“Due to a specific condition called a vocal fold hematoma”: Avenged Sevenfold postpone Latin American tour after M Shadows reports a ruptured blood vessel in his vocal cord

Avenged Sevenfold have had to postpone their upcoming Latin American tour after frontman M Shadows sustained a vocal injury.

The Californian metal band were due to kick off the tour in Buenos Aires last Thursday (September 25) but had to cancel when Shadows was diagnosed with vocal fold hemotoma, an unpleasant-sounding condition where a blood vessel in the vocal cord ruptures and leaks blood under the lining of the vocal cord.

The band announced the postponement on social media, saying: "With a heavy heart, and regretfully, we have to announce that due to a specific condition called a vocal fold hematoma, we have made the necessary decision to push our tour to early next year. We promise to come back stronger than ever. Your tickets will still be valid for the rescheduled shows — new dates are on the way and will be announced next week. Thank you for your understanding, love, and support."

M Shadows provided more info in a video message on his Facebook page, explaining that it is a recurrence of an injury he had in 2017. “After (performing at the) Louder Than Life (festival), I got a little sick and I thought that my throat was feeling crummy from being sick. I came down to Argentina. I felt like it was probably the travel, the schedule, et cetera. Monday and Tuesday came. I slept a bunch. I didn't feel any difference. So we postponed Buenos Aires.”

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“The next day, got a bunch of sleep, woke up and I felt like something wasn't getting better. So I found a great doctor in Argentina, went and got my throat scoped. And I have a hematoma on my left vocal fold, which is the same injury I had in 2017. In 2017, though, I decided to keep singing through it.

"I took a bunch of pills and ended up resulting in surgery. So, basically, if I shut this down now, I'll have a couple weeks of voice rest and then a couple months of rehab and we'll be able to remake these dates to you. So I've gotta make the responsible decision here and shut this down.”

He said that the band were looking to re-arrange the dates for January 2026. “Apologies to everyone who's made plans, spent money.

"Hopefully this is early enough to make you able to make the proper plans and kind of change the dates to January... Just sorry this had to happen. It just sucks. I can't wait to see you guys in January. Sorry."

Shadows has had vocal surgery before, just before Avenged recorded their 2005 album City Of Evil and later said in a 2016 interview that "it took a couple of years" for him to get all the lost notes from his voice. Understandably then, he’s being precautious this time.