I am Adrian De Santis, I work as a live and studio session guitarist, guitar teacher and composer. My current major project is “Nightmarsh”, a Progressive Deathcore Band. 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. I’ve had to work through incredibly low points, and with the information out there, it just doesn’t seem geared towards how men function and how men find fulfilment. As a musician myself, I’ve experienced the unique struggles as a performer and original artist. The pressure to put yourself out there to be judged, to perform regardless of what’s going on in your personal life, perfectionism, working for no pay. It all adds up and can get very overwhelming without having the support systems in place to help artists through all this. The core reason I want to create this event is to really promote action towards mental health. The metal community is very understanding and accepting, but I’ve seen there’s a lot of gaps when it comes to taking meaningful action towards helping someone, or reaching out for help.