Hello!
I’m Dominic. I’m a lifelong lover of music. I’ve been going to shows since I was about 16 years old. Today, I’m nearly 40, and I still go to a lot of shows.
While I love many different forms of music, metal is where my heart is. As a young teen, I started listening to bands like Korn, Limp Bizkit, System of a Down, and several other bands in the nu metal space.
But the game-changing moment happened the first time I listened to Cradle of Filth. While there are many divided opinions on them (trust me, I get it), you have to imagine what it would’ve been like for a 15 year old kid to hear Dani Filth shriek on the opening of “Cthulhu Dawn” for the first time. I didn’t know music could even sound like that. From that moment on, I’d forever dig into the beautiful and chaotic rabbit hole that is the metal world.
So why have I titled this first blog “I Don’t Really Know What This is Yet” then? Well, because I really don’t. I just know I love writing, I love music, and I want to turn that into a creative outlet surrounding something that I love deeply.
Why am I Starting This Now?
I’ve been writing professionally for about 12 years. When I say “professionally,” I mean that I work in a corporate environment where I get paid to write and edit words. I’ve always considered myself extremely lucky to have built a career around that, and still do.
Corporate writing is all about deliverables and timelines. It’s the nature of the job, and I get that. But obviously, it’s vastly different from the kind of writing I fell in love with in the first place.
So, I’m getting back to writing for the simple purpose of having a creative outlet. And at this point, I’ll be happy if even one person reads this. I feel creative for the first time in a long time, and I intend to ride that wave for as long as possible.
On a Personal Note
Being creative can promote an overall better mental well-being. I’m not making that up. You can Google it and find a plethora of studies confirming that fact.
2023 brought me to a pretty low place. Depression and anxiety wrecked me. The support system I had in my family, combined with therapy, is what saved me.
My therapist was an incredibly insightful, intelligent and compassionate person. He also happened to be a metalhead! Our sessions were a mix of exploring some of the harshest realities I needed to face, and discussing our mutual love of guitars and bands like Black Sabbath and Cannibal Corpse.
He encouraged me to explore some creative endeavours to help battle the depression. I dabbled a bit, but mostly ignored his suggestion, if I’m being honest.
But I’m finally going to start! Playing guitar is my first love, but I always found it a bit difficult to connect with other musicians (mostly because I’m a bit of an introvert). Not to mention I have serious imposter syndrome when it comes to playing guitar. I’m fairly good at it, but god damn am I shy around others. So while I definitely want to explore that side eventually, for now, I’m getting the creativity out in the form of writing.
What’s Next?
Well, I think I’ve made it abundantly clear that I really don’t know what I’m doing.
That being said, I think I’ll kick this thing off by simply writing about music. Maybe I’ll talk about a new album, give you my thoughts on a band I discovered, or just review the last show I went to. Eventually, I’m hoping to expand the project into some photography, but that’s a much longer term goal at this point.
If you’ve read up until now, thank you! Let’s see how the next few months unfold.
Dom Goes to Shows 