In a new interview with The Downbeat Podcast, hosted by STRAY FROM THE PATH drummer Craig Reynolds, former ARCH ENEMY and current DRAGONFORCE and BLUE MEDUSA vocalist Alissa White-Gluz was asked if there is anything she is scared of. She responded: “Death. I’m terrified of death. Yeah. Thanatophobia, I think it’s called. I mean, I hope that our brains function in a way where you do have, like, this release of endorphins or whatever that causes euphoria right before you go, so that you can go… I hope it’s like — you know when you’re starting to fall asleep and you’re so tired and you just get that nice feeling where you’re, like, ‘Ah, I’m falling asleep. This is great’. I hope it’s that. The thing is we don’t know what it is. And also I like to do stuff and learn stuff and meet people and experience things, and I don’t wanna stop doing that. And so it bums me out that I will stop doing that at some point.”

On the topic of whether she believes in “anything after death”, Alissa said: “No, unfortunately I don’t. I wish I did, but none of it makes sense to me… If I believed in something, then it would be cooler. Then I’d be, like, ‘All right, well, I’m just going on to the next phase.’ But, unfortunately for me, I really believe that it’s just that’s it. I think we are a functional body of blood and flesh and electrical impulses and nerve endings, and I think we’re amazing. I think all animals are amazing. That’s why I respect them so much. But I do think that everything that’s happening in our brains that makes us have personalities and experience the world, these are things that are happening on the basis that this physical mass of tissue and this all continues to function the way that it’s supposed to. And if it stops, I think all of that goes with it, unfortunately.”

Asked if she ever had “a spooky experience” where she thought, “Ooh, maybe that was a ghost”, Alissa said: “I love that stuff and I want to believe, but when it comes down to it, I just don’t. I mean, for sure there’s stuff that is not explained. I hope I’m wrong, and I’m totally ready to admit if I am wrong. It’s just that we don’t know. We don’t know for sure.”

Circling back to her fear of death, Alissa said: “I’m very afraid of it, and I also get very sad when other people pass. Even if I don’t know them, I’m, like, ‘Oh, no, their family must be so upset.’ And that’s why I have a hard time with horror movies because even if it’s just the cab driver or some C role in the movie, like, gets killed, I’m, like, ‘Oh, but they probably had a family.’ And I’m, like, ‘Oh, how’s his family gonna earn a living now?’ And I just feel really bad for the characters.”

Elaborating on why she isn’t a huge fan of horror movies, Alissa said: “I mean, I like psychological thrillers and I like spooky things, but if there’s gore, I can’t look. I’m also very sensitive. I’m like a wimp when it comes to bloody stuff. I’ll watch them for the story, but I have to kind of shield my eyes a lot.”