M. Shadows

M. Shadows

Matthew Charles Sanders (born July 31, 1981), better known by his stage name M. Shadows, is the lead vocalist, songwriter, and founding member for the American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold.

Early life and musical influence

Shadows was born Matthew Charles Sanders on July 31, 1981, in Huntington Beach, California. He attended Huntington Beach High School, where after a brief stint in the band Successful Failure, he went to an old friend James Sullivan and began to form the earliest incarnations of Avenged Sevenfold.

Avenged Sevenfold

Shadows has made guest appearances on numerous albums by various artists. He also produced The Confession's 2007 album, Requiem, which, according to an interview, was one of the first steps which led to Avenged Sevenfold self-producing their 2007 self-titled album.

Featured guest appearances

Year	Song	Artist(s)	Album
2002	"Savior, Saint, Salvation" (with Synyster Gates)	Bleeding Through	Portrait of the Goddess
2005	"Entombed We Collide" and "This Is Not the End"	Death by Stereo	Death for Life
2007	"The River" (with Synyster Gates)	Good Charlotte	Good Morning Revival
	"Buffalo Stampede"	Cowboy Troy	Black in the Saddle
	"Like Always"	Kisses for Kings	Demo
2009	"Turn Out the Lights"	Steel Panther	Feel the Steel
2010	"Nothing to Say"	Slash	Slash
	"Check the Level (Remix)" (with Slash)	The Dirty Heads	Any Port in a Storm (Special Edition)