We wanted to do something really, really different, something

Synyster Gates, the fiery guitarist of Avenged Sevenfold, once proclaimed with youthful daring: “We wanted to do something really, really different, something next level, and use new technology and things.” Though these words seem born from the world of heavy metal and modern sound, they echo an eternal human longing—the hunger to transcend the ordinary, to step beyond what is known, and to create what has never before been seen or heard. His voice is the voice of every dreamer who has stood at the edge of the familiar and cried out for something greater.

The heart of this saying lies in the quest for the different. For it is easy to repeat what others have done, to follow the well-worn path, to be safe in imitation. But Gates reminds us that true creation demands the courage to diverge, to take risks, to be misunderstood. The ancients praised such spirits, calling them innovators, visionaries, even prophets. To be different is not merely to stand apart—it is to open the door to new worlds, to kindle sparks that may one day light a fire across generations.

He also speaks of reaching the next level. This is the language of progress, of ascension, of striving ever higher. Every age has known this desire. The builders of the pyramids did not stop at simple tombs—they reached for monuments that would pierce the sky. The Renaissance painters did not content themselves with flat figures—they pursued perspective, depth, and light until their canvases seemed to breathe. Likewise, Synyster Gates points toward that eternal human hunger: to rise beyond the plateau, to ascend from good to great, from great to legendary.

The use of new technology is central to this vision. For just as fire, the wheel, and the printing press once transformed civilization, so too does each new tool give creators the power to expand their vision. Gates recognized that music is not only the strum of strings or the strike of drums, but also the mastery of evolving instruments, recording methods, and digital innovations. To reject technology is to chain oneself to the past; to embrace it wisely is to expand the very language of art. In this balance lies greatness: not worship of tools, but mastery of them.

History gives us a clear mirror in the tale of Ludwig van Beethoven. When his hearing began to fade, many thought his career would crumble. Yet he turned to the different, to the next level of musical imagination. He used the instruments of his time in ways no one had dared before, pushing their boundaries, crafting symphonies that thundered with unheard power. Though deaf, he composed the Ninth Symphony—a creation that redefined music forever. His courage to move beyond the ordinary resonates with Gates’s call for innovation.

From this we learn that the quest for the different and the next level is not bound to music alone—it is the calling of every human being. Whether in science, art, labor, or daily life, the world advances because someone dares to say: “What if we tried another way?” The timid preserve, but the bold transform. Gates’s words are not only about guitars and sound—they are a summons to all who seek to create, to risk failure in pursuit of greatness.

Therefore, O children of tomorrow, take this teaching to heart: do not fear the different. Seek it out. Do not rest at one level, but climb higher, even when the ascent is hard. Embrace new technology not as a master, but as a servant to your vision. Remember the builders of pyramids, the composers of symphonies, the painters of light, and the musicians who dared to electrify the world. Let your life itself become a work of innovation, a song that rises above the ordinary. And when you, too, stand before the mirror of your time, you may say with pride: “We did something different. We reached the next level. We created anew.”