Avenged Sevenfold's Synyster Gates reveals his most difficult solo

(Image credit: Ollie Millington - Getty)

Avenged Sevenfold guitarist Synyster Gates has revealed what he feels is his toughest solo to play.

He was asked the question in a new interview with Ultimate Guitar. And out of dozens of tracks, Gates picked out M.I.A. from the band’s 2005 album City Of Evil.

He says: “I just had to relearn M.I.A. – we're playing that song. It's a really, really tough one. It was like learning a different guitar player's techniques.

“I don't even know what the fuck I was thinking there. That's usually kind of how it is because you write from more of a compositional standpoint – at least I try to with my solos.

“Even the fast ones – I'm trying to evoke some sort of emotion or whatever. They're not my go-to licks. My fingers are just in odd places and the pick doesn't seem to work. So yeah, that's definitely a tough one.”

He also praises his bandmate and fellow guitarist Zacky Vengeance, who has said in the past that he doesn’t consider himself to be a great player.

Gates says: “He just doesn't think it's cool to be a good guitar player. And I would be upsetting him to let him know he is a very, very, very good guitar player. 

“He's not just a great guitar player, he's a great writer and a great rhythm player too. It's not just about the solos and stuff – a lot of his rhythmic ideas are brilliant. So yeah, he's a fucking great guitar player.”

A7X will head out on tour across North America later this summer on the End Of The World tour with Prophets Of Rage and Three Days Grace.

Avenged Sevenfold End Of The World North American tour dates

Jul 22: Mansfield Xfinity Center, MA
Jul 25: Wantagh Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater, NY
Jul 26: Hartford The XFINITY Theatre, CT
Jul 31: Holmdel P.N.C. Bank Arts Center, NJ
Aug 01: Bristow Jiffy Lube Live, VA
Aug 03: Pittsburgh KeyBank Pavilion PA
Aug 04: Cincinnati Riverbend Music Center, OH
Aug 06: Cuyahoga Falls Blossom Music Center, OH
Aug 07: Detroit DTE Energy Music Theatre, MI
Aug 09: Toronto Budweiser Stage, ON
Aug 11: Chicago Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre, IL
Aug 12: Noblesville Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center, IN
Aug 16: Phoenix Ak-Chin Pavilion, AZ
Aug 17: Las Vegas T-Mobile Arena, NV
Aug 19: Albuquerque Isleta Amphitheater, NM
Aug 21: San Diego Mattress Firm Amphitheatre, CA
Aug 22: Los Angeles The Forum, CA
Aug 24: Concord Pavilion, CA
Aug 28: Salt Lake City USANA Amphitheatre, UT
Aug 30: Denver Pepsi Center, CO
Sep 01: Dallas Starplex Pavilion, TX
Sep 02: Houston Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, TX

Scott Munro
Louder e-commerce editor

Scott has spent more than 30 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in the summer of 2014 before moving to the e-commerce team in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, scouts out the best deals for music fans and reviews headphones, speakers, books and more. He's written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog and has previous written for publications including IGN, the Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.