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 Toronto’s Sun Below as they’ve been spending this time finishing their new album.

What have you been doing to pass time during Quarantine?

Sun Below has fortunately been able to continue writing and rehearsing throughout much of the pandemic. In the spring/summer of 2020, we were able to buckle down with dedicated writing sessions and finish our full length self-titled album, which we recorded in late December 2020 and which released everywhere November 19, 2021. It is a concept record based around the central figure of the Holy Drifter, who transcends time and alternate worlds as he seeks to discover the higher meaning within his smoke induced visions. Since the recording concluded, we have had a member change and have been rehearsing regularly to get a live set together and have been writing even more music. 

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

I (Jay – Guitarist and Vocalist) have been listening to a ton of music during the pandemic. Some of the bands in heavy rotation have been new releases from Monolord, Pallbearer, Elder and Bongzilla and new bands discovered such as Firebreather, The Heavy Eyes, Heavy Temple, Holy Grove and Ruby the Hatchet. I’ve picked up some vinyl from established favourites such as Sleep Live at Third Man and Black Sabbath’s deluxe reissues of Vol. 4 and Sabotage, which have some great live bonus material.

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 have always been a big fan of cooking eggs and barbecuing! Sadly I have not maximized this quarantine time to learn any new cooking techniques or recipes. The most adventurous thing was cooking the Christmas turkey and trying and failing to make turkey gravy using the neck!

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

I have probably watched more TV series over the last year plus than in the previous five years combined. A couple of favourites were The Last Kingdom on Netflix, which features conflicts and battles between the Saxons and the invading Danes in the time of Alfred the Great. Probably the favourite show I discovered was German language series Dark, which is full of mind-bending time travel paradoxes and time loops. The show had a bit of an influence on the lyrical subjects in our upcoming album as we worked on some time travel concepts.

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

The only advice I could give would just be to hang tight for now and to please try and support the artists that you follow as much as you can, whether it is buying some merch, streaming their music, or even something as simple as introducing them to a friend or someone that you know would dig their music. Things are beginning to open up now and shows are slowly starting to come back so we look forward to being part of the resurrection of the live heavy music scene in the coming days.