Synyster Gates

“Lyrically, 'Planets' is the precursor to 'Acid Rain'; it's about a meteoric, intergalactic war that results in an apocalypse and the human species aligning together to go fight something much better than us, our individual trials and tribulations.”

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

“We listen to a lot of classical and a lot of jazz, and so you get some funky notes here and there. And we get a little experimental in some of the deeper tracks.”

“We're happier when we're with friends on tour.”

“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.”

“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.”

“Usually when we go in to cut demos, one of us will lay down some mumbling sort of stuff for the vocal melodies because the lyrics don't come until later.”

“As you get a little older and start drinking a bit more coffee, you start talking about big-boy things a little more.”

“I don't really play a lot of slide in general, but it was fun getting into that style and exploring it.”

“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.”

“When we try and blend the two together, the songwriting and the touring like we did before, it doesn't really work. We tend to become very focused on what we are doing. And we tend to be a little bit one-track-minded.”

“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.”

“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.”

“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.”

“We wanted to do something really, really different, something next level, and use new technology and things.”

“I hope we're not the last of the Mohicans when it comes to putting on a big, crazy, over-the-top theatrical rock show.”

“All of my solos were improvised initially - I would go in and get my bearings and see what I came up with.”

“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.”

“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.”

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