At this year’s Rock on the Range, we caught up with Avenged Sevenfold guitarist Synyster Gates. The shredder spoke to us about the challenges of touring as a new father, his school of music, a new mystery project Avenged is working on and more.

Just over a year ago, Gates became a father for the first time, admitting he cried after having to leave home just days after the birth. According to Syn, it hasn’t gotten any easier. “It actually gets worse,” the guitarist says. “They start developing personalities and it’s a little tough. They get to come out [on the road] all the time. We’re very fortunate that all the families are with us pretty much 75-to-90 percent of the time."

Avenged Sevenfold never seem to stop working, and Gates revealed the band has got a mystery project in the oven. “We know exactly what we’re working on, but I can’t say anything,” Gates explains. "We’re always working, we enjoy it. It’s exciting to throw shit at a wall and see what sticks and what doesn’t. It’s a learning process, but it’s a really fun time to be creative with music and involved in the music industry.”

We also asked Gates what he’d do if he found out the apocalypse was coming in 24 hours. Find out his answer and much more about Avenged Sevenfold in the video above.

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