Avenged Sevenfold singer M. Shadows has penned an op-ed for Revolver magazine in which he explains why he stands with the “Black Lives Matter” movement. The musician opens up about personal connection to the cause, and urges the rock and metal community to dig deep and us battle the circumstances that not only result in racially motivated violence against people of color, but also prevent people of color from thriving in the U.S. Shadows acknowledged that the A7X fanbase has few people of color, but he felt even more responsibility to speak up and be an ally. The article is a reaction to the murder of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, who was killed in Minneapolis more than a week ago by a police officer in an incident caught on camera. The officer, Derek Chauvin, kneeled on his neck for nearly ten minutes while Floyd was handcuffed. Chauvin has since been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter. Video of the killing sparked riots and outrage across the country. Continue reading →