Although M. Shadows began singing early in life, his interest in metal and rock music was only awakened later when he learned to play the guitar and was further consolidated after his father gave him a Guns N Roses album entitled “Appetite For Destruction”.
As serious as a heart attack, Shadows took the metal scene by storm and conquered it completely. The acclaimed American singer is now a world-class songwriter, lead singer and one of the original members of the American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold. With seven studio albums, twenty-four singles, two compilation albums, and one live album, the band has not only sold over 8 million albums around the globe but has also conquered number 47 on Loudwire’s list of the top 50 metal bands of all time, along with several other milestones.
Personally, M Shadows made it to third place on the list of the Top 25 Greatest Modern Frontmen by Ultimate Guitar, a well-deserved place for someone who can produce a baritone voice and a tenor and scream their hearts out without breaking a sweat.
M Shadows Bio (Age)
The singer was born on July 31, 1981, in Fountain Valley, California, where he grew up at the side of a sister named Amy. His high school education can be traced back to Huntington Beach High School, but the boy was expelled from school for constant violence in the environment of the institution of learning.
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M. Shadows discovered his strength in music as a young child and pursued it head-on. He started playing the piano and later learned to play the guitar, which opened his eyes to the world of metal music. During his school days, he was part of a punk band called Successful Failure, which sparked his interest, whereupon he joined forces with his high school friends Zacky Vengeance, The Rev, and Matt Wendt, and in 1999 formed the band Avenged Sevenfold.
Apparently, all the members of the band were given a stage name, including Shadows, whose birth name is actually Matthew Charles Sanders; he took M Shadows as his professional nickname.
Over the years, the Shadows’ vocal style has developed in several directions. From rough, metalcore-like growls and screams, he showed stronger vocal melodies on the band’s 2005 major album entitled “The City of Evil”. Ron Anderson, a prominent vocal coach who has worked with big names in the industry, played a significant role in this vocal transformation. However, the numerous fans of Shadows had to be convinced a bit to believe that the singer had not lost his ability to scream. According to speculation, he had a neck operation and was therefore unable to pull out his rough voice, but Shadows’ team refuted the claims.
Avenged Sevenfold have made appearances in the top charts through their numerous albums, including the Billboard 200. The group has also received a number of prestigious awards in recognition of their work. They received the MTV Music Award for Best New Artist (2006). The band’s self-titled album was also later awarded the Kerrang! Awards for Album of the Year 2008. In 2013 they won the Loudwire Music Award for Rock Band of the Year.
In addition to his band, M Shadows has also won many other awards, such as the Golden God Award for Best Singer (2011); this was for his vocals on the album “Nightmare”. He has also made many guest appearances on albums by other artists and has also produced some of them.
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Wife and Kids; Is He Married?
The metal singer is indeed a married man and has had enough success on his home front, just like in his career. He and his wife Valary DiBenedetto have known each other since the 6th grade. The beautiful Valary is a model and actress. After a long-standing relationship, they tied the knot of marriage on October 17, 2009, and since then they have enjoyed marital bliss.
With the arrival of their two sons, their family has also grown. The children first came into play when River Sanders, their first son, was born on July 4, 2012. Later, on August 15, 2014, the second bundle of joy, Cash Sanders, was added.