Baltimore metalcore band For Fear Itself released their emotionally heavy and in-your-face new single “Continuum” featuring Lochie Keogh of Alpha Wolf. While musically it packs a punch and demands attention from the start, the lyrical content of this track hit me like a ton of bricks straight to the heart.
About the single, the band stated:
“This song depicts personal struggles with mental illness, addiction, and suicidal ideation that can form a literal hell within the mind when left untreated. It is dedicated to the family and friends we’ve lost to these things, and to any of those out there suffering currently. There is always hope.”
I went into this song on the first listen with no clue of what I was going to hear, other than having an idea that this was a metalcore band I’ve never heard before. Little did I know that I was about to be hit in the face full force. Within twenty seconds the lyrics already went to the place of saying, “I hear you say that you’re ready to die”, and I was hooked despite realizing this was probably going to get rather dark. I was proven right as line by line it was like the mental battle between life and death, and life was getting the breath squeezed out of it as the line “I can hear the reaper call” nearly solidifies.
Musically the track is drum-driven which reminds me of the pounding heartbeat someone may be experiencing, the fear, the terror that could go along with the maddening thoughts that can drive a person to that decision they can’t take back. There are plenty of points when I feel like this song depicts what it’s like to be in that mental state of your mind screaming in confusion, frustration, sadness, and agony.
There is a rather long outro to the single after the line “you can numb me but you cannot erase me” is screamed. Whether it’s meant to be a moment of silence for those lost or to symbolize the mental blur that comes with hearing so many headlines that are soaked in the heavy sadness of soaring rates of addiction, suicides, and death, I’m not sure. I do know that it is powerful, and by that point I had been ripped to the core and my eyes were wide open.
For Fear Itself is making their return this year with second EP ‘Continuum’, which will be their first since previously disbanding in 2014. Showcasing a much heavier, more evolved sound than their debut EP ‘Infiinite’ (Swimming With Sharks Records) which was produced by Imad El-Amine (Panic! At The Disco/Oliver Tree) and released when most of the band was only sixteen years old. From 2012 to 2013, they opened for bands such as Ice Nine Kills, Lorna Shore, I The Breather, No Bragging Rights, and Sirens And Sailors, while being signed to Swimming With Shark Records where they remained until disbanding.
Brandishing a feature from vocalist Lochie Keogh of Australia’s Alpha Wolf and production by Noah Williamson of In Dying Arms, the title track “Continuum” demands your attention only seconds in and doesn’t let go. After six years of struggling with addiction, mental illness, and the grief of losing his mother at the end of 2014, the pain shines through the voice of vocalist Tim Selden with every word.
For Fear Itself posted the following message on social media when introducing the new single.
In loving memory of:
Melissa Selden
Brooke Leone
Marvin Petry
Robbie Asbury
Chris Tennil
Nichole Travers-Cabana
Hektor Dakota
Daniel Carl Torsch
Baltimore crisis hotline: 410-576-5097
SAMSHA national helpline: 1-800-662-4357
https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org
If you would like to help fight back, please consider donating to the Daniel Carl Torsch foundation. Donations fund their Overdose Prevention/Response Program, outreach services, and assistance for people to enter Substance Use Disorder (SUD) treatment and recovery.
http://dctfoundationinc.org
