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Spin Doctors’ Aaron Comess Nails Avenged Sevenfold’s “Afterlife” As He Hears It for First Time: Watch
Spin Doctors drummer Aaron Comess took part in Drumeo's "For the First Time" series, in which drummers hear a song with no percussion and must improvise a performance on the spot. He was set the challenge of playing along to Avenged Sevenfold's "Afterlife," a track originally recorded by the late A7X drummer Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan, and impressed host Brandon Toews by completing it convincingly in a single take.
Comess put his success down to carefully charting the song beforehand, and brought a groove-heavy, backbeat-driven rock approach rather than the technical flourishes typical of metal drumming. He swapped out the original's heavy double-bass passages for more pocket-focused grooves, yet the result still closely echoed Sullivan's version. The video comes as Spin Doctors are on a US tour supporting Blues Traveler and Gin Blossoms, while Avenged Sevenfold prepare to launch a co-headlining North American tour with Good Charlotte on 25 July.
In short
- Spin Doctors' Aaron Comess improvised Avenged Sevenfold's "Afterlife" in one take
- Used backbeat-driven rock style instead of metal's technical flourishes
- Both bands are currently on separate US tours
Explained simply
Drumeo, a popular online drumming education platform, runs a series called "For the First Time" in which established drummers are given recordings of songs stripped of their drum tracks and must improvise drum parts on the spot. Drummer Aaron Comess from the 1990s rock band Spin Doctors took part in the series and was challenged to create a drum performance for Avenged Sevenfold's "Afterlife," originally recorded by Avenged Sevenfold's late drummer Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan.
The challenge is particularly notable as it requires a rock drummer to tackle a song from the heavy metal genre, which typically features the technical complexity and fast double-bass drumming that contrasts with the groove-focused style Comess is known for. The series highlights how experienced musicians adapt their skills and approaches when encountering unfamiliar musical material, demonstrating the universal principles of musicianship that transcend individual styles and genres.
Both Spin Doctors and Avenged Sevenfold are currently touring, giving the video additional relevance to their respective fanbases. It demonstrates how established artists continue to engage with the music community beyond their own releases.
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