Metal for MENtal Health: 19th October
- Keely Naylon
- Oct 8
- 2 min read
Next Sunday the 19th of October Adrian De Santis (Nightmarsh) is inviting Melbourne Metal Heads to create actionable change for men’s mental health with his debut mini-festival ‘Metal for MENtal Health’ at The Bergy Bandroom.
Men’s mental health struggles are an ongoing issue in Australia and within the metal community. According to the most recent ABS census data in 2023 75.3% of deaths by suicide in Australia were men. It is the highest ranked external cause of death for Australian men and 11th overall.
Substance abuse is similarly overrepresented in Australian men with 35.8% of men exceeding the recommended alcohol consumption guidelines compared to 18.1% of women according to the ABS census data.
De Santis wants to change this.
‘Mental Health for Men has been a close topic and issue for me as I have had to manage my own depression and anxiety since I was a teenager. For a long time, I had no help, and no guidance in what ‘healthy’ actually looks like and I was so lost on how to work towards it.’ De Santis says in his statement regarding the event.
He hopes that this event will not only start a conversation about men's mental health in music, but also bring organisations that help men and musicians to a metal audience, and create an opportunity for both artists and brands to share their voice on this important issue.
Additionally, De Santis hopes to raise $500 for the Movember Foundation - one of the largest men’s health charities - through both a portion of ticket sales and direct donations.
But why metal?
De Santis references a 2025 paper, ‘How Heterogeneous Are Music Genre Listeners?’, in which researchers screened 1,036 respondents and found that in America ‘metal and blues skew towards male listeners’ by a significant amount.
It makes perfect sense to deliver De Santis’ message of ‘promoting action towards men’s mental health’ to an audience that is statistically made up of men.
A proud supporter of Metal for MENtal Health will be clothing brand Look After Your Mates who donates 50% of all profits to MensLine Australia and already does amazing work breaking down stigmas around men’s mental health.
The mini-festival will kick off at 6pm and feature local metal legends Glow, Pendle Hill, Nightmarsh and SUNDREAMER for only $20 Pre-Sale, or $25 on the door.
Get your tickets, grab your mates, and get down to Bergy Bandroom on the 19th of October to support men's mental health with the bonus of an absolute rager with four intense, heavy metal bands.
