What is M. Shadows' Net Worth?
M. Shadows is the lead vocalist, songwriter who has a net worth of $20 million. M. Shadows is a founding member of the American heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold. With the band, he has recorded such albums as "Sounding the Seventh Trumpet," "City of Evil," "Nightmare," "Hail to the King," and "Life is but a Dream…" Shadows has also made many guest appearances on songs by other artists, including Cowboy Troy's "Buffalo Stampede," Good Charlotte's "The River," and Steel Panther's "Turn Out the Lights."
Early Life and Education
M. Shadows, whose real name is Matthew Sanders, was born on July 31, 1981 in Fountain Valley, California and was raised in Huntington Beach. He is of Italian and Irish descent, and has a younger sister named Amy who went on to play in the WNBA. Early in his life, Sanders developed a fondness for rock music from listening to bands such as Guns N' Roses. Later on, he became passionate about heavy metal music and began playing the guitar. Sanders was educated at Huntington Beach High School; while a student there, he did a stint playing for the punk band Successful Failure.
Avenged Sevenfold
In 1999, Sanders formed the heavy metal band Avenged Sevenfold with his middle school friends James Sullivan, Matt Wendt, and Zachary Baker. The name of the band is a reference to the Biblical brothers Cain and Abel. For his stage name, Sanders chose M. Shadows, as he felt he was the "darker character in the group." Sullivan became the Rev, and Baker became Zacky Vengeance. Wendt soon left the group, and he was replaced by Justin Meacham, who took the stage name Justin Sane. In 2001, Avenged Sevenfold released its debut studio album, "Sounding the Seventh Trumpet." Not long after that, the band welcomed new lead guitarist Synyster Gates and bassist Johnny Christ and recorded the album "Waking the Fallen," which came out in 2003. Two years later, Avenged Sevenfold reached its widest audience yet with the album "City of Evil," which debuted at number 30 on the Billboard 200. The album launched some of the band's most popular songs, including "Bat Country." Avenged Sevenfold continued its success with its self-titled 2007 album, which debuted at number four on the Billboard 200.
In 2008, Avenged Sevenfold released a compilation album and live DVD entitled "Live in the LBC & Diamonds in the Rough." Two years after that, the band released its fifth studio album, "Nightmare"; it was the first recorded without the Rev, who had passed away in late 2009. A commercial success, the album debuted atop the Billboard 200. Avenged Sevenfold had another number-one album on the Billboard 200 with 2013's "Hail to the King," the band's only to feature drummer Arin Ilejay. The group's next album, 2016's "The Stage," marked the debut for new drummer Brooks Wackerman. Debuting at number four on the Billboard 200, the album earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rock Song for the title track. In 2018, Avenged Sevenfold released the EP "Black Reign," a compilation of all the group's original songs created for the "Call of Duty: Black Ops" video game series. The band went on to release its eighth studio album, "Life is but a Dream…," in 2023.
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Guest Appearances
Beyond Avenged Sevenfold, Shadows has made guest appearances on numerous songs by other artists. In the 00s, he appeared on Bleeding Through's "Savior, Saint, Salvation"; Death by Stereo's "Entombed We Collide"; Cowboy Troy's "Buffalo Stampede"; Good Charlotte's "The River," also featuring Avenged Sevenfold's Synyster Gates; and Steel Panther's "Turn Out the Lights." In 2010, Shadows appeared on Slash's "Nothing to Say" from the Guns N' Roses singer's debut solo album. He went on to contribute to such songs as "Go Alone," by Hell or Highwater; "Sandpaper," by Fozzy; "Haze," by Device; and "Super Hero," by Atreyu. In 2020, Shadows was featured on These Grey Men's cover of the Radiohead song "Street Spirit (Fade Out)."
Style and Influences
Shadows has a baritone voice that he can regularly carry up to a high C, and on rare occasions to A5, spanning nearly four octaves. His vocal style has evolved throughout time, starting with severe growls on Avenged Sevenfold's first studio album before progressing toward more melodic vocal lines. Shadows also added a grittier, raspier tone to his voice.
In terms of his musical influences, Shadows has mentioned such artists as Guns N' Roses, Pink Floyd, Rancid, Pantera, Metallica, Iron Maiden, and Megadeth as being formative.
Personal Life
In 2009, Sanders married Valary DiBenedetto. Together, they have two sons named River and Cash. Sanders' bandmate Brian Haner Jr., aka Synyster Gates, is married to DiBenedetto's twin sister Michelle, making the men brothers-in-law.
