5 Albums I Want To Be Buried With #6: Halfway Home!

Hidden Mothers, Remnant, Mercury’s Well, Buds. and Black Skull Ritual. Those have been the bands who have committed their choices into the flames of cyberspace for all eternity as they have partaken in our new (ish) feature 5 Albums I Want To Be Buried With. This time out with their EP “Winter” a regular on our playlist, we spoke to the wonderful human being that is Halfway Home vocalist Addy Walker who having survived last years Rabidfest gave us his choices!

The premise is simple: “Back in ancient Egypt they believed that the items their Kings were buried with would travel with them into the afterlife and so part of the burial ritual would see the mummified bodies surrounded by chariots, gold and more. Fast forward to now. If there were five albums that you’d want buried in the coffin with you to take to the afterlife, what would you choose?”

Foreword: “Death may come for us all, but in this beautifully grim, metal-noise-inspired thought experiment, I’ve been given the rare opportunity to sit and reflect on the albums I’d take to the grave. The list, quite frankly, is endless.

In a world of infinite Spotify playlists and weekly new releases, I’ve become a greedy, unappreciative consumer of music. I sometimes wonder how many great albums I’ve missed—lost in the churn of algorithm-fed, hyper-digestible soundbites. Modern life, with its TikTok snippets and Instagram hooks, has rewired my attention span, making it harder to sit still with an album and truly listen. But in considering this list—not necessarily my definitive top five, but close—I’m forcing myself to slow down, to take stock of the records that have left a permanent imprint on the still-functional parts of my cortex.”

Alkaline Trio – “From Here to Infirmary” (2001)

“Alkaline Trio is one of those bands that I have an unwavering love for. Their tongue-in-cheek lyricism, Gothic horror references, and sinister-yet-melodic soundscapes make them instantly recognizable. Melancholic motifs, macabre storytelling, and deceptively upbeat rhythms define their sound for me.

But From Here to Infirmary stands above the rest. This was the album that introduced me to music outside of what my dad played on repeat. While his collection included a wealth of rock classics—The Who, Pink Floyd, and many others—his taste rarely extended beyond 1980. A friend’s dad (Shout-out to the hero that is Jamie Gillies) put this album on during a road trip, and for the first time, I felt seen by music. Matt Skiba’s tortured lyricism and Dan Andriano’s raw, melodic wisdom spoke directly to me in a way no other music had before. Even now, when I’m stuck in a musical rut, this is my go-to record—my sonic comfort blanket.”

Senses Fail – “Let It Enfold You” (2004)

“This album has stuck with me since Christmas 2007, when 12-year-old me, obsessed with Guitar Hero III, fell in love with Still Searching. Listening to it now, Buddy Nielsen’s lyrics feel even more unfiltered—almost terrifying in their emotional weight. There’s a rawness, a brutal honesty in his words, as if he’s carving out a piece of his soul and pressing it into vinyl.

Hearing the breakdown in Bite to Break Skin for the first time was a life-altering moment. Even now, it sends chills down my spine—not because it’s heavy in the traditional sense, but because it captures the rawest form of desperation and catharsis. This was the album that led me to my first-ever gig, Senses Fail at the Zodiac in Oxford (now the O2). That night, watching them live, was the moment I knew I wanted to make music, not just listen to it.”

Enter Shikari – “Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible” (2020)

“The most modern album on my list, Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible taught me a lot—not just about music, but about patience. Enter Shikari are known for pushing boundaries, blending genres, and refusing to fit into any box, but on first listen, I’ll admit I was disappointed. I didn’t immediately grasp the clever lyricism, the intricate self-production, or the fusion of electronic and post-hardcore elements. And I really missed the breakdowns.

But I gave it time. By the sixth listen, something clicked. The album’s resounding message, layered grooves, and anthemic urgency felt like a battle cry—a call to community, to resistance, to hope. It changed the way I think about music and made me realize that sometimes, the best art doesn’t hit immediately. Sometimes, it demands patience. And when you get it, it’s magic”

Being As An Ocean – “Waiting for Morning to Come” (2017)

“This album taught me about dynamics—not just in music, but in emotion. Volume, structure, pacing, lyricism—everything feels deliberate, like an ebb and flow of intensity and release. Waiting for Morning to Come isn’t a collection of singles. It’s an experience, a journey.

Haunting melodies, whispered verses, bursts of brutalist breakdowns, and synthwave-infused ambiance make this record feel almost cinematic. The first drop in Thorns still sends me into a trance-like state of metalcore gawping. This album is where I turn on sleepless nights. It’s catharsis. It’s confrontation. It’s solace”

Don Broco – “Technology” (2018)

“If Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible taught me patience, Technology was the opposite—it grabbed me by the throat from the first listen. Don Broco has this wild, unrelenting energy that feels almost chaotic, yet every beat, every riff, every swagger-drenched vocal line is meticulously crafted. It’s an album that doesn’t just ask for your attention—it demands it.

What struck me most about Technology was its unpredictability. One moment, you’re in a groove-heavy, funk-infused banger like T-Shirt Song, and the next, you’re getting hit with the crushing intensity of Come Out to LA or the jagged, almost industrial aggression of Pretty. It’s a masterclass in balancing fun with ferocity, danceable beats with stadium-sized hooks, and razor-sharp satire with raw, unfiltered emotion.

Lyrically, it’s as biting as it is bizarre—exploring everything from toxic relationships to social media addiction and modern disillusionment. And yet, amidst the chaos, it never loses its sense of fun. I think that’s why I keep coming back to it. In a world that often feels overwhelming, Technology is a reminder to embrace the madness, dance through the destruction, and scream along to the anthems of our own existential crises”

Final Thoughts: “If I had to take just five albums to my eternal resting place, these would be the ones. Not because they’re necessarily the greatest albums of all time, but because they’ve shaped me. They’ve been there for heartbreak, for epiphanies, for the late-night existential spirals and the euphoric highs.

As I grow older, my appreciation for individuality and sincerity in song-writing has only deepened. These records all have one thing in common: they mean something. They hold emotion, experience, and a rawness that’s hard to find.

If you’re looking for more music that carries that kind of emotional weight, my band Halfway Home has just released our new EP, WINTER which you can stream here.

I can’t promise you’ll love it, but I can promise that every word and melody holds a piece of my soul. And as I read back through this little thought experiment, it’s clear to me that this is exactly what I seek in music—honesty, depth, and something real to hold onto”