AceShowbiz - Rockers Avenged Sevenfold have vowed to make their first gig since the death of Jimmy Sullivan an emotional tribute to their tragic drummer. Sullivan died from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs in December, and the band considered quitting altogether in the wake of his passing.

But they decided to continue in honor of their dead pal, and will step onstage at the Heavy MTL festival in Montreal, Canada on Sunday, July 25 - a concert that guitarist Zacky Vengeance insists will cause fans to "cry and laugh".

He tells British rock magazine Kerrang!, "Getting up there to play our first show will feel like a victory after all we've gone through. We're going to go up there and honor our friend and we're going to make our fans cry and laugh and leave every city with a feeling they've never felt before."

"That connection will mean more than just entertainment. The five of us created something more important than our physical existence and Jimmy is a part of that forever."