EPK – State of Mind – Sanity of Madness (EP) (2025) (Self-Made Records/ Earache Records)
For fans of Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper, Dio, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Ozzy, Queensryche
All Links – https://linktr.ee/AStateofMind
Label EPK – https://selfmaderecordsllc-business.com/a-stateofmind-epk
Facebook.com/AstateofmindJohnFerris | X.com/JohnFerris_SOM | Youtube.com/@SOM.JohnFerris | Instagram.com/johnferris88
Sttefmnd.bandcamp.com | Spotify
“The melodies that the guitar elicits are successful from the chord to the solo, and it goes without saying that the bassist and drummer support the versatile playing in a solid manner.” – Metal Division Magazine
“Their compositions aim to illuminate the struggles of those grappelling with darkness, offering hope and understanding through powerful rock and metal anthems, as well as poignant ballads.” – Concert Monkey
“This band has got the sound to move you, the energy to inspire you, and the soul to touch you. They’re a testament to the enduring power of rock n’ roll.” – Papy Jeff Metal
“and the more hard rock tinged and groove-oriented escapades of the opening number here gave me an initial impression of grunge, closely followed by 80s traditional heavy metal. And later on with some cues that gave me associations towards the early days of Helstar and the US variety of early power metal, and with the concluding song taking on a little bit of the feel in general and the vocal style in particular of Paul Di’Anno era Iron Maiden.” – The Viking in the Wilderness
Band: State of Mind
EP Title: Sanity of Madness
Release Date: Feb 7, 2025
Label: Self Made Records LLC
Distribution: Earache Records Digital Distribution
Track Listing:
1. The Masters Coming (3:00)
2. Dead (3:50)
3. Mourning Star (4:59)
4. Shine (3:34)
5. Wizard (2:39)
6. Sail Across The Ocean (3:52)
EP Length: 21:51
EP Credits:
All songs performed by: State of Mind
All songs written by: John Ferris and Robbie Grossheim
Produced and Mixed by: Danny Hardt Music and Global Destruction Studios
Mastered by: J.P. Braddock at Formation Audio at Earache Records EDD
Album art by: John Ferris and Night Cafe’
Album and Live Band Lineup:
John Ferris…Lyricist / Vocals
Robbie Grossheim…Guitars
John Cook…Guitars
Kenny Thomas…Bass
Kenny Starnes…Drums
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About The Album Artwork
I play with typing my lyrics into an Ai Art Generator this was “Sanity of Madness” on Night Cafe”
About the album as a whole (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY)
A collection of stories about Renefield, Anger, Jesus, Vikings, a Poster, and those who are taken away too soon
Track by Track (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY)
!) The Masters Coming… Is entirely about Dracula’s little side kick Renefield. This has a killer feel as well as an awesome bass line from our bassist Kenny Thomas. The drums by Kenny Starnes and the guitar work by Robbie Grossheim and John Cook bring the power of good old-school metal to your ears. One of my favorites off the Sanity of Madness EP.
2) Dead… This is just an angry hard-driving rocker all the way. Once again driving guitars and bass, along with the drive of the drums keeps your head banging. Tapping into everyone’s frustration and the feeling of slaving to live just to feel dead inside. The lyrics describe someone who’s been knocked down, on the edge, and tired. The chorus is his breaking point. Self-induced nightmares from drugs and alcohol, life spinning out of control, dark thoughts…. It happens all too often.
3) Mourning Star… This is our first attempt at a Christian metal ballad. This song was written by Robbie Grossheim (Guitars/founding member), and John Ferris (Lyricist/ Vocalist, founding member). We wrote this song in the late 90’s. Our new members, Kenny Starnes, Kenny Thomas, and John Cook, really did an excellent job in giving the song the power it deserves. The song is about the man, son, brother Jesus. As a human, he had to feel human feelings, and had to have human doubt regardless of his knowledge of the events to unfold in his future. This song is about Jesus’ State of Mind as a man. When he saw the star at his birth, he knew it was a sign of mourning
4) Shine… is our first attempt at a Christian metal ballad. This song was written by Robbie Grossheim (Guitars/founding member), and John Ferris (Lyricist/ Vocalist, founding member). We wrote this song in the late 90’s. Our new members, Kenny Starnes, Kenny Thomas, and John Cook, really did an excellent job in giving the song the power it deserves. The song is about the man, son, brother Jesus. As a human, he had to feel human feelings and had to have human doubt regardless of his knowledge of the events to unfold in his future. This song is about Jesus’ State of Mind as a man. When he saw the star at his birth, he knew it was a sign of mourning
5) Wizard…This was written as an in-your-face jam, hard-hitting and full of energy. The story of the song is taken from a poster we had hanging in the jam room at the time. In my wild days, during a self-induced psychedelic experience at practice, I looked at that poster and wrote about it. everything in the song was in that poster. And the wizard was on top of a rainbow with his arm reaching out in angst because “no one listens”.
6) Sail Across The Ocean (SATO)…was written as an in-your-face jam, hard-hitting and full of energy. The story of the song is taken from a poster we had hanging in the jam room at the time. In my wild days, during a self-induced psychedelic experience at practice, I looked at that poster and wrote about it. everything in the song was in that poster. And the wizard was on top of a rainbow with his arm reaching out in angst because “no one listens”.
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Fun Facts – Story Angles
1) We have the uncanny ability to write a song on the fly.2) I went to lean back on the guitar player during his lead. I was facing the drummer singing, saw my guitarist behind me on the edge of the stage. When I went to lean back on him I didn’t noticed he had moved..so I fell off the stage backwards and landed between the lights, the stage and the speaker stacks. I jumped up and continued singing like nothing happened.3) We are very interactive with our audience. People will come up and sing with me, sometimes other musicians will come up after their set and want to play a one of our songs with us. We had one lady come up to be the tambourine player for a few songs.
4) Between all 5 of us, we have almost 140 years of musical experience.
5) I got the name Styltskyn from falling on a pair of stilts at work and skinning up my right arm and face from falling into a wall…..Styltskyn…
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Top – L-R – John Cook – Guitars, John Ferris – Vocals, Robbie Grossheim – Guitars
Bottom – L-R – Kenny Thomas – Bass, Kenny Starnes – Drums
A State Of Mind is a modern classic heavy metal band that traces its origins back to 1994, when four friends united with a shared passion for music. On the very first day of their practice, they composed their inaugural original track, “Wardance,” setting the stage for their creative journey.
Drawing inspiration from legendary figures in hard rock and metal, such as Dio, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Queensryche, the band chose the name State of Mind to encapsulate the essence of music as a reflection of emotional states and experiences. Their compositions aim to illuminate the struggles of those grappling with darkness, offering hope and understanding through powerful rock and metal anthems, as well as poignant ballads. Frontman John Ferris channels his personal experiences—ranging from addiction and heartbreak to self-reflection—into their music, addressing the inner demons that resonate with many.
After a hiatus, the band felt compelled to reintroduce State of Mind to the world, featuring founding members Robbie Grossheim, who crafts the music, and John Ferris, who provides lyrics and vocals, alongside talented musicians John Cook on lead guitar, Kenny Thomas on bass, and Kenny Starnes on drums.
They released their latest EP “Sanity of Madness” on February 7, 2025, via Self-Made Records with distribution from Earache Records.
Discography:
2025 — Sanity of Madness Ep
2022 — two singles Shattered and Fall Away
2019 — State of Mind Ep
1995 — State of Mind Cassette
Shared the stage with
East Texas Adrenaline, Aepshyt, Broken Within, White Trash Superstar, Stone Blind, Klozure, Silence Fuels Nothing, Amazing Timekeepers Band, Down by Default, Kollider, Shining Force, Darkness of Tomorrow, Serpent Attack, Gran Andes, Bag of Tricks, Dead Set Red, ReDefined
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