Seether Reach Out About Suicide

South Africa's Seether are best known for angry nu-metal tunes and broken heart anthems, but now they're aiming to do some good.

Here's the gist of the trio's bid to help North America's troubled youth: You can watch the video for their new "Rise Above This" single and the band's label, Wind-Up Records, will make a donation to Kids Help Phone in your name. It's a unique concept that Seether frontman Shaun Morgan finds absolutely necessary, given his own experience with Kids Help Phone.

"As a test, I phoned the suicide line in the States, and after waiting five minutes I was put through to a very bored-sounding woman," the singer explains. "So I just hung up the phone.

"It was just like, 'Wow, if I had really been needing someone to talk to, that wouldn't have been the person I'd want to turn to.' I was kind of disgusted by that. I felt like I was bugging them, which is not how these kids should be feeling if they take the time to phone.

"But first of all, I figured that if I'm waiting that long, then that means there must be a lot of people calling. That in itself means that there's a heavy need for these types of things, and there needs to be people who aren't too busy to speak to kids, because it's a pretty courageous step to even make that phone call. So basically, we decided we wanted to make a positive difference to kids, and if they visit our label's website and watch the video, our company donates to the charity. It's aimed at helping kids that are feeling vulnerable and scared and lonely, and hopefully having a website like that builds a community."

Astute viewers will notice a certain amount of authentic anguish on Morgan's face in the video. It's there for the same reason that there's a dedication at the end of the clip to the memory of Morgan's brother Eugene, who committed suicide last year. While it's understandably a topic that the singer doesn't want to broach, he talks openly about the song's positive nature and vaguely mentions that "even though it came from a very negative place, we managed to turn it into something that was hopeful and beautiful for people.

"We wanted to make it obvious to people who feel that way that they're not alone. It was something they could hear or watch that would make them feel good, and let them know that they're not the only one feeling this way. I think the reason why those of us who've been through that phase in our lives is because we feel like there's no one else out there — like there's no one to talk to and no one to turn to. Having said that, to know that there's a sort of community involved around the song is great. People really do want to support each other and help each other."

That seems like a bit of an idealistic statement, especially considering the mostly dark, desperate nature of most of Seether's songs. But as Morgan explains, "It doesn't really seem that way a lot of the time, because there's so much materialism — so much, 'Get your boobs done, get your lips done, because your looks are more important than your personality.' But I think even those kind of people, at some point, must realize that there are real issues in their lives."

Fortunately, when said people come to terms with those real issues, there'll be a community to join with a strong bond over a song.

"For me, music is something I have to connect to emotionally," says Morgan. "I've done songs myself where I do dwell in misery within the subjects of the songs, and at the end of the day that helps me out.

"But I also felt like I needed to write something that was positive. And it's certainly more hopeful than some of the stuff I've done before. I think if we do have the opportunity, we should use it. Not to be spokespeople for other people, but certainly to say, 'Look, you're not alone.'

"I think suicide in teens — suicide in general — is such an overlooked, underlying problem that no one ever talks about. Whereas rap music and pop music is completely vapid and has nothing to do with anything, we always try to write songs that are in some way pertinent to real life. And I think, hopefully, that this video and this song will help some kids out."

Here are Seether's Canadian tour dates:

Aug. 15 Winnipeg, MB @ Burton Cummings Theatre
Aug. 16 Regina, SK @ Wascana Park
Aug. 18 Calgary, AB @ MacEwan Hall
Aug. 19 Edmonton, AB @ Edmonton Events Centre
Aug. 21 Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom