Of Virtue Get Brutally Honest About Self-Destruction on "Flatline"
- Catie Barnett
- 23 hours ago
- 4 min read
The Michigan metalcore band turns a personal wake-up call into one of its most revealing songs yet. Of Virtue have never been afraid to put difficult emotions into their music. With "Flatline," the Michigan metalcore band takes that approach a step further, turning a deeply personal experience into a song about self-destruction, mortality and the decision to finally take control.
The new single arrives ahead of Death Of The Altar, Of Virtue's fourth studio album, due October 2 via Arising Empire.
Following "The End," which was featured on SiriusXM Octane's Test Drive, "Flatline" continues the album's focus on identity, consequences and the destructive patterns people can fall into while looking for a way to cope. The song was co-written with Lee Albrecht, whose credits include Bilmuri and The Devil Wears Prada, and Evan McKeever, who has worked with Starset and Koe Wetzel. But the story behind "Flatline" starts much closer to home. Co-vocalist Tyler Ennis originally wrote the song in 2022 after his father suffered a massive heart attack.
The incident forced Ennis to confront his own health and mortality while he was already dealing with years of physical and mental health struggles.
Ennis says he had been experiencing serious gastrointestinal issues since 2016 and had seen numerous doctors without receiving a proper diagnosis. The uncertainty had become a constant source of stress, but watching his father experience a major health crisis made those concerns impossible to ignore. It also forced Ennis to take a harder look at his own behavior.
He describes knowing that he was not taking proper care of himself while continuing to repeat habits he understood were harmful. Friends and family had encouraged him to make changes, but awareness alone was not enough to break the cycle. That conflict sits at the heart of "Flatline."
The song examines what happens when someone understands that they are hurting themselves but still feels powerless to stop.
Instead of treating recovery as an easy decision, Of Virtue focus on the uncomfortable space between recognizing the problem and actually doing something about it. That makes "Flatline" particularly important within Death Of The Altar. The album continues the direction established by 2023's Omen, which surpassed 65 million streams and helped establish Of Virtue as one of the more prominent names in modern metalcore. The new record expands that sound with heavy riffs, industrial electronics, melodic passages and the contrasting vocal styles of Ennis and Damon Tate.
There is plenty of heaviness, but the emotional material is just as important.
"Flatline" is built around a familiar human experience: knowing something needs to change and continuing down the same path anyway. For Ennis, however, that idea is connected to a real moment that changed how he viewed his own life. His father's heart attack became a wake-up call.
It pushed Ennis to become more accountable for his health and reconsider the ways he had been coping. That experience ultimately gave "Flatline" a purpose beyond simply documenting a difficult period. The song is about recognizing that there is a point when ignoring the problem is no longer an option.
That message also fits with Of Virtue's work outside their music.
The band have become outspoken advocates for mental health and regularly use their platform to discuss difficult subjects with their audience. Their approach is particularly relevant on "Flatline" because the song does not attempt to offer an easy solution. Instead, it documents the struggle. Of Virtue have spent the past several years building momentum through touring, festivals and a growing international audience.
The band have performed at events including Danny Wimmer festivals, Upheaval, Full Force, Summer Breeze and Pulp Summer Slam, while sharing stages with Slipknot, Bad Omens, Nothing More and Three Days Grace.
Now, with Death Of The Altar, they are taking the next step without leaving behind the emotional honesty that helped define Omen. "Flatline" is proof of that. The track takes one of the most difficult parts of personal growth-the realization that you may be responsible for continuing your own destructive patterns-and puts it directly into the music.
There is no attempt to clean up the story or make the process look easier than it is. For Of Virtue, the point is accountability. Sometimes the wake-up call comes from losing something.
Sometimes it comes from watching someone you love go through a life changing experience.
And sometimes it comes from finally realizing that the way you have been living cannot continue. "Flatline" comes from that realization. And with Death Of The Altar on the way, it sounds like Of Virtue are ready to confront the rest of it.
Of Virtue - Death Of The Altar
1. “Divinity”
2. “The End”
3. “Enemy State”
4. “What’s It Like To Be Happy?”
5. “Too Late”
6. “Welcome To Hell”
7. “The Art of Love”
8. “Flatline”
9. “Devotion”
10. “Can’t Keep Knockin Me Down”
Death Of The Altar arrives October 2 via Arising Empire. Of Virtue will support In This Moment in Pittsburgh on September 15 before beginning a European tour with Unprocessed on September 29 in Brussels, followed by dates across the UK, France, the Netherlands and Germany.
