Demon Hunter / Ryan Clark interview with synthesis.net
If you are a regular to the site you should know full well by now that I’m a huge Demon Hunter fan. They are, by the way, working on a new music video for “Carry Me Down” which I can’t wait to see!
Anyhoo, the heavy metal Christian rockers have a new interview which I have posted in full below. ENJOY!
Out of Seattle, WA, comes Demon Hunter; a brooding, full-force assault of hardcore metal with a Christian twist. A longtime member of Tooth & Nail subsidiary Solid State, Demon Hunter are currently enjoying the fruits of their latest release, Storm the Gates of Hell. Lead vocalist Ryan Clark — who also works in the artistic design wing of Tooth & Nail — took a little time out of his day to chat with Synthesis.net.
Syn: Demon Hunter has a very strong religious backbone. Describe to me the role that faith plays in the music?
Ryan Clark: Well, it’s something that all of us in the band take pretty seriously. Everything that I write about in a song is from that standpoint. They’re all life issues, and it’s all about problems and situations, and the things that I see around me, and the people I know and the people I don’t know…your worldview. For us, it’s with a Christian perspective. And it’s not something I have to consciously think about because it’s the way that I believe and the way that I view the world.
Syn: Would you consider yourself, then, as a band with a message?
RC: Yeah, absolutely. I think we definitely have something more positive to offer people who listen to our music. I think people are kinda used to a band talking about whatever, and just using it as an outlet for their anger — especially with metal — but we definitely claim to offer a solution.
Syn: Is the label “Christian metal” something you welcome as a group or are there times when you would you prefer to be just an uncategorized metal band?
RC: We don’t shy away from it. It’s one of those things that when we were younger and it was more important to be cool, we definitely tried to shy away, but as we got older and realized the reality of it… If that’s what people want to say and coin us as, then sure. It’s an easy thing to do to categorize a band as Christian, but we don’t balk at it. It’s to be expected, and if people wanna do that, it’s totally fine. It doesn’t bother us.
Syn: If you had to tell a newcomer one thing essential in understanding the music of Demon Hunter, what would it be?
RC: You have to listen to the full record to get the gist of what we do. It definitely has peaks and valleys. Diversity…it fulfills everything we want to do with the band.
Syn: Storm the Gates of Hell is your fourth full-length release. How do you feel it stacks up against your prior albums?
RC: I think everyone in the band would agree that it’s the best thing we’ve done yet. I think with the last record, The Triptych, that was the one that really felt like, “Okay, we’re here, we’ve arrived in the place that we wanted to get to.” Stylistically, lyrically, just what we are as a band, this record is even a step up from that.
Syn: Is there anything in particular that put you over the top, or was it just the culmination of years and years of experience?
RC: I think it’s just understanding where we fit, and understanding our role. [It’s] what our fans love about us, and what they’ve come to expect but also throwing in a few little tricks they might not expect. We don’t wanna switch it up entirely and throw everybody for a loop; we wanna give them what they love in Demon Hunter. But we also want to explore a little bit in some areas that people might not be familiar with. And I think that’s what’s satisfying is being able to give the people what they want, and at the same time be fulfilled by being a little creative in areas you haven’t before.
Syn: Yourself and brother Don have enjoyed success in designing and packaging album artwork. Don is up for a Grammy this year, as you had been the two years previously; talk about that side of your life.
RC: It’s a big part of what we do. Our daily lives are kind of consumed with designing. My brother and I have been doing it full time for about six or seven years. Obviously it’s just a total shock for us growing up in the hardcore scene, designing 7-inches one day and being nominated for a Grammy; that’s a crazy slap in the face.
Syn: Do you take a similar satisfaction from designing as you do from say, recording?
RC: It definitely has its differences, but I think we have the best of both worlds. We’re the people who have their cake and eat it too. Pretty much two dream jobs, for both of us, and there’s a share of stresses just because both are really intensive in terms of the time that’s needed to devote to each one. It can get overwhelming, but it’s pretty hard to complain. And it’s a different kind of thing to get recognized in the art world as it is the music world. In music you’re dealing with fans and people in general, and in design, for the most part, you’re almost recognized just amongst your peers. It’s not like a fanbase. It has a different vibe, and it makes me proud when the people who do what you’re doing — other designers that you respect — come to you and say that they appreciate your work. It’s a different thing than having fans in a band.
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