Multi-instrumentalist and singer Tom Reynolds is back with his latest release, which sees him move away from the zombies of his past and instead focuses on mental illness. This is not something attempting to make light of a situation but instead is written from the realm of personal experience. He says, “I have written this EP from my own perspective of living with a mental illness. I often find that mental illness tends to be romanticized by the media and vapid celebrities who seem to think it’s an interesting personality accessory. I wanted to talk about living with mental illness from a human perspective, not as a way to glean sympathy or to feel sorry for myself but to just tell the truth. Living with an untreated mental illness is fucking horrible! I can’t say at any point it has been romantic! Though I have gone through treatment and I am on psychoactive medication it still affects my life from time to time. Obviously, things are much better than they have been in years but this is something I am probably never going shake off completely.”
There is one point during the EP we hear someone talk about having “up” days and “down” days, and anyone who has suffered this horrible debilitating illness will recognise the truth in those words. We all work through it one day at a time, not knowing what the day will bring. This melodic death metal release is only 21 minutes in length, and I wish it were longer as this is a pummelling and powerful piece of work which cuts through and demands to be played loud, really loud. This really is music with a message, as while there are times when the guitars, bass and drums are locked in and attempting to crush through your skull, there are others where the message is clear and while his vocals are gruff the lyrics are still intelligible. Well worth further investigation.
Rating: 8/10
