I have always had an intense passion for music and connected with it on a deeply spiritual and emotional level for as long as I can remember. The minute I discovered heavy metal I knew this was the music that spoke to my soul and I knew I wanted to create my own version of it. It took many years for that to finally happen, but after hearing of other artists like Burzum and Panopticon who wrote and played everything themselves I realized it was possible and so I taught myself drums and vocals and went for it.
2. Recentlly you have released a new album, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
I try to never make the same album twice. My sound is rooted in death metal and black metal but I have tried to experiment with different sounds and styles within each album to expand my range further and further. I think I took all of those different elements from before and added in more melody and atmosphere to suit the tone and feel of the album.
3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you have explored over the years with your music?
When I first started writing music for Dehumanized Deity it was more horror-based storytelling and dealing with the darkness of human nature and the inevitable corruption and collapse of civilized society. I realized with my third album “Cemetery Souls” that expressing the darkness within myself and writing about the tragedies and pain of real life was something much better suited to what I was trying to accomplish with my music. My lyrics are all very personal now, based on life experiences and my interpretation of what life truly is.
4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Dehumanized Deity'?
When I had first started writing songs for this project a friend and I were tossing around names trying to come up with something that sounded good and worked with what I wanted to represent. He just threw the name “Dehumanized Deity” out there and I instantly loved it. I feel it represents the power and potential of my true self being held back or constrained by the pressures and daily methodical routines of our existence. We are gods in waiting who are being treated as less than we are by the world and it is destroying our inner strength and abilities little by little.
5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on he new album cover?
Aside from my band logo, which was designed by an artist, the entire album cover was put together from scratch by myself and my fiancé Brittni Waugh. We actually took a midnight stroll down to the local graveyard and I took pictures of headstones I thought looked interesting. The swing set behind them is from a park that is very close to my house. The cover is a representation of the main driving theme behind this album, that everything has a beginning and an end. The faster we adjust to those cycles and to great changes in our lives and learn to make the best of every new situation, the easier life will be to accept and understand. The swing set is our childhood and the headstones are our death. The cycle of life and death is closer to us than we realize.
6.With this project you record everything by yourself, are you open to working with other musicians or do you prefer to work solo?
Honestly I prefer to work solo. It is much easier for me. I can work according to my own time schedule, I can flesh out any ideas that I want without any pushback, I get to plan and execute the concept from beginning to end and create art that is 100% my vision and take it wherever I feel like taking it. People can be unreliable and difficult to work with. I work long hours on music and I would demand at least that much from anyone else. I think Dehumanized Deity will always remain a solo project.
7.The new album was released on 'DarkNorth Records', can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
DarkNorth Records was formed and founded by me and my fiancé. I wanted to help build a community of passionate and talented artists and give them some extra promotion and exposure and use my contacts and experience to help them in any way I can. We have 8 bands (including mine) on the roster currently and a few more under review as possible members. Brittni handles the majority of the record label business and she is very good at it. I chip in as much as I can but I am also very focused on growing my project into something great and that takes up a lot of my time and energy.
8.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black and death metal?
It has been extremely positive for the most part, and I am very grateful for all the support I get from the underground metal community. I really truly appreciate it more than I can possibly say. There are people who think it’s complete shit because it sounds like it was recorded in a bedroom (it WAS by the
8.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black and death metal?
It has been extremely positive for the most part, and I am very grateful for all the support I get from the underground metal community. I really truly appreciate it more than I can possibly say. There are people who think it’s complete shit because it sounds like it was recorded in a bedroom (it WAS by the way) but that’s ok. I welcome any and all feedback positive or negative. I am just glad people take the time to listen. As long as I am satisfied with the music I put out then that is absolutely all that matters to me.
9.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician in the future?
It is my goal and my life’s mission as a musician to release music that is truly GREAT. When all this is over I want to be remembered as an artist who made great albums and pushed the boundaries of music and built something entirely unique. I want to be a gamechanger , I want to write music that is one day viewed as essential and influential. I have said this since day one and it is a big part of what drives me forward. I believe I have the potential to accomplish great things and I plan to do just that.
10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are yuo listening to nowadays?
Anything across the spectrum of metal from Judas Priest and Black Sabbath to Slayer and Pantera as well as bands like Dismember, Death, Opeth, Dissection, Mastodon, Agalloch, Enslaved, Celtic Frost and Triptykon, Bathory, At the Gates, Decapitated, Burzum, Darkthrone, Baroness...the list goes on and on. Lately I have been really digging deeper into modern doom like Yob and Pallbearer, some of the modern progressive death metal like Rivers of Nihil’s latest record, Beyond Creation, Allegaeon, stuff like that. I absolutely loved Anaal Nathrakh’s album “The Whole of the Law”, it’s so evil and miserable and depraved. And Agalloch is a constant source of inspiration to me, they have been in constant rotation in my CD player for years now.
11.What are some of your non musical interests?
I’m a big fan of hockey, and a big fan of greasy food and kicking back with a cold beer at the end of the day. And I would also list sex as one of my main hobbies and interests. It’s a great form of exercise and dramatically improves mental and emotional health. Can’t say enough good things about it.
12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Just want to thank you for the review and for this interview and a chance to put my music out there to be enjoyed, hopefully. And I will say that writing this album opened up the doors of creativity for me. I am already writing new music and will try not to have any more two year waits for new releases. Thanks again!
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