Inside Music Podcast #149: Demon Hunter (Ryan Clark)

Inside Music Podcast presented by Haulix

Demon Hunter frontman Ryan Clark discusses music, art, and maintaining fan engagement without exhausting yourself on our latest podcast.

The number of metal bands who existed at the dawn of the millennium that continue to succeed today is smaller with each passing year. Blame it on changing trends or evolving tastes, it seems maintaining a career in the heavier career of music is a tricky proposition that only a select few ever achieve. Demon Hunter is one of the lucky ones, and today we’re going to talk about how they survived while others fell to the wayside.

Long before Patreon became the most popular way to support artists on a monthly basis, Demon Hunter was running a digital fan club. That service is still in existence today, and as Vocalist Ryan Clark explains during our latest podcast, it has played a significant role in keeping the band relevant. Demon Hunter does not tour as often as many of their peers, nor do they release new music on the standard 12-18 month album cycle. The band does what they want, when they want, and their fans support them every step of the way. 

Inside Music has always focused on the business of music and how it impacts the lives of those who commit to making a career in it, but this episode feels special. Clark and his bandmates in Demon Hunter have found a way to break from the norm while maintaining a large following that has backed the group for nearly two decades. He doesn’t reveal all the secrets to that success during our chat, but he offers enough to help others struggling to build a community out of their following get further ahead. Check it out:

Prefer video? We’ve got you covered:

Demon Hunter will release two new albums, War and Peace, this March through Solid State Records. You can stream the group’s latest material below:

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James Shotwell