Metal Inside(r) Home Quarantine is Metal Insider’s new column during this time of isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We asked artists five questions on what’s been keeping them busy ranging from their favorite movies, food they’ve been eating, music they’ve been listening to and more. We caught up with Aether Realm’s Donny Burbage as he’s been spending this time playing a lot of video games and working on music.

What have you been doing to pass time during Quarantine?

I’ve been playing video games like Animal Crossing, Warzone, and Final Fantasy 7: Remake… also joining our fellow label mate The Hootsman from Gloryhammer and playing games on his stream. Aside from games, I’m always working on music, and I currently have a guest solo I’m working on for a friend. 

Have you been listening to any music or have any playlists worth checking out?

Actually I’ve been going back and revisiting some old albums that I love. I also have a ton of playlists I make, most of them are rather goofy and silly though. I have this playlist I made where every song has a part where they sing “na na na na na na na na…” somewhere in the song. Yeah… isolation is weird y’all. 

A lot of people have been spending this time cooking including making their own bread, what food have you been prepping during this time? 

I actually cook all of the time normally. I’ve been wanting to make bread because it’s hard for me to find bread that doesn’t have soy in it. Soy makes my nose run and then I’ll cough a lot… so I try to avoid it when I can, but it’s in everything! I always make my own mayonnaise because of this. Recently I got into making hot sauce.

In terms of entertainment, what movies, TV shows, books, or games have been keeping you busy?  

I don’t watch TV a lot, but I’m a movie dork. I’ll catch something here and there on Netflix, but I think since I live with two other bandmates, I’m going to force them to watch movies that I reference all of the time that they have never seen. Books wise, I’m all about some sci-fi classics like Robert Heinlein. Hmm I may go back and reread them now!

What advice do you have for your fans in isolation during this time?

Go for a walk! Get out and just walk while maintaining social distancing rules! Try to learn something new, or start on that project you haven’t had much time for. Skype your friends, play a game over the Internet with them, call them and check up on them also. It’s tough, and it sucks hard, but ya gotta toughen up and be smart. Staying safe is important! Including your mental health, so try to distract yourself from the garbage and just really spend time to further yourself while staying safe.