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Avenged Sevenfold

5 guitar songs · Tabs, Lessons & Tone Guide Heavy Metal

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Band Overview

History and Guitar Legacy

Avenged Sevenfold formed in Huntington Beach, California in 1999 and evolved from metalcore into one of the most guitar-ambitious Heavy Metal bands of the 2000s. Built on the dual-guitar attack of Synyster Gates and Zacky Vengeance, A7X blends Thrash Metal aggression, classic Hard Rock melody, and progressive arrangements. Their influences span Metallica, Iron Maiden, Pantera, Guns N' Roses, and jazz fusion, making their catalog essential for guitarists seeking technical depth beyond basic power chords.

Synyster Gates and Zacky Vengeance

Synyster Gates is classically trained and commands sweep picking, legato runs, hybrid picking, and sophisticated harmonic minor patterns with fretboard literacy rivaling any contemporary shredder. His solos blend wide vibrato, dramatic bends, and shifts between clean arpeggios and high-gain fury into melodic statements rather than exercises. Zacky Vengeance anchors the band with tight palm-muted riffing, rhythmic precision, and hooky chord voicings that ground songs while Gates delivers expressive lead work overhead.

Why Guitarists Study Avenged Sevenfold

A7X is essential study for intermediate to advanced players because they demand both tight rhythm chops and expressive lead skills within individual songs. Their catalog teaches complete electric guitar technique: downpicking stamina, fast alternate picking, sweep arpeggios, pinch harmonics, and controlled vibrato. The band successfully balances technical complexity with musicality, making them ideal for guitarists who want well-rounded development rather than flashy, substance-free playing.

Difficulty and Learning Path

Avenged Sevenfold songs span intermediate rhythm work like the half-time grooves in "Hail to the King" to brutally advanced lead playing in "Bat Country" and the neoclassical runs of "Buried Alive". Learning their material requires building downpicking endurance, mastering fast alternate picking patterns, executing clean sweep arpeggios, controlling pinch harmonics, and developing expressive vibrato technique. They represent an ideal progression for guitarists transitioning from intermediate to advanced skill levels.

What Makes Avenged Sevenfold Essential for Guitar Players

  • Synyster Gates is one of the most accomplished sweep pickers in modern metal. His arpeggiated runs, often built on diminished and minor shapes across five or six strings, appear in nearly every A7X solo and are essential study material for anyone working on sweep technique.
  • Zacky Vengeance's rhythm playing relies heavily on tight palm-muted gallops, syncopated power-chord patterns, and drop-D tuning. His parts in songs like "Nightmare" and "Hail to the King" are excellent for building downpicking endurance and right-hand control.
  • The band frequently uses harmonized dual-guitar leads inspired by Iron Maiden. Learning both the lead and harmony parts in songs like "Bat Country" will train your ear for intervals like thirds and sixths while improving synchronization if you play with another guitarist.
  • Pinch harmonics are a signature seasoning across the A7X catalog. Gates and Vengeance both use them to accent riffs and add aggression, listen to the main riff of "Nightmare" for textbook placement of squeals within a palm-muted pattern.
  • Gates regularly blends legato technique with picked passages, creating fluid lines that shift between economy picking and hammer-on/pull-off sequences. The solo in "Buried Alive" is a masterclass in transitioning between fast picked runs, sweeps, and legato phrases within a single solo section.

Did You Know?

Synyster Gates studied jazz guitar at Musicians Institute in Hollywood, which explains his comfort with extended chords, chromatic passing tones, and outside-the-box note choices that set him apart from typical metal shredders.

The main riff of "Hail to the King" was deliberately written as a half-time, simplified groove inspired by AC/DC and Black Sabbath, proving that A7X can write with restraint. It's one of their most accessible songs for intermediate rhythm players.

Gates has a signature Schecter guitar model that features a Sustainiac pickup in the neck position, allowing him to generate infinite sustain for dramatic lead passages, you can hear it clearly in the intro of "Buried Alive."

The solo in "Bat Country" was partially inspired by Pantera's Dimebag Darrell, particularly the wide, aggressive bends and the use of the harmonic minor scale for a dark, cinematic feel.

Zacky Vengeance tunes primarily to Drop D but has experimented with Drop C# on several tracks, giving the rhythm parts a heavier, sludgier low end without fully committing to seven-string territory.

During the recording of "City of Evil" (2005), Gates tracked many of his solos in single takes to capture a raw, energetic feel, the slight imperfections are part of what makes those solos sound alive rather than sterile.

The band's self-titled album (2007) features a string orchestra and piano alongside the guitars, and Gates composed several of the orchestral arrangements himself, showing a compositional depth that goes way beyond standard metal guitar writing.

Essential Albums for Guitarists

City of Evil album cover
City of Evil 2005

This is the album where A7X fully unleashed their dual-guitar attack. "Bat Country" and "Beast and the Harlot" are packed with fast alternate-picked riffs, sweep-picked solos, and twin-harmony leads that will push your technique hard. If you want to learn advanced metal lead guitar in a melodic context, start here.

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Nightmare album cover
Nightmare 2010

"Nightmare" balances crushing rhythms with some of Gates' most expressive and melodic solos. The title track is a masterclass in palm-muted riffing with pinch harmonics, while "Buried Alive" builds from clean arpeggios to a full-blown shred solo, perfect for guitarists working on dynamic range and building intensity across a song.

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Hail to the King album cover
Hail to the King 2013

A deliberately stripped-back album with riffs heavily influenced by Metallica, Black Sabbath, and AC/DC. The title track's half-time groove and pentatonic-based soloing are highly approachable for intermediate players. It's the best A7X album for learning solid rhythm fundamentals, power-chord tone, and tasteful rather than technical lead playing.

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Avenged Sevenfold (Self-Titled) 2007

Songs like "Afterlife" and "Almost Easy" mix accessible verse riffs with technically challenging solos. "Afterlife" in particular features one of Gates' best solos, a mix of sweeps, tapping, and melodic phrasing that's become a rite of passage for aspiring metal lead guitarists. Great middle ground between City of Evil's complexity and Hail to the King's simplicity.

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Tone & Gear

Guitar

Synyster Gates is synonymous with his Schecter Synyster Gates Custom-S, featuring a mahogany body, maple neck, ebony fretboard, and a Floyd Rose tremolo system. His signature model includes a Sustainiac pickup in the neck and a Seymour Duncan Invader in the bridge. Zacky Vengeance plays Schecter Zacky Vengeance Custom models, typically with set necks, dual humbuckers, and a hardtail bridge for tighter rhythm stability. Both players favor 24-fret access for upper-register soloing.

Amp

Gates has long relied on Bogner and Marshall amplifiers for his core tone. His go-to has been the Bogner Uberschall and Bogner Ecstasy, which deliver tight low end, aggressive midrange, and smooth high-gain saturation ideal for both chunky rhythms and singing lead tones. Zacky Vengeance has used Bogner Uberschall heads as well, along with Marshall JCM800s for a slightly grittier, more classic crunch on rhythm duties. Both players run 4x12 cabs with Celestion Vintage 30 speakers.

Pickups

Gates' bridge pickup is the Seymour Duncan Invader, a very high-output humbucker (around 16k ohms) that delivers massive, thick distortion with a saturated midrange. The neck Sustainiac driver allows for infinite feedback-style sustain at any volume. Zacky typically runs Seymour Duncan humbuckers as well, often SH-6 Distortion or Invader models, which keep rhythm parts aggressive and tight without muddiness in drop tunings.

Effects & Chain

Gates keeps his pedalboard relatively streamlined: a Dunlop Cry Baby wah for expressive lead passages, an MXR Carbon Copy delay for solo ambience, and an ISP Decimator noise gate to tame high-gain hum. The Sustainiac neck pickup doubles as a built-in effect for sustained feedback tones. Zacky runs a similar noise gate and occasionally uses a Boss NS-2 and a subtle chorus for clean passages. Both rely primarily on amp gain rather than overdrive pedals, the tone is fundamentally amp-driven with effects used for color, not saturation.

Recommended Gear

Marshall JCM800
Amp

Marshall JCM800

Zacky Vengeance pairs the JCM800 with his Schecter for a grittier, more classic crunch on rhythm duties, cutting through the mix with natural breakup without relying solely on high-gain saturation.

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah
Pedal

Dunlop Cry Baby Wah

Synyster Gates uses this wah to add expressive dynamics to his lead passages, allowing him to shape the midrange of his high-output bridge pickup for singing, vocal-like solo tones.

ISP Decimator Noise Gate
Pedal

ISP Decimator Noise Gate

The ISP Decimator tames the high-gain hum inherent to Avenged Sevenfold's aggressive drop-tuned rhythms and sustain-heavy leads, keeping the signal clean without sacrificing the thick distortion tone.

MXR Carbon Copy Analog Delay
Pedal

MXR Carbon Copy Analog Delay

Synyster Gates deploys this analog delay to add ambience and spaciousness to his solos, complementing his Sustainiac-driven feedback passages with lush, tape-like modulation for dynamic lead work.

How to Practice Avenged Sevenfold on GuitarZone

Every Avenged Sevenfold song page on GuitarZone includes a built-in Practice Toolbar. No app to download, no account needed. Open any song, then use the toolbar to slow the video to 0.5× speed, set an A/B loop around the exact riff you're working on, and jump between song sections instantly.

The toolbar appears automatically on every guitar tab, lesson, and cover page. Pick a song below, hit play, and start practicing at your own pace.

Practice Hail To The King - Famous Riffs - Guitar LessonPractice Buried Alive - Guitar LessonPractice Hail to the King - Guitar Tab