Australia's National
Prison Newspaper

Australia's National
Prison Newspaper

ISSUE NO. 16

November 2025

Donate Here

Letters

How Metal and Punk Music Saved My Life

By

Aidan

Aidan writes from a prison in TAS.

Unsplash

Font Size
Font Size
Line Height
Line Height
Dyslexia Friendly
Black & White
Hide Images
Night Mode

Dear About Time,

My name is Aidan. I am 25 years old and would love to share my love of metal and punk and how it has helped change my mental attitude and helped me cope with the hardest parts of my life.

I was raised in a household of my mum and two sisters, and being the only male felt very lonely.

The only friend I found was music, namely death metal and hardcore punk. I grew up with a mother who was always blasting music at home or in the car. Whether it was Slayer or Madonna, Deicide or Portishead or Pantera or The Cure, she was playing it.

I remember our living room used to be filled with hundreds of CDs. My mum is where my love of music came from.

I was 11 when I got into my first band, which was Korn, with their self-titled debut album. I fell in love with the darkness and rawness of it, and the rest was history.

Being able to have CDs sent in has been a heaven sent. I have nearly 40 and would struggle severely without them.

Unsplash

Every time I have a rough day or feel crap, I will pop a CD in and hear the thundering drums, raw and sharp guitars and the intense, cathartic and highly emotive vocals. A lot of people don’t like it, and I understand that, but for me it’s a pure cathartic release and a purging of all the negative shit building up inside of me.

The metal and punk communities are full of some of the friendliest and most accepting people you’ll meet, and the biggest reason for this is that most of these people are the outcasts, the freaks and geeks, the people that don’t feel like they belong anywhere else and are also highly protective of each other.

If I didn’t have my music I would probably not even be alive right now. Metal and punk gave an outcast like me somewhere to belong and something to believe in.

The pure emotion and depth in this music is something I relate to on a deeper level. I know there would be others that can relate.

Some of my favourite bands include: Code Orange, Converge, Slayer, Suffocation, Napalm Death and many, many others.

Thank you for taking the time and letting me talk about something I love.

Dear About Time,

My name is Aidan. I am 25 years old and would love to share my love of metal and punk and how it has helped change my mental attitude and helped me cope with the hardest parts of my life.

I was raised in a household of my mum and two sisters, and being the only male felt very lonely.

The only friend I found was music, namely death metal and hardcore punk. I grew up with a mother who was always blasting music at home or in the car. Whether it was Slayer or Madonna, Deicide or Portishead or Pantera or The Cure, she was playing it.

I remember our living room used to be filled with hundreds of CDs. My mum is where my love of music came from.

I was 11 when I got into my first band, which was Korn, with their self-titled debut album. I fell in love with the darkness and rawness of it, and the rest was history.

Being able to have CDs sent in has been a heaven sent. I have nearly 40 and would struggle severely without them.

Unsplash

Every time I have a rough day or feel crap, I will pop a CD in and hear the thundering drums, raw and sharp guitars and the intense, cathartic and highly emotive vocals. A lot of people don’t like it, and I understand that, but for me it’s a pure cathartic release and a purging of all the negative shit building up inside of me.

The metal and punk communities are full of some of the friendliest and most accepting people you’ll meet, and the biggest reason for this is that most of these people are the outcasts, the freaks and geeks, the people that don’t feel like they belong anywhere else and are also highly protective of each other.

If I didn’t have my music I would probably not even be alive right now. Metal and punk gave an outcast like me somewhere to belong and something to believe in.

The pure emotion and depth in this music is something I relate to on a deeper level. I know there would be others that can relate.

Some of my favourite bands include: Code Orange, Converge, Slayer, Suffocation, Napalm Death and many, many others.

Thank you for taking the time and letting me talk about something I love.

Leave a Comment

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
0 Comments
Author Name
Comment Time

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere. uis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

Send Us a Letter

Your contributions are the centerpiece of the paper. If you would like to contribute to our Letters section, please send your letters to the below postal address:

About Time
PO BOX 24041
Melbourne VIC 3000

Finding Solace in Art

By Ethan

When I paint, I'm not in prison anymore. I'm lost for hours in my artwork.

Letters

ISSUE NO. 9

3 MIN READ

Someone To Talk To

By Kyle

I’d think there are a lot of inmates looking for someone to talk to, for some people it might help with the healing process.

Letters

ISSUE NO. 9

2 MIN READ

Staying Clean

By Weena

Since having my first ever grandson nearly 3 years ago now, it’s made me realise that I not only want to change, but I need to do it not only for myself but for my family.

Letters

ISSUE NO. 9

2 MIN READ

A Letter From the U.S.A!

By Jean

My name is Jean. I am a wiry spitfire, 65 years young, and incarcerated for the past 24 years with a L.W.O.P. (Life Without Parole) sentence.

Letters

ISSUE NO. 9

3 MIN READ

Get the full paper in print each month.

6-Month Subscription:

Physical copy of About Time delivered to your home or organisation each month for six months. Paid upfront.

Subscribe for $70

12-Month Subscription:

Physical copy of About Time delivered to your home or organisation each month for twelve months. Paid upfront.

Subscribe for $125

Newsletter

Be the first to learn about our monthly stories, plus new initiatives and live events

You've successfully registered!
Something went wrong when we tried to register your details. Please try again.

Support Australia's First National Prison Newspaper

A place for news and education, expression and hope

Help keep the momentum going. All donations will be vital in providing an essential resource for people in prison and their loved ones.

All donations of $2 or more are tax deductible. If you would like to pay directly into our bank account to avoid the processing fee, please contact donate@abouttime.org.au. ABN 67 667 331 106.

It's
About Time.

A place for news and education, expression and hope.

Help us get About Time off the ground. All donations are tax deductible and will be vital in providing an essential resource for people in prison and their loved ones.

Donate Here

Welcome to About Time

About Time is the national newspaper for Australian prisons and detention facilities

Your browser window currently does not have enough height, or is zoomed in too far to view our website content correctly. Once the window reaches the minimum required height or zoom percentage, the content will display automatically.

Alternatively, you can learn more via the links below.

Donations via GiveNow

Email

Instagram

LinkedIn

Newsletter

Be the first to learn about our monthly stories, plus new initiatives and live events

You've successfully registered!
Something went wrong when we tried to register your details. Please try again.