken (November 2010). "MIKE PORTNOY - Channeling The Rev With Avenged Sevenfold". Modern Drummer. p. 68. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
14. "AVENGED SEVENFOLD'S NIGHTMARE 10 YEARS LATER". Cryptic Rock. 27 July 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2022.

• Avenged Sevenfold songs
• 2010 songs
• Songs written by The Rev