I caught up with singer, songwriter, musician, Tom De Wit (Dreamwalkers INC & TDW) for a really great chat about his latest album from his TDW prog-ject “The Days The Clock Stopped”, guests, support, and a whole lot more so take the time, check it out, and then hit up the links and show your support.
Biographical stories have been the main source of inspiration for many novels, albums, movies, and other forms of art ever since art became important to humanity. Often it is the relatable nature of it that attracts an audience. Stories of struggle and survival always inspire. But what if a story is so intense, that it almost seems unreal? What if a confrontation with death changes the very essence of that person’s existence? This is something that songwriter, producer, and singer Tom de Wit wanted to look into with this new release “The Days The Clock Stopped“.
After releasing multiple albums with both TDW & Dreamwalkers Inc, making youtube songs & vlogs, documentaries, and more, Tom found himself at a crossroads in early 2019. For all this time, his work had been dedicated to writing about fictional characters and events to let out his own emotional turmoil… Often hiding behind metaphors & fiction to say what he really felt through these characters & experiences. “I always felt like I had no right to speak on my own behalf. The characters would do that for me. I mean, I am in the end, just a guy that does stuff and makes things…”. Always these creations were heartfelt, passionate & made with intent, but it felt like something was ignored. A big set of events that changed his life significantly in his early 20’s that he had been running away from for 11 years now…
The Days The Clock Stopped is a concept album that dives headfirst into Tom’s medical history and how he fell ill with a highly potent inflammatory bowel disease at age 19 and dealing with that while also fighting the mental struggles that come along with being diagnosed as a highly sensitive person. The story chronicles the hospital experiences, being trapped inside a body & brain that are giving up, the medical mistakes made and what it can lead to when one is confronted by death not once, but twice.
Next to Tom writing the music and lyrics and helming the project, Tom was assisted by a host of guest musicians on this record ranging from big names and newcomers alike to bring his vision to life. Most notably, the inclusion of Aeon Zen/Annihilator‘s Rich Gray as bass player, co-producer and mastering engineer cannot be understated. As well as the massive drum performance by Fabio Allessandrini (Annihilator) who raised the album’s intensity to the next level. Adding to this album is a feature-length documentary that tells the story behind the album from the third person which will be included in the physical boxset. The documentary also talks about the creation of the record and looks back on the TDW career that started in 2008 up until the creation of this album now.
Links hit them up and show your support.
https://www.facebook.com/tdwmusic
https://www.instagram.com/tdwprog
