Synyster Gates

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Synyster Gates
20180603 Nurnberg Rock im Park Avenged Sevenfold 0744.jpg
Gates in 2018
Background information
Birth nameBrian Elwin Haner Jr.
Also known asSyn
Born (1981-07-07) July 7, 1981 (age 43)
Long Beach, California, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • songwriter
InstrumentGuitar
Years active1999–present
Member of Avenged Sevenfold
Formerly of Pinkly Smooth
Website avengedsevenfold.com
Father Brian Haner
Relatives M. Shadows (brother-in-law)

Brian Elwin Haner Jr. (born July 7, 1981), better known by his stage name Synyster Gates or simply Syn, is an American guitarist, best known as the lead guitarist of heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold. He ranks No. 9 on Guitar World 's best metal guitarists of all time. [1] Gates was voted as Best Metal Guitarist in the World by Total Guitar in 2016 and once again in 2017. [2] [3]

Contents

Early life

Synyster Gates is the son of musician, author, and comedian Brian Haner Sr., known as Papa Gates, who worked with Sam the Sham's band in the 1970s and has done session work for Avenged Sevenfold. Gates studied at the Musicians Institute in Los Angeles, California, as part of the Guitar Institute of Music program, studying jazz and classical guitar. [4]

Career

Avenged Sevenfold

Gates performing live in 2017 Avenged-sevenfold-synyster-gates.jpg
Gates performing live in 2017

Gates was featured on the EP Warmness on the Soul , which contains select songs from the first album as well as his new version of "To End the Rapture". His name on the EP was written as "Synyster Gaytes". [5]

Gates was voted Sexiest Male in the 2008 Kerrang! Readers Poll. In 2010, Guitar World listed him as one of the 30 greatest shredders of all time. They described him as being able to perform finger-twisting licks, acrobatic sweeps, devilish chromatics and towering dual-harmonies. Gates was chosen as one of Guitar Hero's 50 fastest guitarists. On Guitar World's 2010 Readers Poll, Gates was chosen Snappiest Dresser and the Best Metal Guitarist. Rock One Magazine's 2010 Readers Poll voted Gates the No. 3 best musician in the industry. On April 20, 2011, Gates won the Revolver Golden God award for Best Guitarist along with bandmate Zacky Vengeance. Avenged Sevenfold picked up numerous other awards and delivered the headlining performance of the night. [6]

Zacky Vengeance (left) and Gates performing in 2011 Avenged-Sevenfold-BergenCalling-2011-Christian Misje-5604.jpg
Zacky Vengeance (left) and Gates performing in 2011

In the special edition of Revolver magazine that was released the same day as the Nightmare album, Gates stated that he originally started out writing the song "So Far Away" in honor of his grandfather. However, the song is now primarily about his former bandmate, best friend and previous drummer of Avenged Sevenfold, The Rev, [7] who died on December 28, 2009.

Pinkly Smooth

Gates and The Rev played in an experimental metal band named Pinkly Smooth. Formed in the summer of 2001 in Huntington Beach, California, the band featured ex-Ballistico members Buck Silverspur on bass and D-Rock on drums. The band released one album, Unfortunate Snort on Bucktan Records, which features a crossover sound of mostly punk, ska and progressive metal. Former Avenged Sevenfold bassist Justin Sane played keyboards and piano on the album. There was speculation that Pinkly Smooth was going to produce another record, but due to the death of the Rev, it is highly unlikely that they will produce any more material. However, Gates has said that he would consider remastering the tracks from Unfortunate Snort and re-releasing the album. [7]

Influences

Besides metal music, Gates is a big fan of jazz, gypsy jazz, classical, and avant garde. [8] He cites Dimebag Darrell, Django Reinhardt, Steve Vai, John Petrucci, Slash, Marty Friedman, Zakk Wylde, Allan Holdsworth, Mr. Bungle, Frank Gambale, Oingo Boingo, and Danny Elfman [9] as his artistic influences. [10]

Gates has named bassist Trevor Dunn of Mr. Bungle "one of [his] favorite songwriters of all time", praising his compositions of "masterful and incredibly singable atonal brilliance throughout [1995 album Disco Volante ]", and concluded: "[Dunn] is nothing short of pure genius." [11]

Personal life

Gates married Michelle DiBenedetto in May 2010. [12] The couple have two children, a son born in 2017 and a daughter born in 2019.[ citation needed ]

Michelle's twin sister, Valary, is married to M. Shadows. [8] This makes him and M. Shadows brothers-in-law in addition to band-mates. They live close to one another and see each other very often because of their wives' being very close as twin sisters. [13]

Discography

With Avenged Sevenfold

With Pinkly Smooth

Guitars

Schecter Synyster custom Synyster Custom.jpg
Schecter Synyster custom

Gates uses mainly Schecter Guitars. Schecter Guitar Research has been sponsoring him and he has signature Avenger models. He has also used Gibson Guitars when Avenged Sevenfold recorded Waking the Fallen and City of Evil . He has his own Seymour Duncan pickups, a custom SH-8 Invader, with Black, Gold, White or Chrome caps. [14] [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avenged Sevenfold</span> American heavy metal band

Avenged Sevenfold is an American heavy metal band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1999. The band's current lineup consists of vocalist M. Shadows, rhythm guitarist Zacky Vengeance, lead guitarist Synyster Gates, bassist Johnny Christ, and drummer Brooks Wackerman.

<i>Sounding the Seventh Trumpet</i> 2001 studio album by Avenged Sevenfold

Sounding the Seventh Trumpet is the debut studio album by American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold, released on July 24, 2001, through Good Life Recordings. The album was reissued on March 19, 2002, through Hopeless Records, featuring a slightly different cover art. Although the album only sold 300 copies in its first week of release, it has sold 370,000 copies worldwide, with 310,000 sold in the United States, as of November 2010.

<i>Warmness on the Soul</i> 2001 EP by Avenged Sevenfold

Warmness on the Soul is the first EP by American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold. It was released on April 10, 2001, through Good Life Recordings. The release features the video for the title track "Warmness on the Soul" as an enhanced CD bonus. It is the band's first release to feature guitarist Synyster Gates, who joined the band in February 2001. All of the songs were later included on Avenged Sevenfold's debut album, Sounding the Seventh Trumpet, except for the heavy metal version of "To End the Rapture", which was featured on the album's re-release.

<i>Waking the Fallen</i> 2003 studio album by Avenged Sevenfold

Waking the Fallen is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold, released on August 26, 2003, through Hopeless Records. It is the band's first full-length album with new lead guitarist Synyster Gates and bassist Johnny Christ.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M. Shadows</span> American heavy metal singer

Matthew Charles Sanders, known by his stage name M. Shadows, is an American singer and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist and a founding member of heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold. In 2017, Shadows was voted third in the list of Top 25 Greatest Modern Frontmen by Ultimate Guitar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Rev</span> American musician (1981–2009)

James Owen Sullivan, also known by his stage name The Rev, was an American musician, best known as a founding member of the heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold, where he played drums, piano and provided backing and co-lead vocals. He was also the lead vocalist/pianist in the avant-garde metal band Pinkly Smooth and drummer for the ska punk band Suburban Legends from 1998 to 1999.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seize the Day (song)</span> 2005 Avenged Sevenfold song

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">The River (Good Charlotte song)</span> 2007 single by Good Charlotte featuring M. Shadows and Synyster Gates

"The River" is a song by Good Charlotte featuring M. Shadows and Synyster Gates of the band Avenged Sevenfold. The song was the first single from the Good Morning Revival album in North America and the second single throughout the rest of the world except for Australia. On December 8, 2006, the second GCTV episode was released on Good Charlotte's website. "The River" was featured in the video and can be heard playing in the background. The song was premiered January 4, 2007, on their official website, and via the band's Myspace. The song impacted radio on January 23, 2007. There are several references to the Bible throughout the song and the overall time of the song is three minutes and sixteen seconds, intentionally to reference John 3:16.

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Brian Elwin Haner Sr., also known as Guitar Guy or Papa Gates, is an American musician, comedian, and author. Haner is known for touring with fellow stand-up comedian/ventriloquist Jeff Dunham, as in the 2008 holiday program, Jeff Dunham's Very Special Christmas Special. He is also a noted session musician for Avenged Sevenfold, a band in which his son, Brian Haner Jr., is the lead guitarist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">So Far Away (Avenged Sevenfold song)</span> 2011 single by Avenged Sevenfold

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The Schecter Synyster Custom-S is a solid body, Set neck electric guitar produced by the Schecter Guitar Research. It is the signature guitar of Avenged Sevenfold lead guitarist Synyster Gates. It was introduced in 2012 after much demand to release it to the public, as Gates had been using it on stage and in the studio since 2005, after the band had finished recording for City Of Evil, Many Variants have since been produced including many different pinstriped colourways, and other styles such as the American and German flags.

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  11. Gates, Synyster (October 21, 2020). "DISCO VOLANTE by Mr. Bungle". Syngates.com. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
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