M. Shadows - wikipedia M. Shadows This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. ( October 2015 ) M. Shadows Shadows performing with Avenged Sevenfold in 2017 Background information Birth name Matthew Charles Sanders Also known as M. Shadows Shadows Shads ( 1981 - 07 - 31 ) July 31, 1981 ( age 37 ) Fountain Valley, California, U.S. Origin Huntington Beach, California, U.S. Genres Heavy metal hard rock metalcore Occupation ( s ) Musician, songwriter, vocalist Instruments Vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards, organ, bass, drums, percussion Years active 1999 -- present Labels Capitol Warner Bros. Good Life Recordings Hopeless Associated acts Avenged Sevenfold Successful Failure Matthew Charles Sanders ( born July 31, 1981 ), better known as M. Shadows, is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist, songwriter, and a founding member of the American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold. In 2017, he was voted 3rd in the list of Top 25 Greatest Modern Frontmen by Ultimate Guitar. Contents 1 Early life 2 Stage name 3 Vocal style 4 Other projects 5 Personal life 6 Discography 6.1 With Avenged Sevenfold 6.2 Guest appearances 7 References 8 External links Early life M. Shadows was born on July 31, 1981 in Fountain Valley, California. He began singing at a young age, but his interest in rock and heavy metal music grew as he became older and began to play the guitar. He links his early musical experience with the piano as a major factor in developing his skills with the guitar and his voice. He attended Huntington Beach High School, where he played for a brief stint in a punk band named `` Successful Failure. '' Following this, Shadows formed Avenged Sevenfold in 1999 along with middle school friends Zacky Vengeance, The Rev, and Matt Wendt. Stage name Shadows, like the other members of Avenged Sevenfold, uses a stage name. In an interview, Shadows says that he chose his stage name because he thought of himself as `` the darker character in the group ''. The ' M ' is in place of his first name, Matthew, which he did not want to be in his stage name because of the way it sounded. He also added that he and the band took stage names because many other successful musicians that they were influenced by had them ( e.g. Slash of Guns N ' Roses, Munky of Korn and the members of Slipknot ). Vocal style Shadows performing at the Nova Rock Festival in June 2014 Although Shadows possesses a baritone voice, he has been able to perfect his technique to a degree that allows him to sing convincingly and comfortably in the tenor range often called for by his genre of choice. Shadows ' vocal style has evolved significantly over the years. On the band 's first full - length record, Sounding the Seventh Trumpet, he featured harsh, metalcore - style growls with limited instances of clean vocals. The release of Waking the Fallen in 2003 demonstrated his progression towards melodic vocal lines, but still retained a strong screaming influence. However, the most significant change came with the release of the band 's major label debut, City of Evil, in 2005, which featured minimal background screaming, stronger vocal melodies, and increased emphasis on harmonies and melodic hooks. Shadows turned to Ron Anderson, a vocal coach that had previously worked with Axl Rose and Chris Cornell. Shadows was specifically looking to add a more gritty, raspy tone to his voice and worked with Anderson for several months on this before City of Evil was recorded. This change resulted in newly established vocal contributions from each band member during live performances, and remained prevalent on every record the band has released since 2005. Rumors were spread that Shadows had lost his ability to scream due to throat surgery needed after Warped Tour 2003. However, producer Andrew Murdock put down these rumors by saying : `` When I met the band after Sounding the Seventh Trumpet... Matt handed me the CD, and he said to me, ' This record 's screaming. The record we want to make is going to be half - screaming and half - singing. I do n't want to scream anymore... the record after that is going to be all singing. ' '' During an interview with Stevie Rennie on October 28, 2014, Shadows mentioned that he on purpose had changed his voice to become less raspy and distorted while touring in 2014. The change was due to longer live shows lasting from one and a half to two hours in support of Hail to the King. Shadows went on to say that `` you better be taking care of yourself or you 're gon na be cancelling shows '' and `` I wanted to hit notes over the rasps ''. Other projects Shadows in August 2007 Shadows has made guest appearances on numerous albums by various artists. He is featured on the Steel Panther album Feel the Steel and sings a verse of `` Turn out the Lights. '' He also produced The Confession 's 2007 album, Requiem, which, according to an interview, M. Shadows was one of the first steps which led to Avenged Sevenfold self - producing their 2007 self - titled album. Shadows also sings In `` The River '' by Good Charlotte on the album Good Morning Revival along with fellow band member Synyster Gates with his guitar solo. In 2012 Shadows and fellow Avenged Sevenfold member Synyster Gates made a brief cameo in the war game Call of Duty : Black Ops II in which they provided the voiceover of. Also, in June 2013, Matt competed in the sold out 128 - team Call of Duty bracket at MLG Anaheim, placing in the Top 48. The April 2013 release of the band Device 's self - titled album featured his vocals throughout track 9, `` Haze ''. Shadows also sang `` Nothing to Say '' in Slash 's self - titled solo album, as well as `` Go Alone '' in Hell or Highwater 's debut album. He was also featured on Fozzy 's album Sin and Bones singing alongside Chris Jericho in the song `` Sandpaper ''. Personal life Shadows married Valary DiBennedetto on October 17, 2009. The couple have two sons, River who was born in 2012 and Cash, born in 2014. M Shadows ' sister is Amy Sanders, who is two years younger than he is. His fellow band member, Synyster Gates, is married to his wife 's twin sister Michelle DiBendetto, making Shadows and Gates brothers - in - laws. As of March 21, 2018, Shadows was named the 2018 official golf analyst of The Dan Lebatard Show With Stugotz on ESPN Radio and the leader of the Gotz Army. In July 2018, Avenged Sevenfold 's Facebook account published a post written by Shadows stating that he was suffering from a severe vocal cord viral infection, which was temporarily effecting his ability to sing. Avenged Sevenfold cancelled all tour / concert dates for the following three months to allow Shadows to recover. Discography With Avenged Sevenfold Main article : Avenged Sevenfold discography Sounding the Seventh Trumpet ( 2001 ) Waking the Fallen ( 2003 ) City of Evil ( 2005 ) Avenged Sevenfold ( 2007 ) Live in the LBC & Diamonds in the Rough ( 2008 ) Nightmare ( 2010 ) Hail to the King ( 2013 ) The Stage ( 2016 ) Guest appearances Savior, Saint, Salvation by Bleeding Through ( 2002 ; Portrait of the Goddess ) Entombed We Collide by Death by Stereo ( 2005 ; Death for Life ) Buffalo Stampede by Cowboy Troy ( 2007 ; `` Black in the Saddle '' ) The River by Good Charlotte ( 2007 ; `` Good Morning Revival '' featuring Synyster Gates ) Turn Out the Lights by Steel Panther ( 2009 ; `` Feel the Steel '' ) Nothing to Say by Slash ( 2010 ; `` Slash '' ) Check the Level by Dirty Heads ( 2010 ; `` Any Port in a Storm featuring Slash '' ) Go Alone by Hell or Highwater ( 2011 ; `` Begin Again '' ) Sandpaper by Fozzy ( 2012 ; `` Sin and Bones '' ) Landmine by Pitch Black Forecast ( 2012 ; `` Burning in Water... Drowning in Flame '' ) Save Me by MGK ( 2012 ; `` Lace Up '' featuring Synyster Gates ) Haze by Device ( 2013 ; `` Device '' ) Landmine by Pitch Black Forecast ( 2014 ; `` As The World Burns '' ) Linkin Park 's `` Burn It Down '' and `` Faint '' live at Chester Bennington 's memorial concert ( also with Synyster Gates on `` Faint '' ). References Jump up ^ `` Friday Top : 25 Greatest Modern Frontmen ''. ultimate-guitar.com. Retrieved March 28, 2018. Jump up ^ Loudwire ( 2018 - 07 - 11 ), Avenged Sevenfold 's M. Shadows - Wikipedia : Fact or Fiction ?, retrieved 2018 - 07 - 11 ^ Jump up to : `` Avenged Sevenfold Feature Interview ''. Blistering. 2006. Archived from the original on May 29, 2012. Retrieved March 14, 2010. Jump up ^ Steve Rennie ( October 28, 2014 ). `` M Shadows, Avenged Sevenfold Singer - Renman LIVE # 098 ''. Retrieved March 28, 2018 -- via YouTube. Jump up ^ `` Archived copy ''. Archived from the original on April 25, 2015. Retrieved 2015 - 05 - 06. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to M. Shadows. Avenged Sevenfold M. Shadows Zacky Vengeance Synyster Gates Johnny Christ Brooks Wackerman The Rev Matt Wendt Justin Sane Dameon Ash Arin Ilejay Studio albums Sounding the Seventh Trumpet Waking the Fallen City of Evil Avenged Sevenfold Nightmare Hail to the King The Stage Compilations Live in the LBC & Diamonds in the Rough The Best of 2005 -- 2013 DVDs All Excess Live in the LBC & Diamonds in the Rough Singles `` Warmness on the Soul '' `` Darkness Surrounding '' `` Eternal Rest '' `` Second Heartbeat '' `` Unholy Confessions '' `` Chapter Four '' `` Burn It Down '' `` Bat Country '' `` Beast and the Harlot '' `` Seize the Day '' `` Walk '' `` Critical Acclaim '' `` Almost Easy '' `` Afterlife '' `` Dear God '' `` Scream '' `` Nightmare '' `` Welcome to the Family '' `` So Far Away '' `` Not Ready to Die '' `` Buried Alive '' `` Carry On '' `` Hail to the King '' `` Shepherd of Fire '' `` This Means War '' `` The Stage '' `` God Damn '' `` Wish You Were Here '' Tours Avenged Sevenfold Tour Related articles Discography Members Strung Out on Avenged Sevenfold : Bat Wings and Broken Strings Strung Out on Avenged Sevenfold : The String Tribute Pinkly Smooth Covered, A Revolution in Sound Book GND : 142217778 ISNI : 0000 0003 8284 0830 LCCN : n2012059397 MusicBrainz : ff0a489b - 7e25 - 48de - a879 - 169db7b936df VIAF : 266247404 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=M._Shadows&oldid=856350719 '' Categories : 1981 births Living people American operatic baritones American rock singers Avenged Sevenfold members American heavy metal singers American singer - songwriters American rock songwriters 20th - century American singers 21st - century American singers American heavy metal drummers American heavy metal bass guitarists American heavy metal keyboardists California Republicans 20th - century American drummers American male drummers 21st - century American drummers Hidden categories : Use mdy dates from November 2015 BLP articles lacking sources from October 2015 All BLP articles lacking sources Articles with hCards Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with ISNI identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Place of birth missing ( living people ) Talk Contents About Wikipedia Беларуская Български Català Čeština Dansk Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español فارسی Français Galego 한국어 Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית Lietuvių Magyar Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Polski Português Română Русский Српски / srpski Suomi Svenska ไทย Türkçe 中文 23 more Edit links This page was last edited on 24 August 2018, at 16 : 08 ( UTC ). 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Question: who is the lead singer of avenged sevenfold
Answer: Matthew Charles Sanders (born July 31, 1981), better known as M. Shadows