'I Know That It's the Right Thing to Do' - Avenged Sevenfold's M. Shadows Defends Message to Freed Israeli Hostages

Avenged Sevenfold's M. Shadows is speaking out after receiving some backlash for sending a welcome home message to two of the recently released Israeli hostages who also happened to be fans of the band.

Both Evyatar David and Guy Gilboa-Dalal had attended the Nova Music Festival on Oct. 7, 2023 in which hundreds of Israelis were killed by Hamas militants while many more were taken hostage. While detained by Hamas over the last two years, the childhood friends continued to bond over the love for Avenged Sevenfold and word of their passion for the band got back to the members of the rock group who had been contacted by their Israeli fan support group for Avenged on X.

The video elicited an emotional response from Gilboa-Dalal, who was overwhelmed to have received the message from Shadows.

But, as strong opinions over the war in Gaza have been formed in the general public, Shadows faced scrutiny over the action even from some in the band's fanbase.

What Did M. Shadows Say About the Backlash Over His Message to the Freed Israeli Hostages?

In speaking to Rolling Stone, Shadows shared that his intent was not a political one, but a humanistic one.

“It’s not something that I’m going to worry about; I know that it’s the right thing to do,” said the singer. “I think you have to stick to your moral compass, but I’ve definitely heard it from both sides. To me, that video is just a human doing something for another human. It’s not making a political stance. It’s not sticking it in someone’s eye. It really is about two human beings that have been through hell. And if we can’t agree on that, it’s really hard to agree on anything.”

Shadows said the message was initially meant for the two men newly freed after two years, but when approached to share it publicly, he granted permission.

“You know the hammer’s going to come down from the other side. But if you worry about that, then you’re just going to live your life scared and … in an untruthful sort of place," he adds. "We’ve done things for a lot of different people across different cultures and different religions. And at the end of the day, if they’re fans, we really want to reach out and we want to support them in some sort of way. And so it just seems unfair — [this idea that] ‘if you’re not on my side, then you’re an enemy.’ It’s really kind of gross.”

Adding of his decision to get involved at all, he told Rolling Stone, "If I just got released after two years, the last thing I would care about is a video from a singer of a band,” he says with a laugh. “But I was like, if you think it would help, of course I’ll do it. We know they care deeply about our band, and we wanted to do anything we could to give them some sort of reprieve, some sort of a relief, or some sort of joy. So that’s really what it all came down to.”

Avenged Sevenfold's Past Connection to Israel

While the message to the two newly freed hostages went public, this was not the first time they've addressed fans from Israel.

The singer recalled, “On Oct. 7, two cousins who we hung out with when we played in Israel, were, you know, murdered. So the whole thing hit home hard,” he says. “Again, it wasn’t anything political. It was two girls that we know — sweet, innocent people. Terrible things happened to them and they didn’t make it out. I made a post then that was very neutral — just our hearts are broken and this happened. I mean .… words seem so cheap, right?”

How M. Shadows Feels About Political Division Entering the Music World

The Avenged Sevenfold singer took things a step further speaking on the idea of being a band with fans from all walks of life.

“The songs we had about war around 2005 and 2006, a lot of it had to do with our friends going off to Iraq, being some of the first people into Fallujah,” shared the singer, “We’ve played Iraq, Kuwait and further over into Abu Dhabi. Our whole thing is that we’re not some militant band that has this line in the sand. We want to play music for every human that wants to come to our shows.”

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“Being from California, you have these discussions at the dinner table, or you read op-eds, and you form these opinions,” says Shadows. “There’s a lot of people that fall on both sides of this thing. I heard from Jewish people in the music community and from a lot of fans in Indonesia and Malaysia, places where we do well that are much more Muslim-dominant, who are extremely disappointed that we would make a video for Israeli prisoners. This was just a humanist approach — these people have been through a lot.”

In the midst of the discussion with Rolling Stone, Shadows was asked about Disturbed frontman David Draiman, who has faced public scrutiny and more recently the cancelation of a concert in Belgium over sharing his support of Israel and signing a bomb.

“I really respect David, not just for where he stands, but that he believes in something and he’s full-force into it,” said the singer.

What Did M. Shadows Initially Say to the Newly Freed Israeli Hostages?

In a video taped message, Shadows shared, "Evyatar and Guy, I"m so excited to hear you guys are home today. We've been following the story closely. We knew you guys were devoted A7X fans and we appreciate it so much. The things you guys have been through, it's just unspeakable, terrible."

"Hopefully we see you guys soon. Be safe. Spend time with your family. Get some rest and hopefully we can see you guys soon. Welcome home. Glad you guys are ok."

Gilboa-Dalal's brother shared Guy's reaction upon seeing the clip. "No. See you soon!? No! No way," he initially responded upon seeing Shadows message.

"Do you think he would meet me? I'm in shock," he added.

Guy then shared, "Yesterday we listened to their songs. It was overwhelming. It was so much better than imagining it for two years," as video played of himself and Evystar rocking out listening to Avenged Sevenfold after their release. "It felt like my soul had left my body. I'm not even joking."

"I can't believe he made this video," shared a truly moved Guy Gilboa-Dalal.