Newsflash: Melancholia Drop New Single from Upcoming EP

Melancholia are releasing a new single, Anxiety Grips. This track is taken from the upcoming self-titled EP, to be released later this year. This EP will be a brutally honest portrayal of mental illness and emotional trauma. The deep rooted pain and rage is simultaneously profoundly personal, and yet relatable and universal. Everyone suffers. But the devil is in the details. How we suffer, and why, is completely unique from one individual person to the next. However, we are all united in our humanity of experiencing and expressing sorrow and regret.

This release tackles something difficult, and yet cathartic. It’s like going to the dentist for a painful procedure. It sucks at the time, and it leaves a bloody mess and a shocking bill, but you also feel a sense of relief and cleansing when you’re done. Healing isn’t always pretty. Resilience is not something mystical and romantic. It’s visceral, it’s real, it’s physicallly demanding. One must invest significant amounts of time, money, and energy on it.

The lyrics are deeply introspective and profoundly personal. Themes of helplessness and anxiety are explored in excruciating detail. These morbid words perfectly capture the frustration, anger, and sorrow of fighting a losing battle against depression. It strikes uncomfortable close to home. And yet, there is a certain schadenfreude and, even a sick sense of relief, with knowing that I’m not the only one who feels this way. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t wish this psychological anguish on my worst enemy. It’s not like I’m glad that others hurt too, but in a way, I feel a sense of community towards those people who experience the same or similar problems.

Similarly, the musical compositions are relentlessly brutal. The death metal stylings are as heavy and dark as the lyrical content. Those riffs are an expression of pure overwhelming rage. Again, I get it. I know this feeling all too well. I have a nasty habit of bottling up all those dark thoughts until they implode under their own pressure. But, through this song I can outwardly project those intense emotions, albeit vicariously.

Melancholia is a solo project from Derrick Lamebull. This latest effort establishes an impressive track record of solid, sturdy, superb blackened desert death metal. If the rest of the EP is anything like this single, then we fans have a lot to look forward to. Listen to it on Soundcloud. Meanwhile, stay tuned for future releases!