NEWS RELEASE
Montreal, QC – October 3, 2025
THE RETICENT’s Fifth Studio Album “please” Explores The Struggles of Mental Illness
Unveil Music Video For Single “The Concealment (Those Who Don’t Want To Wake)”
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L to R – James Nelson (Lead Guitar), Chris Hathcock (Vocals, Guitar, Drums), Paul McBride (Bass)
Photo Credit by Justin H. Reich
Generation Prog Records is proud to announce the release of “please,” the emotionally searing new album from progressive metal act The Reticent. Led by Grammy-nominated music educator and multi-instrumentalist Chris Hathcock, “please” is a concept album that plunges listeners into the harrowing realities of mental illness, suicide, and survival. The album will be available on November 13th, 2025.
The first single, “The Concealment (Those Who Don’t Want To Wake),” is accompanied by a haunting music video that captures the anguish of hiding one’s suffering in plain sight.
“The Concealment could be thought of as the thesis statement of the new album. It tries to capture what it is to attempt to carry on with your life while struggling with the crushing weight of mental illness. At work, with family, at school, wherever, we have to don masks and pretend we are ‘just fine’ when inside we may wish to go to sleep and never wake up again. 1 in 4 adults will have a mental health crisis this year, and there are 1.5 million suicide attempts per year in this country. It’s all around us, yet most will not talk about it, most will not get help, and most will suffer in silence. We are not alone, yet we feel intensely lonely because of that disconnection. For me, I have to pretend to be someone else every day as a teacher – confident, smart, strong – whilst inside I often wish fervently for oblivion to end my near constant pain. When the despair and the grief and the hopelessness come, the isolation and hollowness of all things can rob life of any color. For those who know what it is like to live with these disorders, it is indeed lonely here,” says Hathcock.
Watch the music video premiere on MetalAddicts HERE.
Featuring ten emotionally driven tracks, the album was written in just six months. Drums were recorded in a single day, all other instruments in two, but vocals took two weeks, leaving Hathcock with a laryngeal injury so severe he couldn’t speak for six weeks. During the filming of “The Concealment” video, Hathcock broke two toes, sprained three others, and tore his rotator cuff. He performed at ProgStorm Festival in Montreal, Canada, just six days later, concealing his injuries behind the band’s emotionally intense stagecraft.
“please” is also The Reticent‘s first album, engineered almost entirely by Hathcock at his Silent Muse Studio. Only the drums were tracked at The Basement Studios with longtime producer Jamie King (BTBAM, The Contortionist), who also took care of mixing and mastering for the record.
This fifth studio album includes subtle nods to clinical psychologist Kay Redfield Jamison, with lyrical references to her books “Night Falls Fast” and “An Unquiet Mind,” and samples of her voice appearing in “Discharge.”
Hailed as “prog’s most emotionally gut-wrenching” band, The Reticent began as Hathcock’s solo outlet for personal trauma. Over time, it evolved into a full-fledged progressive metal force, known for concept albums like “On The Eve Of A Goodbye” and “The Oubliette.” Joined by guitarist James Nelson (Nospūn) and bassist Paul McBride (Voraath), The Reticent delivers live performances that are more performance art than concert, intensely immersive and emotionally devastating.
The band has performed at prestigious festivals, including ProgPower USA, where Metal Injection called their set “one of the most heart-wrenching performances in ProgPower history.”
For those who seek truth in music, The Reticent offers a mirror to the soul and a plea for understanding.
Recommended for fans of Opeth, Cynic, The Contortionist, Wilderun, and Devin Townsend.
“please” will be available via Generation Prog Records on November 13, 2025. A sixth album is also complete, as it was recorded simultaneously with “please” and will follow for release in 2026.
CD pre-order (North America) – https://thereticent.net/please-pre-order
CD pre-order (EU) – http://www.generation-prog.com/shop/
Digital Album pre-save – https://show.co/MoPdl8W
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Track Listing:
1. Intake – 1:45
2. The Concealment (Those Who Don’t Want To Wake) – 6:06
3. The Night River (Those Who Can’t Rest) – 6:55
4. Diagnosis 1 – 2:18
5. The Bed of Wasps (Those Consumed With Panic) – 5:47
6. The Scorn (Those Who Don’t Understand) – 8:12
7. Diagnosis 2 – 2:39
8. The Riptide (Those Without Hope) – 6:09
9. The Chance (Those Who Let Go) – 6:52
10. Discharge – 2:56
Album Length: 49:45
Album Recording Credits:
All instruments and vocals performed by Chris Hathcock except
– Lead Guitar and Additional Acoustic Guitar by James Nelson
– Guest Vocals on “The Bed of Wasps” by Brian Kingsland
– Narration by Vienna Gloom
All songs written by Chris Hathcock
Produced by Chris Hathcock
Engineered by Chris Hathcock
Drums engineered by Jamie King
Mixed and Mastered by Jamie King
Album Artwork by Joscelyne Hauserman
Band Line Up:
Chris Hathcock – Vocals, Guitar
James Nelson – Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals
Paul McBride – Bass, Backing Vocals
For more info: Thereticent.net | Facebook.com/thereticentmusic | Instagram.com/The.reticent.band
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“A taut, compelling progressive metal opus.” – Angry Metal Guy (2020 – The Oubliette)
“A narrative masterpiece. 10/10” – Rock Magazine (2020 – The Oubliette)
“Something all fans of music will want to experience.” – Metal Temple (2020 – The Oubliette)
“Prog’s most emotionally gut-wrenching band returns!” – Metal Storm (2020 – The Oubliette)
“One fact is incontrovertible: songwriter Chris Hathcock is a genius.” – Legacy Magazine (2020 – The Oubliette)
“Undoubtedly one of this year’s best albums, if not THE best album.” – Scream Magazine (Norway) (2020 – The Oubliette)
“As beautiful as it is sorrowful, masterful instrumentals and intense sounds accompany the story of this concept album that explores the slow descent into oblivion that sufferers of Alzheimer’s disease experience. Fans of metal will come for the riffs, and stay for the depth of atmosphere and storytelling. You’ll be left pondering existence after one of the best albums of the year.” – Cave Dweller Music (2020 – The Oubliette)
The Oubliette was included on numerous “best of” lists and was called The Most Essential Progressive Metal Album of 2020” by RTMBA Magazine. More recently, The Oubliette was included on Metal Injection’s 10 Extremely Underrated Progressive Metal Albums list and their 10 Extremely Underrated Metal Albums of the 2020s list.
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