Avenged Sevenfold "Save Me": See Band Dissect Song's "Pure Dream Theater" Moments | Page 2 | Revolver

Avenged Sevenfold "Save Me": See Band Dissect Song's "Pure Dream Theater" Moments

M. Shadows, Synyster Gates open up about emotional track written by late Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan and performed by Mike Portnoy

Avenged Sevenfold are currently doing what you could consider a "DVD commentary" of their musical career, analyzing standout cuts from their catalog. The series is called "Breakdown," and the latest episode features singer M. Shadows and guitarist Synyster Gates going behind the scenes on "Save Me" — the closing track from their 2010 album, Nightmare. It's a unique look at the nuts-and-bolts songwriting process of a band that engages in a fair amount of mysticism onstage.

For instance, Gates cops to the reality that, despite being one of the most talented guitarists on the planet, he really struggled to nail the song's iconic bridge solo. Shadows, on the other hand, compares the symphonic pomp to Dream Theater. That makes sense, considering how Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy was filling in as a session musician to replace Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan, who had recently passed away and was the track's primary songwriter. "He just went off on this stuff, this was super impromptu," says Gates of one particular standout Portnoy moment. "Everything else we kept completely to Jimmy's kick patterns. But we let him totally go off on this." Watch above.