One of the leading forces in Christian metal is Demon Hunter, a band as driven by it’s love for volume as by its higher calling. You’ll see what we mean on Thursday when we debut the new Demon Hunter video for “Fading Away.” The song comes from the group’s upcoming album, Storm the Gates of Hell, which comes out November 6. In addition to conjuring unearthly sounds up his larynx, frontman Ryan Clark spends lots of time creating wild art work for some pretty big metal bands. And now he’s gonna tell you all about it:
Some of you may not know what I do on a daily basis, and some of you may assume that I spend most of my time on a tour bus driving around the country, rocking faces off every night. Although I do spend some time every year doing just that, truth be told, most of my days are spent behind a desk, designing album artwork, posters and more for a lot of bands that you may have heard of.
I’ve designed album art for bands like Throwdown, Norma Jean, He Is Legend, The Chariot, Funeral For A Friend, Haste The Day, Zao, August Burns Red, The Agony Scene, 36 Crazyfists, and many, many more. To be totally honest, aside from being in a band, it’s the best job anyone could dream of… And I get to do both, which is phenomenal to me and I’m thankful every day for it.
I’ve been drawing ever since I was a little kid, every second I had the chance. I got in trouble a lot for doodling in class when I was supposed to be doing class work. Kids in class used to ask if I would draw their faces, and I must’ve drawn all of them at one point. I went through a big Bart Simpson phase in 5th grade. And a Calvin & Hobbes phase before that. I learned to mimic other artists before finding my own style, and that really helped me learn how to control my pen or pencil.
In high school, I got heavy into graffiti. I did murals in about a dozen of my classmates’ bedrooms and the occasional freeway sign or train car (kids, don’t try this at home), and that scene opened me up to a whole world of new ideas and styles. Through graffiti, I learned a lot about typography, something I wouldn’t realize until some years later.
About seven years ago, after working some dead end jobs that I didn’t like and had nothing to do with what I was passionate about, I got a break. There was a design position open at Tooth & Nail/Solid State Records, and I had become friends with the art director who was there at the time. Not to mention, I had some history with the label since I had been in two bands signed to Solid State before starting Demon Hunter, [Focal Point and Training for Utopia].
After a couple weeks of interning, in which I essentially taught myself how to use all the design programs, I was offered the job. I had never done much art on a computer, so it was all new to me, but I was determined to try my hardest and really excel.
Today I’m the art director for the label and I also work for a design company called Invisible Creature, which I started with my brother, (and bandmate) Don. We’ve been so blessed in the last few years, I can barely believe it. We’ve worked with some of our favorite bands and I’ve had the opportunity to create some artwork that I’m really proud of. If you want to see some of the work that my brother and I have done, you can visit www.invisiblecreature.com.
So, if you’re ever curious about why Demon Hunter isn’t in your town every couple of months, there’s your answer. But rest assured, we’ll be there. Patience…
Until Thursday, watch Demon Hunter’s “One Thousand Apologies”:
