Avenged Sevenfold frontman M. Shadows sent a video message welcoming home two freed Israeli hostages, and now the singer is responding to criticism for his actions.
Shadows recorded a video message for Evyatar David and Guy Gilboa-Dalal, who are both huge fans of Avenged Sevenfold. In the video, he said, “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 okay.”
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Shadows defended himself by saying, “It’s not something that I’m going to worry about; I know that it’s the right thing to do. 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.”
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He added, “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.”
The metal vocalist said he isn’t surprised by the divisive reaction to his video, continuing, “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. 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.”
In his own video, freed hostage Gilboa-Dalal said, “Yesterday we listened to [Avenged Sevenfold’s] songs. It was overwhelming. It was so much better than imagining it for two years. It felt like my soul had left my body. I’m not even joking. I can’t believe [M. Shadows] made this video.”
Shadows also pointed out that the band personally knew two women who were killed during Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7th, 2023, noting, “On October 7th, two cousins who we hung out with when we played in Israel, were, you know, murdered. So the whole thing hit home hard. 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?”
The A7X frontman was also asked about Disturbed singer David Draiman’s staunch pro-Israel stance, remarking, “I really respect David, not just for where he stands, but that he believes in something and he’s full-force into it.”
M. Shadows’ video message to Evyatar David and Guy Gilboa-Dalal, as well as Gilboa-Dalal’s reaction, can be seen in the video below.
We’re so deeply grateful for you, @shadows_eth. Your incredible support over these past two years has meant the world to us. pic.twitter.com/coHz3c4hIc
— A7X Israel 🇮🇱 (@A7Xisrael) October 15, 2025