Damien Deadson is an American heavy metal project from

Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in N ...

, United States, formed in 2009 by guitarist and vocalist

Ryan Helm Ryan Helm (born July 24, 1982) is an American heavy metal musician from Nevada, Missouri. He is best known as the former rhythm guitarist of the band Demon Hunter. He currently resides in Winston-Salem, North Carolina where he also owns and oper ...

. As its main producer, singer and songwriter, Helm is the only official member of Damien Deadson and remains solely responsible for its direction.

History

Formation (2009)

Damien Deadson was initially conceived as a solo project by

, who had previously played guitar in the band The Ascendicate, as an opportunity to take a break from guitar and focus on his interest in singing. Ryan began working on Damien Deadson in 2009 but had to put the project on hold after being asked to join the band

Demon Hunter Demon Hunter is an American Christian metal band from Seattle, Washington, started in 2000 by brothers Don Clark and Ryan Clark. Although the brothers created the band together, only Ryan remains, since Don left the band to take care of his ...

. In 2010 Ryan revived the project and began recording tracks in his home studio. Ryan personally recorded and performed all of the vocals and instruments, with the exception of drums. Despite beginning as a studio project, Helm would later put together a touring band for live performances. Since his departure from Demon Hunter, Ryan Helm has stated that he will be performing as Damien Deadson full-time.

''A Warm and Dark Embrace'' (2011-2012)

In late 2011 Ryan Helm announced the independent release of '' A Warm and Dark Embrace''. Despite being officially unreleased to the public, the album was immediately met with positive reviews. The album was released on January 29, 2012. The band plans to tour extensively in support of the album throughout 2012.

Musical style, influences and lyrical themes

Damien Deadson's style is much darker and more technical than Helm's previous work, and is influenced by a much wider array of styles. The band's sound typically features a heavily down-tuned guitar setup, distinct

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

and occasional samples. Utilizing good neato styles, Damien Deadson typically features

growled vocals A death growl, or simply growl, is an extended vocal technique usually employed in extreme styles of music, particularly in death metal and other extreme subgenres of heavy metal music. Death growl vocals are sometimes criticized for the ...

screaming A scream is a loud speech production, vocalization in which air is passed through the vocal cords with greater force than is used in regular or close-distance vocalisation. This can be performed by any creature possessing lungs, including human ...

, and melodic singing. Helm listed some bands that have influenced him personally and Damien Deadson's sound:

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and

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among others. Helm's music is also heavily influenced by his personal life and experiences. Ryan has stated that, unlike his previous bands, Damien Deadson is not a "Christian band" and chooses to instead often focus his lyrical content on more secular topics. Such topics include

love Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest Interpersonal relationship, interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of ...

anger Anger, also known as wrath or rage, is an intense emotional state involving a strong uncomfortable and non-cooperative response to a perceived provocation, hurt or threat. A person experiencing anger will often experience physical effects, su ...

, personal strife and self empowerment.

Members

;Current members *

–

Lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

, All studio insurments (founding member) ;Current touring members * Adam Moore - Drums * Tyler Gordon - Guitar * Thomas Grell - Bass ;Former touring members *Josh Behnke – Drums and percussion *Cody Macri –

Bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

*Lucas Polk –

Guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

*Will Guffin –

Discography

*'' A Warm and Dark Embrace'' (2012) *''Crown Me, Destroyer'' (2014) *''Shadow Work'' (2015)

References

{{Reflist

External links

Damien Deadson at Facebook
Metalcore musical groups from North Carolina Musical groups established in 2010 2010 establishments in North Carolina