Interview by Geno McGahee
Disturbing and dark, BLEEDING RAVEN is a band that is turning heads and gaining a good following with their approach to music. Dean Mason of BLEEDING RAVEN sat down with Scared Stiff to talk about the band, the music and much, much more…
GM: Can you introduce yourself to the public? How would you describe your project, your style, your message?
Hello. I’m Dean Mason of “Bleeding Raven”. Bleeding Raven is an aggrotech/industrial type project. The ‘style’ is more or less dark, haunting, abrasive, creepy with bat sprinkles on top. (Laughs) Message? Well…the new album (the only album actually) is called Darkness Consumed. It’s about eating a lot of dark chocolate. (Laughs) No but…most of the album is about questions related to religion and the big questions but also injustice and deception. To be more precise, “Pontiff’s Nightmare” is actually about St. Francis. The Pope at the time had a dream about Francis, who lived a very austere and radical life of detachment…that Francis would somehow save the day the day so to speak. The song uses all sorts of hidden imagery but it’s about this humble man who was the real deal. “Salem Vigil” is about the famous ‘witch hunt’ but the song alludes to the fact that many modern day Christians are going back to this sort of hatred filled existence…persecuting people for being different. So, there’s some examples any way of what the album is about. It’s not a ‘concept’ album though.
GM: What got you into music?
My dad is a musician. At a very young age, even before I was born he was in band. But later, as a teenager, it was more or less Gary Numan that was my first inspiration to think of doing music.
GM: What musicians/bands were your inspirations?
As I alluded to in the previous question, Gary Numan was the first to be an inspiration. I was a huge Numan fan. I mean, before I discovered Numan, I was into KISS but Numan is the artist that had the most impact on me as a kid. But later in life and as far as what inspires or better yet, influences my own approach to music, I’d mention Type O Nagative, Ministry, Japan, Smashing Pumpkins, Korn, Manson, Skinny Puppy, Sabbath and Ozzy as a solo artist, and in more recent times…Fear Incorporated, Zardonic, CRIX IIIX, and Global Citizen are artists that I admire. Also, I mention Ade Fenton because he is in many ways the brains behind a lot of Numan’s more recent albums (since 2007 I think) and he is an amazing producer. Finally, The Doors will always be the most important band ever for me. The Doors and Numan are tops.
GM: Talk about your latest album. What should the public expect?
As I said, “Darkness Consumed” is my so called debut album. (released on Cleopatra Records) I think the album has some pretty dark moods in it and it’s almost like something you’d hear in a thriller soundtrack or something. It’s in some ways disturbing and creepy, as even some of my own friends have said, but that’s the idea. Do we really need another pop song? (Laughs)
GM: What has been the best experience you’ve had being in the business?
Well, meeting (virtually speaking as it is in cyberspace) neat people (Like William Westwater of Fear Incorporated and CRIX IIIX) in the business. I think getting that first offer by Cleopatra Records was a major highlight. I truly didn’t expect that, because when I first started off in 2012 (I’m talking about other projects like Gnostic Gorilla) I was just doing it as a hobby. I sent out emails to record companies, and Cleopatra made an offer to re-release one of my albums as “Gnostic Gorilla”. Other labels released some of my Gnostic Gorilla material as well. And Cleopatra released this new album with Bleeding Raven. So…that’s all cool.
GM: What has been the worst experience you’ve had?
The worse experience now would be losing the hearing in my left ear COMPLETELY…not just diminished hearing but total loss in October is by far the worst thing to happen to me. The right ear is only at half capacity. I don’t hear well at all. I can’t do music anymore. So, Darkness Consumed is my first and my last. Cleopatra will be releasing another Gnostic Gorilla album in 2020, but that’s already in the vault since 2017. Sad actually. But it’s life.
GM: With the changing mediums in the distribution of music, how difficult is it to make a living in the business?
What can you do? It’s more or less difficult for a new band/artist to make a living today with streaming and so on. I mean, it’s just the way it is. Now, Justin Bieber or Metallica or Ozzy Osbourne can make a lot more, even from streaming and digital music in general but someone like me and even bands who are better known than me are not making a living off of the revenue from digital sales. It’s not the way it used to be and never again will be.
GM: Any final thoughts?
Final thoughts? Let’s all hope that 2020 is a game changer in a positive way because right now, this planet is not heading in a good direction. Let’s fucking wake up and stop with the goddamned hatred and outright corruption and deception and mostly…MOSTLY…the abuse of the little guy/gal…that needs to stop. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer and the middle class is joining the last group there. Too much power and wealth in the hands of so very few. WTF?! We are going backwards with regards basic human rights. It’s NOT THE PLAN! Oh and…Feliz Navidad. (Laughs)
https://bleedingraven.bandcamp.com/album/darkness-consumed-2
