American heavy metal band formed in Huntington Beach, California in 1999. Long-running lineup: M. Shadows (Matt Sanders, vocals), Synyster Gates (Brian Haner Jr., guitar), Zacky Vengeance (Zachary Baker, guitar), and Johnny Christ (bass). Original drummer The Rev (James Sullivan) died of an accidental overdose in 2009; Brooks Wackerman has been the band's drummer since 2015.
Eight studio albums starting with Sounding the Seventh Trumpet (2001). Commercial peak: City of Evil (2005, featuring "Bat Country"), the self-titled fifth album (2007), Nightmare (2010, written after The Rev's death), and Hail to the King (2013). Released the experimental Life Is but a Dream... in 2023.
