For 25 years, Jeffrey "Nothing" Hatrix sang clean vocals for industrial metal band  Mushroomhead, but left the group in March, stating only, "I made for reasons that are best for me as an artist and musician at this juncture in my career." Now, Hatrix is continuing with his career, releasing the song "Fragile Mind" from his new band Jeffrey Nothing.

The cut starts with haunting sound effects and builds upon a simple keyboard line, surging guitars, steady drumming and distorted handclaps. Then, melodic vocals soaked in angst and attitude kick in, spilling lyrics that reflect the contempt and rage of betrayal: "Dead inside, somehow alive/ You parasite cut from behind/ You're damned, deprived, there's no surprise/ You're just a lie, just a lie, just a lie."

"This song wrote itself," Hatrix said. "Life takes odd twists and turns and sometimes finds dead ends. Creativity is a gift, yours to guide you through peace of mind and life experiences... we choose our paths. We alone should command our directions, our course to happiness and never despair, no matter what anyone else believes or demands… Ever!"

The singer added that "Fragile Mind" is just the first of "many new songs" to come. "I have had the pleasure of working with people with heart and soul," Hatrix said. "Yes, soul is incredible, to say the very least. [We] have brought huge smiles and laughter and other emotions long dead back to the creative process. Art isn’t about orders or demands, it is about doing what you love. We have a plethora of music and amazing minds helping to construct a living, breathing 'Monster' of a musical journey.”

Hatrix, who co-founded Mushroomhead with Steve "Skinny" Felton in 1993, is working on Jeffrey Nothing with ex-Mushroomhead bandmate, guitarist Thomas Church, who also quit in March. Joining them is vocalist Ian D, bassist Kahler Hatrix, ex-Motograter and current The Browning drummer Noah "Shark" Robinson and others yet to be announced.

"Fragile Mind" was produced and written by Jeffrey Hatrix and Church and mixed and mastered by Joshua Wickman of Dreadcore Productions and Matt Johnson from Revelation Studios. The artwork for the single was designed by tattoo artist Tony Kelly, who has worked with Nothing in the past.

Jeffrey Nothing has scheduled a pair of shows this fall: October 6 at RocktoberFest 2018 Day One in Lola, Kansas and October 13 at RocktoberFest 2018 Day Two in Chanute, Kansas.

2018's Best Metal Albums... So Far

 

More From Noisecreep