I managed to interview the ever amazing Avenged Sevenfold on their recent support slot tour with LostProphets, and I can honestly say, they are the nicest people I've ever had the pleasure to interview; kind, sweet and funny throughout, oh, and they play great music too! Check these guys out, NOW! But on with the show...

If you just wanna say you're name and what you do in the band.

Zacky Vengeance- I'm Zacky and I play guitar. Sometimes.

Sometimes? (laughs)

ZV- I try! I definitely try my best! (laughs)

How did you hook up with LostProphets?

ZV- um…(looks lost)…I believe we were actually asked to do the tour, and we weren't certain if we wanted to do it. But then we heard so many good things from everyone: how cool the tour would be, and we had never been here (To England) so we decided to do it. And we came out and it's been awesome so far.

You've decided to re-so your new video. What did you think was wrong with it in the first place?

ZV- to be honest, I think, as far as the video's concerned its was really really cool, and almost better than a lot of video's that are out there today, but we were looking for something extraordinary. We wanted it to be so much better. We didn't just wanna have something that was really cool and would work ya know? We try as hard as we can to make it perfect, and we had a better vision of what we could do. It cost a lot of money and stuff, but we didn't want our fist video to be mediocre. We wanted it to be really special.

How would you describe your music to someone who's never heard it? (Sinister Gates arrives and sits down)

ZV- I think we're like a gateway band. (laughs) like marijuana's the gateway drug? We're like the band that opens kid's eyes to, you know, metal, rock, punk. We're like the gateway for them. We have metal influences, and punk, and pop, and rock, we have all sorts of stuff. It's kinda hard to pinpoint exactly what we are, because we drop so may influences.

Can you say your name and what you do in the band.

Sinister Gates- I'm Sinister Gates and I play guitar.

What's in your CD player at the moment?

SG- I have a few things, I have Iron Maiden. I've definitely revisited all that, and, we don't normally say this about other bands, but fucking LostProphets! I am a huge Faith No More fan, and they sound ALOT like Faith No More. I never say this about any fucking other bands, and I'm not bullshitting.
ZV- for me, Mars Volta too.

In the British press there's a lot of hype surrounding your band, do you feel like you have to live up to that?

ZV- no, absolutely not. We don't have to do anything and music will always speak for itself. If people like it they like it. You know, people are hyping it up, but in a couple of weeks that's gunna turn on us, and we don't give a fuck! Cos the people who like us like us and can see through all the hype.
SG- a band's not gunna die out if they right fucking awesome songs. I'm not saying that's us! (laughs) but a great band with long jeopardy will be around forever. Like Red Hot Chili Peppers…
ZV- Iron Maiden!
SG- yeah, or like Iron Maiden. Not these temporary fucking bands. Foo Fighters, like every single album there's a few hits off it, you can't deny talent like that, it doesn't matter how much fucking hype there is.
ZV- the hype is great ya know, it helps get kids into us, and eventually it will help turn kids away from us! But there is only one thing in it and that's the music. That's why we do it and that's what's gunna keep us going strong or end it. That's what we're basing it on, not the hype. But its cool ya know! I like magazines! Special shout out to Kerrang! (laughs)

What was your first ever gig as Avenged Sevenfold like?

ZV- what was it like? It was bad! It was like 20 of our friends in a room pretending that they liked us. It was a lot of fun! (laughs) it was great ya know, I still remember it. It's definitely a lot different to how it is now. We knew we had something special from the beginning cos we had so much fun.

Do you like meeting fans after shows?

ZV- absolutely!
SG- after every fucking show we go straight to the bar, talk to kids, get as fucking drunk as fucking possible! We're here to have the best time of our fucking lives, and we definitely are! The UK is great! Food's a little trivial! But the people here are absolutely amazing, it's a beautiful fucking country, everything is wonderful. And I fucking love it! I go out every fucking night; every fucking night with my band!

Do you get given a lot of free stuff by fans?

ZV- we get a lot of bracelets!
SG- yeah, the best bit is that I trade my shitty stuff for better stuff! We definitely have a bracelet collection thanks to our fans!

Who do you think is the worst rock band out there at the moment?

SG- Converge! (laughs)

Yeah, they said something about you in Kerrang didn't they? I remember that.

SG- yeah, we don't even know who the fuck that band is! Never heard of em.

They said they didn't know who you were, they just didn't like your name or something.

ZV- that's OK. (sarcastically) I'm sure we'll be hearing a lot about them! (laughs) worst band out there? You know, one thing I've learned is that any band that's out there, that's doing it, putting in time and effort, whether or not I like their music, ill respect them. Cos a lot goes into it. For us to get right here we gave up school, we're so many thousands of miles from our families and friends, you know it's a big risk, and we could fail. It's one thing I've learned, and for us it's going great! There are no bands I really dislike, there are bands that, you know, might not make my favourite music, but I respect them. As long as there are doing it, even if they have bad stuff to say, they're out there doing it, and time will tell.

Any funny tour stories?

ZV- (laughs) on our second or third day here we got into a big fight, and The Reverend, our drummer, ended up in jail!
SG- we've had some fucking wild times, seriously!
ZV- you see, no matter how cool you are there are still some people that aren't really…lovers of Americans!
SG- you get a lot of that, and we got it the other night. You know, sorry, I'm American. And we were basically slamming somebody up against the fucking wall!
ZV- you see, we have some funny stories, but we've already been to jail, and if I told you them we'd probably be back in jail! (laughs) but we're having fun!

What are your favourite tour bus activities?

SG- what was that? Topless?!

No, tour bus! I interviewed Home Grown and he said the same thing. Tour Bus!!

ZV- we're gunna change it! We're gunna make it topless!
SG- our favourite topless activities? Jumping on trampolines!
ZV- French kissing!
SG- playing hide the beer! (laughs) drinking beer!
ZV- shaving my chest! I do that quite often!

Manly! What about your back?!

ZV- no, my back's fine!
SG- show it! (Zacky gets up and shows me his smooth back, then turns round and starts to show his chest, but gets shy and sits back down)
All- awwwww!
ZV- I'm Italian what can I say?!
SG- as we get older we get more fucking hairy and get bigger bellies! But that's the way it happens!

What are your favourite films of all time?

ZV- (screams) WOOOAAAAOOO!! (laughter) you gotta write that! You gotta write woooaaaoooo!! (laughs) OK, favourite films…I love horror movies! I love all horror movies! Shawshank Redemption is my favourite film of all time, but I love horror movies!
SG- I don't know what favourite film is of all time. Probably Robin Hood. (puts on TERRIBLE English accent) fitting that we're in Nottingham!
ZV- Sherwood Forest! Fucking shoot an arrow! (mimes shooting an arrow)
SG- is there a Sherwood Forest here?

Yeah.

SG- oh it's real?! (gets very excited and screams) we gotta go to Sherwood fucking forest! There's no way it's all true!
ZV- how does it feel living in England knowing Robin Hood was going around fucking fucking people?!!

It's OK!

ZV- Robin Hood Men In Tights! I fucking love it!
SG- (still in shock) there's a Sherwood Forest! Is it haunted?

Um, I don't think so! There's a Nottingham castle as well.

SG and ZV- there's a castle?!

There's loads of castles.

SG- oh my God!
ZV- OK, is everyone rich here?

No! (laughs)

ZV- I was gunna ask you guys for some money! Like 10 pounds!

You can have 10 pence.

ZV- I'll take 10 pence!
SG- we're rich enough where we can actually pay to get to the next show…if they take credit cards! (laughs)

If you could have your own backyard festival, which 5 bands would you have play?

ZV- I'd let Metallica play if they were lucky!
SG- I'll give you 5 bands right now! Pantera first. Guns and Roses second. (I look disgusted) what are you looking at me like that for?!

I don't like Guns and Roses.

SG- you don't like Guns and Roses?! Read the hat!! (points to his GnR's hat. Zacky is screaming randomly in the background at this point.)
SG- anyway. Guns and Roses. Shall I go for Metallica?
ZV- Iron Maiden! Iron Maiden! Iron Maiden!
SG- I only gotta say 3 more man! For me I'll have to go for the fucking minority bands. Mr Bungle and Danny Elfman and his fucking symphony! As the fucking headliners!
ZV- and you would be required to be so drunk you can't even stand up!
SG- and topless! And play hide the beer!
ZV- I don't know what the fuck that means! (laughter)

Time for my totally pointless, completely random question now. Would you rather be poked in the eye by a penguin, or kicked in the shin by a sheep?!!

ZV- I would take the sheep cos I'd take that sheep and turn it around and I'd fucking…
SG- right around!
ZV- I'd fucking, So-Cal style baby! So-Cal! Back in Southern California, we'll fucking grab that sheep turn it around and we'll fucking shave it! (laughter)
SG- we see a lot of sheep, and they are like (does crazy impression) "baaa!" And we're like, what the fuck?! That's odd! Baaa is baaad!!!
ZV- so sheep definitely!

Anger towards sheep!

SG- (puts on voice) It's a little too hot for you penguin!! (laughter)

That's it. Do you wanna add anything?

ZV- yeah. (takes the Dictaphone and whispers into it) don't believe everything you read, or hear.

OK then! That's it. Oh, do you wanna add anything?

SG- well I wanted to! But obviously you don't want me to! (mock sulks) well I have to think, what do I wanna add? (I pass him the Dictaphone) there's gotta be a good quote. I had a good quote. I had a good fucking quote earlier. Uuuuuum….nope! (laughter) oh, I have this recorder!

Please God don't delete anything!

SG- I have to same one! Erase, that's right there! It's that yellow button! (pretends to press it)

No no no nooo!!! Please no! (Zacky takes it off him)

ZV- my final words for this interview are…(puts the recorder in his mouth) WAAAAA! (laughs and passes it to Sinister)
SG- I don't have anything.
ZV- waaaaaaaa!! (passes it to Sinister)
SG- (shouts) I don't have any…
ZV- waaaaaaaaa!!! (passes it to Sinister again)
SG- I still don't have…
ZV- waaaaaaaa!!!

At this point Sinister steals my recorder and runs off into a corner with it, I try to get it back but at that moment a security man comes in and wants to talk to me, so I just had to leave Sinister doing God knows what on my recorder and pray he didn't delete anything! When I finally got it back off him he seemed very pleased with himself and wanted us to listen to what he had put straight away (he said this while jumping about like small child who's had too many E numbers). It was only when I get home that I discovered what was on there, and let's just say, it has to be heard to be believed! It's basically him singing, in sort of a baby/child voice something about "fun in the corner" and giggling maniacally!!! You can also hear Zacky cheering him on in the background and me laughing. A truly classic interview!