Even though M Shadows started singing from an early stage in life, his interest in metal and rock music was birthed at a later stage when he learned how to play the guitar and was further cemented after his father gave him a Guns N Roses album titled ‘Appetite For Destruction.
As serious as a heart attack, Shadows took on the metal scene and totally conquered it. The acclaimed American singer is currently a world-class songwriter, lead vocalist, and one of the original members of the American heavy metal band known as Avenged Sevenfold. With seven studio albums, twenty-four singles, two compilation albums, in addition to one live album to its credit, the band has not just sold over 8 million albums around the globe but hogged the No. 47 spots on Loudwire’s list of Top 50 Metal Bands of All Time among several other milestones.
Personally, M Shadows made it to the 3rd position on the list of Top 25 Greatest Modern Frontmen by Ultimate Guitar, a well-deserved spot we must say, for someone who can pull off a baritone voice, a tenor and scream his guts out without breaking a sweat.
M Shadows Bio (Age)
The singer’s birth occurred on July 31, 1981, in Fountain Valley, California where he was raised alongside a sister named Amy. His high school education can be traced to Huntington Beach High School but the lad was expelled as a result of constant involvement in violence around the institution of learning.
M Shadows discovered his forte in music as a young child and pursued it head-on. He started off with playing piano and later learned how to play the guitar which opened his eyes to the world of metal music. While in school, he belonged to a punk band named Successful Failure which helped to mold his interest after which he joined forces with his middle school buddies Zacky Vengeance, The Rev, and Matt Wendt to put together the band known as Avenged Sevenfold in 1999.
Apparently, all members of the band got themselves a stage name and so did Shadows whose birth name is actually Matthew Charles Sanders; he adopted M Shadows as his professional moniker.
Over the years, Shadows’ vocal style has evolved to different quarters. From harsh, metalcore-style growls and screaming, he flaunted stronger vocal melodies in the band’s 2005 major album release titled ‘The City of Evil’. Ron Anderson, a celebrity vocal coach who has worked with big names in the industry played a significant role in this vocal transformation. However, Shadows’ slew of fans needed a little convincing to believe that the singer hadn’t lost his ability to scream. According to the speculations going rife, he had throat surgery, thus, couldn’t pull off the raspy voice anymore but Shadows’ team refuted the claims.
Avenged Sevenfold has made appearances on top charts including the Billboard 200 through their numerous albums. Beyond this, the group has received a good number of prestigious awards in recognition of their works. They bagged the MTV Music Award for Best New Artist (2006). Also, the band’s self-titled album was later awarded the Kerrang! Awards for Album of the Year in 2008. In 2013, they swept away the Loudwire Music Award for Rock Band of the Year
Aside from his band, M Shadows has also won many accolades such as the Golden God Award for Best Vocalist (2011); this was for his vocals on the ‘Nightmare’ album. He has also made many guest appearances in albums by other artists and has equally produced some.
Wife and Kids; Is M Shadows Married?
The metal singer is indeed a married man and has recorded enough success in his home front, just like in his career. He and his wife, Valary DiBenedetto have known each other since they were in 6th grade. Beautiful Valary is a model and actress. Following a long-term relationship, they tied the knot on October 17, 2009, and they have been enjoying marital bliss ever since.
Their family has also grown bigger with the arrival of their two sons. Kids first came into the picture when River Sanders, their first son was born on July 4, 2012. Later on August 15, 2014, the second bundle of joy, Cash Sanders, came along.
