Matthew Sanders
| M. Shadows | |
|---|---|
M. Shadows performing with Avenged Sevenfold in 2014
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Matthew Charles Sanders |
| Also known as |
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| Born | July 31, 1981 |
| Origin | Huntington Beach, California, United States |
| Genres | Heavy metal, hard rock, metalcore |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, vocalist |
| Instruments | Vocals, piano, keyboards, guitar, organ, bass, drums, percussion, clarinet |
| 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 in Huntington Beach), better known by his stage name M. Shadows, is an American musician, best known as the lead vocalist, songwriter and founding member of the American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold. In 2017, M. Shadows was voted 3rd in the list of Top 25 Greatest Modern Frontmen by Ultimate Guitar.
M. Shadows began singing at an early age, but his interest in rock and 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.
Shadows, like the other members of Avenged Sevenfold, uses a stage name. In an interview, Shadows says that he chose "M. Shadows" as 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).
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, with the exception of songs like "God Hates Us" on Nightmare, and 2011 single "Not Ready To Die", which both returned to the signature screaming style of earlier releases heard from 1999–2003.
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