TO KILL ACHILLES is an alternative metal/rock band hailing from Dundee, Scotland. In their time they have toured with the likes of WE COME AS ROMANS, WHILE SHE SLEEPS and BETRAYING THE MARTYRS all over the U.K and Europe. In February 2021 they released their new album titled "Something To Remember Me By", it is a concept album that tells the story of a man who's mental health and depression starts to spiral out of control soon after his birthday.

The album opens with "Fourpercent" and it really sets the tone for what's to come. It starts off with a very heavy intro and some very angry sounding vocals that are full of aggression. Also present here is a very bad ass breakdown to top it all off. "In Vain" is next and a little more melodic. The music fits well with the vocal themes and the track does have a very emotional chorus which then leads back to the heavy riffing. Present in the song is a spoken word section which sounds aggressive in tone but is a reflection on the demons inside ones head.

A great song on the album is "Oh God, I Have Never Felt Some Alone". It has a really nice guitar melodies and a clean verse. The lyrics here speak about feeling alone in a deep state of depression. The music being played by the band I must say is very moving and I really loved this song. A song to look out for is "When You Live With Ghosts, You Don't See The Dead". Opens with some heavy riffing and cool lead guitar work. The lyrics here deal with getting lost in depression and experiencing an anxiety attack which is described very accurately. Present here is a beautifully clean middle section. A quote to take away from this one is "I must stay silent", which represents a feeling of no one to turn to and no one wanting to hear.

"Agnostic" is a short song but effective. Very gentle music is played with an angry vocal delivery. The song deals with wanting to turn to religion for help but feeling like no one is listening. It leads into the next track which is "On My Mind" which has some very uplifting music to it. The lyrics deal with apologizing for what he has put people through and wanting life to get better but is still struggling. The music and vocal delivery really captures these feeling very well. With the song "There Is No Easy Way To Say This..." has a lyric theme which is about struggling to keep on going and wanting to reach out for help but has feels like he has no one there. The band are very melodic here as the drums thunder along.

"We Only Exist When We Exist Together" is a soft and melodic song. With the lyrics the track plays out like a suicide note and saying goodbyes and contemplating on ending ones life. The guitar lines really captures the mood and feelings of what someone in that situation might feel.  With the intro from "2136" we can hear the song is building to something big and then it hits with a killer groove and even has a beautiful piano middle section. The lyrics relate to the man this story is about is excepting defeat from his inner demons and taking his own life.

Coming up towards the end of this story we come to the track "Beautiful Morning". Here there is a reflection on life tragedies as he starts to think about his mother passing away when he was young and wishes to be reunited. The music and melodies behind this song is so fitting and helps to carry the listener through. And we come to the final track which is "Something To Remember Me By". This is an acoustic song which recaps the story of the album and the final year of this mans life and struggles. This one plays out a little like a suicide note as, along with the vocal delivery, is someone pouring their heart out to the worlds as he leaves this life.

The first thing I noticed from the bands sound is that it almost sounds a little like the band FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND. The vocals here work really well to help get the message across. There is lots of desperation and emotional struggles depicted in the lyrics and the music behind it really helps to capture those feelings. The riffs and the band sound great as the vocals and lyrics really strike an emotional chord with the listener.

In a time where people are really struggling with their mental health and with a lot of people in those situations feeling like there is no end to it and got no one to turn to, I have to hand it to the lads here in TO KILL ACHILLES. With "Something To Remember Me By" they really captured what a person struggling with mental health has to deal with and the hopelessness and despair that comes with those demons. One thing you should take away from listening to this album is that we all know someone who is living this way (or maybe it's even yourself) and that they may feel all alone but they really don't have to. We are all fighting our own battles and we all need to be there for one another. It could save a life.