Today, people are experiencing high levels of anxiety, worse than we have seen in a very long time. Even some of the staff here at NewReleaseToday struggle with anxiety, especially about current events. We believe anxiety is a real enemy. It attacks our minds and hearts in different ways. But, despite the power of this enemy, we believe that our Lord is in full control. He can grant us peace.
I've compiled a shortlist of rock and metal songs that address the topic of anxiety. Musically, they are diverse. Lyrically, they approach the topic differently. We hope these songs can help you ease your anxious thoughts. If rock isn't your thing, check out this list of music as well.
1. Fit For A King - "Shattered Glass"
Rock band Fit For A King's newest album, Dark Skies, addresses several mental struggles: depression, anxiety, and others. A song that stands out in terms of addressing feelings of anxiety is "Shattered Glass." It's heavy both musically and lyrically. The lyrics ask, "I see no hope in your eyes/Are you buried alive?" We often feel crushed and buried under the weight of anxiety.
This song addresses what is perhaps one of the greatest weapons of mental health: its invisibility. The chorus screams, "Can't find the cure for something no one can see/Can't find the answers when there's no room left to breathe." Mental struggles begin on the inside, unseen.
We encourage you to be kind to everyone, for you do not know what they struggle with. Take it easy on yourself, as well, as others do not always see your struggles either. The relatable lyrics in this song help me feel better and, hopefully, with you as well.
2. Disciple - "Panic Room"
When thoughts of anxiety take over, there is an increased desire to be in complete control of life. So that nothing bad can happen. Disciple's song, "Panic Room," is written with this perspective in mind. The first verse expresses, "I want to play by my own rules/I want the courage of a fool." It later adds, "I want to DJ my own funeral to watch the tables turn."
Trying to stay in control of your own world only goes so far. The chorus reveals the realistic struggle of what happens when anxiety controls you. "I try to lock these thoughts inside a tomb/But it ends up being my panic room/When the demons start digging up skeletons/The ghosts leave me with nowhere to run." In the end, we know we can't control the world around us. The best solution is to surrender our struggles to God and accept his peace.
3. Demon Hunter - "Fear Is Not My Guide"
On their recent album, "Peace," Demon Hunter shows us the softer side of their music. The closing track is one of the most beautiful songs they have ever written, both musically and lyrically. The song's bridge offers a mature look at mental health; it says, "As I learn to count my days, the less I care to veil/Something of a deeper truth is begging to exhale."
You can overcome your struggles with the Holy Spirit strengthening you every step of the way. You have no reason to veil your struggles from Him. The chorus echoes this truth: "When time outruns my soul/I don't have to hide/Fear is not my guide." Embrace the fact that fear is not your guide when you recall that God's Word is your guide. Psalm 119:105 says, "Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path."
4. Fight The Fade - "Underwater"
Anxiety causes you to feel like you're drowning, struggling to stay above the waves that crash around your life. Rock band Fight The Fade wrote "Underwater," with that exact thought in mind. The first verse is a vulnerable cry that this feeling is not fake, "If you can hear me calling out/Echoing like a whisper across the waves/Then it isn't something you should doubt/'Cause I'm trapped with this weight again."
Anxiety is not always a cry for attention. It's a cry for help. Unfortunately, anxiety allows a whisper rather than a cry. And, it causes doubt to anyone who tries to help. But, it's possible. Try to reach for help in the same way as the band expresses in the bridge of the song: "I can't take it/The waves aren't breaking/I can't make it on my own." It's true that we can't make it on our own. So, cry--or whisper--to the Lord, "Don't let me drown,"as this song does. He will not let you drown in anxiety.
5. Dens - "Are"
Another powerful weapon of anxiety is the barrage of questions it puts in our hearts and minds. The rock band Dens addresses this reality in this wonderful ballad, "Are." They know how anxiety feels, asking the same questions we often do.
"If I fail to give the best of me
If I'm never really listening
Who am I then? Who am I then?
If I can't seem to measure up
Would it ever really matter much?
Who am I then? Who am I then?"
Thankfully, this song gives us a solution to combat the source of these questions. It reminds us that these questions come from forgetting that love is the greatest of all of these. When we embrace love and give love, our questions change and our focus shifts to better things. God's love is greater than any questions and doubts we have.
6. Comrades - "Nightingale"
This song is short, hopeful, and beautifully written. When anxiety attacks, we need to be reminded that "God does not fear questions even when we scream them." I also love the poetic chorus that expresses, "The edge of night reminds you when you learned to call the light friend."
It's very encouraging to remember that even in the darkest of times, there is light waiting to come to us. When we're deep in the worries of anxiety, God's loving light is still able to come to us. We know that "this does not mean darkness is all we have left." There is always hope and always love.
7. Silent Planet - "Trilogy"
"Trilogy" is one of the most brutal songs that rock band Silent Planet has ever written. Lead singer Garrett Russell has been open with his mental struggles, and, particularly, his major breakdown that led to him checking into a mental hospital.
He says about the song, "I wrote these lyrics while I was in a mental hospital--all in one go. It's about my experience of anxiety and the events that preceded my hospitalization--the events that threw me and the band into a place of uncertainty. But we're still here. I'm beyond thankful that we're all still making music together."
None of us ever want to face the reality that anxiety does win its battle over us sometimes. "Trilogy" describes anxiety as a static that we fade away into. It may not be the most optimistic song on this list. But, I personally have found it to be a relatable song that has helped me in my struggles with anxiety, as have many fans of the band and genre because of the honesty in the song.
Honorable Mentions:
* Weathered - "Burn"
* What We Do In Secret - "Silhouette"
* Impending Doom - "Unbroken"
* Cliffside - "Through My Eyes"
* Skillet - "Save Me"
Ryan Adams loves rock and metal music and loves to spread hope and encouragement found in those genres through NewReleaseToday. He loves Jesus, was homeschooled and was introduced to heavy music through a childhood best friend. // Photo by Elina Krima from Pexels
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