Ryan Clark (musician)

Ryan Curtis Clark^[2] (born June 23, 1979) is an American musician who also has performed under the stage name Maven.^[3] He is best known as the lead vocalist of the Christian metal band Demon Hunter, which he co-founded with his brother, guitarist Don Clark. He was also the frontman for Christian metalcore band Training for Utopia along with being one of the guitarists for Focal Point. He is featured on Zao's The Lesser Lights of Heaven DVD and Mark Salomon's Podcast, Never Was.^[1][4]

Ryan Clark
Clark in 2008
Background information
Birth name	Ryan Curtis Clark
Also known as	Maven
Born	(1979-06-23) June 23, 1979 (age 46) Woody, California, U.S.[1]
Genres	Christian metal metalcore alternative metal nu metal hardcore punk groove metal
Occupation(s)	Singer, musician, graphic designer
Instrument(s)	Vocals, guitar
Years active	1992–present

History

Before Demon Hunter, Clark was a former guitarist of the short-lived Sacramento/Elk Grove, California-based hardcore punk band Focal Point.^[5] Focal Point started in 1995 with the lineup of Clark, Robbie Imrisek (Vocals), Danny Dinh (Guitar), Kyle Brown (Bass), and Robert Torres (Drums). The band released a 7-inch via Life Sentence Records titled Neglected and a Studio album via Tooth and Nail Records.

Clark, then known as Maven, was the second vocalist for Training for Utopia.^[6] Don formed the band with the Rob Dennler (vocals), Steve Saxby (bass) and Morley Boyer (drums). Dennler left the band in 1996 and Clark joined the band. The band released an EP, a Split EP, and two studio albums.

He and his brother formed Demon Hunter in 2000 and released their debut album late the following year through Solid State Records. The group would continue to steadily gain exposure throughout the 2000s.

His grandfather, an artist, helped inspire his grandsons' work in graphic design, which is their true day job. Ryan and Don founded Seattle-based Asterik Studio^[7] with their friend Demetre Arges in 2000. The design studio has created CD packaging, poster art, web design, and/or merchandise design for hundreds of artists including Liz Phair, P.O.D., and The White Stripes; however, Clark also notes that he is not a fine artist and that such work is typically outsourced. Based on their design experience, Don and Ryan authored a chapter in the book New Masters of Photoshop, Volume 2 (ISBN 1590593154). In 2007, the brothers had announced that they were leaving Asterik to start Invisible Creature.^[8] Ryan Clark is also art director of Solid State Records and its parent Tooth & Nail Records.

He has twice been nominated for a Grammy Award for his design work on Norma Jean's O God, the Aftermath and Fair's album The Best Worst-Case Scenario.^[9]

He currently is working on three side projects. One such project is with former Project 86 guitarist Randy Torres called NYVES.^[10] using funding through Kickstarter.^[11][12][13] In an interview with Billy Power, Matt Johnson (formerly of Blenderhead, The Out Circuit), said that He, Ryan, Don, and Johnson's brother-in-law, Nathan Burke (formerly of Frodus, The Out Circuit) and at one point, Sean Ingram (Coalesce) formed another project which was titled, Deathbed Atheist.^[14] The final project is a band with Jason Martin and originally Steven Dail who later quit, of Starflyer 59 called Low & Behold which released their debut album, Uppers in 2015 via Northern Records.

Bands

Clark performing with Demon Hunter in 2014

Current

• Demon Hunter – vocals (2000–present), guitar (2000–2002)
• Low & Behold – vocals (2010–present)
• NYVES – vocals (2014–present)
• Deathbed Atheist – guitar (2000–present)

Former

• Focal Point – guitar (1995–1997)
• Training for Utopia – vocals, guitar (1996–2000)

Discography

Focal Point

• Neglected EP (1996)
• Suffering of the Masses (1996)

Training for Utopia

• The Falling Cycle EP (1997)
• Plastic Soul Impalement (1998)
• Training for Utopia / Zao (1998 w/ Zao)
• Throwing a Wrench into the American Music Machine (1999)
• Technical Difficulties (2004)

Demon Hunter

• Demon Hunter (2002)
• Summer of Darkness (2004)
• The Triptych (2005)
• Storm the Gates of Hell (2007)
• The World Is a Thorn (2010)
• True Defiance (2012)
• Extremist (2014)
• Outlive (2017)
• War (2019)
• Peace (2019)
• Songs of Death and Resurrection (2021)
• Exile (2022)
• There Was a Light Here (2025)

Low & Behold

• Blood Red (2011)
• Uppers (2015)

NYVES

• Anxiety (2015)
• Pressure (EP) (2016)

Guest appearances

As Maven

• Zao – Training for Utopia / Zao (1998) (guest vocals – "Skin Like Winter")

As Ryan Clark

• Kutless – Sea of Faces (2004) (guest vocals – "Let You In")
• Falling Up – Crashings (2004) (guest vocals – "Jackson 5")
• Anberlin – Never Take Friendship Personal (2005) (guest vocals – "Never Take Friendship Personal")
• Becoming the Archetype – Terminate Damnation (2005) (guest vocals – "Elegy: Deception/Lament/Triumph")
• Advent – Remove The Earth (2008) (guest vocals – "Hanging the Giants")
• Becoming the Archetype – Dichotomy (2008) (guest vocals – "Dichotomy (The Tower)")
• Trenches – The Tide Will Swallow Us Whole (2008) (guest vocals – "Calling")
• Sleeping Giant – Sons of Thunder (2009) (guest vocals – "Army of the Chosen One")
• Nine Lashes – World We View (2012) (guest vocals – "Our Darkest Day")
• Impending Doom – Baptized In Filth (2012) (guest vocals – "My Light Unseen")
• Living Sacrifice – Ghost Thief (2013) (guest vocals – "Screwtape")^[15]
• Monsterns – (2013) (guest vocals – "Monster Life")^[16][17]
• Shonlock – A Night to Remember (2014) (guest vocals – "Don't Play")^[18]
• Five Finger Death Punch – The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell Volume 1 & 2 Ultimate Collector's Box Set (2014) (guest vocals – "Weight Beneath My Sin" (alternate version))^[19][20]
• Sleeping Giant – I Am (2018) (guest vocals – "Fly. Fight. Crow.")
• The Out Circuit – Enter the Ghost (2018) (guest vocals – "Book of the Void")^[21]
• Set the Sun – In Absentia, Vol. 1 (2021) (guest vocals – "Invisible")
• Becoming the Archetype – Children of the Great Extinction (2022) (guest vocals – "The Ruins")
• HolyName – HolyName (2023) (guest vocals – "The Sect")
• Spoken - Reflection (2024) (guest vocals - "Sleeper")
• Set the Sun – Falling Apart (single) (2025) (guest vocals - "Falling Apart")

List of design works

Year	Artist	Album	Credit(s)
1999	Death by Stereo	If Looks Could Kill, I'd Watch You Die	Photography[22]
2001	Papa Roach	"Between Angels and Insects"	Photography[23]
2002	Ill Harmonics	Take Two	Photography[24]
	Pedro the Lion	Control	Layout, design, illustration[25]
2003	Saxon Shore	Four Months of Darkness	Artwork (design)[26]
2004	Throwdown	Together. Forever. United. (DVD)	Artwork[27]
2005	Mae	The Everglow	Illustration[28]
	Emery	The Question	Art direction, design[29]
2006	He Is Legend	Suck Out the Poison	Design[30]
	Dead Poetic	Vices	Design[31]
	Jeremy Camp	Beyond Measure	Design[32]
	Inhale Exhale	The Lost. The Sick. The Sacred.	Design[33]
2007	The Brothers Martin	The Brothers Martin	Design, illustration[34]
	Anberlin	Cities	Design[35]
	Haste the Day	Pressure the Hinges	Illustration, design[36]
	Joy Electric	The Otherly Opus	Design (sleeve)[37]
	The Chariot	The Fiancée	Design[38]
	Becoming the Archetype	The Physics of Fire	A&R, design[39]
	Neon Horse	Neon Horse	Design[40]
	Sullivan	Cover Your Eyes	Design[41]
	August Burns Red	Messengers	Design[42]
	MxPx	Secret Weapon	Design[43]
	Throwdown	Venom & Tears	Design[44]
	Cry of the Afflicted	The Unveiling	Design[45]
	Thousand Foot Krutch	The Flame in All of Us	Design[46]
	Emery	I'm Only a Man	Design[47]
	Oh, Sleeper	When I Am God	Design[48]
	The Agony Scene	Get Damned	Illustration, design[49]
	Demon Hunter	Storm the Gates of Hell	Design[50]
	Anberlin	Lost Songs	Design[51]
	Dead Poetic	The Finest (Compilation)	Design[52]
2008	Number One Gun	The North Pole Project	Design[53]
	Secret and Whisper	Great White Whale	Design[54]
	The Presidents of the United States of America	These Are the Good Times People	Layout, design[55]
	Chris Taylor	Take Me Anywhere	Design[56]
	Run Kid Run	Love at the Core	Artwork[57]
	Showbread	Nervosa	Design[58]
	Joy Electric	My Grandfather, The Cubist	Design[59]
	Bon Voyage	Lies	Design[60]
	Capital Lights	This Is an Outrage!	Design[61]
	Sever Your Ties	Safety In The Sea	Design[62]
	The Showdown	Back Breaker	Design[63]
	Underoath	Lost in the Sound of Separation	Design concept (deluxe edition)[64]
	Trenches	The Tide Will Swallow Us Whole	Design[65]
	The Becoming	Vol. 1	Design[66]
	Copeland	You Are My Sunshine	Design[67]
	Haste the Day	Dreamer	Illustration, design[68]
	Theocracy	Mirror of Souls	Artwork[69]
	Becoming the Archetype	Dichotomy	A&R, design[70]
	Jeremy Camp	Speaking Louder Than Before	Design[71]
2009	Joy Electric	Early Cubism (EP)	Art direction[72]
	And Then There Were None	Who Speaks for Planet Earth?	Design[73]
	Falling Up	Fangs!	Illustration, design[74]
	Pomegranates	Everybody Come Outside	Design[75]
	The Chariot	Wars and Rumors of Wars	Design[76]
	The Crucified	The Complete Collection	Design[77]
	August Burns Red	Constellations	Design, illustration[78]
	DevilDriver	Pray for Villains	Design, illustration[79]
	Neon Horse	Haunted Horse: Songs of Love, Defiance, and Delusion	Design, illustration[80]
	Advent	Naked and Cold	Design[81]
	Boys Like Girls	Love Drunk	Design[82]
	Thousand Foot Krutch	Welcome to the Masquerade	Art direction, design[83]
	Hawk Nelson	Live Life Loud	Design[84]
	Inhale Exhale	Bury Me Alive	Design, illustration[85]
	Wolfmother	Cosmic Egg	Design[86]
	Joy Electric	Favorites at Play	Design[87]
	The Crucified	The Pillars of Humanity	Design, illustration (reissue)[88]
2010	Living Sacrifice	The Infinite Order	Layout[89]
	Fair	Disappearing World	Design[90]
	Wolfmother	"White Feather"	Design[91]
	Black Breath	Heavy Breathing	Layout (consultation)[92]
	Secret and Whisper	Teenage Fantasy	Design[93]
	Bleeding Through	Bleeding Through	Art direction, illustration, design[94]
	Sent by Ravens	Our Graceful Words	Design[95]
	Write This Down	Write This Down	Design[96]
	The Letter Black	Hanging On by a Thread	Design[97]
	Since October	Life, Scars, Apologies	Art direction, design[98]
	Coliseum	House with a Curse	Cover (photo manipulation)[99]
	Starflyer 59	The Changing of the Guard	Design[100]
	The Showdown	Blood in the Gears	Design[101]
	August Burns Red	Home	Illustration, design[102]
	Bebo Norman	Ocean	Art direction, design[103]
	Monster Magnet	Mastermind	Illustration, design[104]
	Haste the Day	Concerning the Way It Was (Compilation)	Art direction, design[105]
	As They Sleep	Dynasty	Design[106]
2011	I Am Empire	Kings	Design[107]
	Hawk Nelson	Crazy Love	Design[108]
	DevilDriver	Beast	Design[109]
	Becoming the Archetype	Celestial Completion	Design[110]
	Emery	We Do What We Want	Design[111]
	FM Static	My Brain Says Stop, But My Heart Says Go!	Design[112]
	Atmosphere	The Family Sign	Art direction, design[113]
	Hyland	Weights & Measures	Design[114]
	Sleeping with Sirens	Let's Cheers to This	Design[115]
	The Chariot	Before There Was	Design[116]
	Thousand Foot Krutch	Live at the Masquerade	Art direction, design[117]
	August Burns Red	Leveler	Design[118]
	Grieves	Together/Apart	Art direction, illustration, design[119]
	Queensrÿche	Dedicated to Chaos	Design[120]
	Earth Crisis	Neutralize the Threat	Design[121]
	Every Avenue	Bad Habits	Design[122]
	Icon for Hire	Scripted	Design[123]
	Low & Behold	"Blood Red"	Design[124]
2012	Blessed by a Broken Heart	Feel the Power	Design[125]
	Nine Lashes	World We View	Design[126]
	Demon Hunter	True Defiance	Design[127]
	The Letter Black	Hanging On By a Remix	Design[128]
	To Speak of Wolves	Find Your Worth, Come Home	Design[129]
	Write This Down	Lost Weekend	Design[130]
	The Overseer	We Search, We Dig	Design[131]
	P.O.D.	Murdered Love	Design, illustration[132]
	Abandoned Pools	Sublime Currency	Design[133]
	The Amity Affliction	Chasing Ghosts	Design[134]
	Poema	Remembering You	Design[135]
	August Burns Red	Sleddin' Hill, A Holiday Album	Design[136]
	Matt & Toby	Matt & Toby	Design[137]
	Hyland	Finding Our Way	Artwork[138]
	Bebo Norman	Lights of Distant Cities	Design[139]
	Underoath	Anthology: 1999–2013	Art direction, design[140]
2013	Starflyer 59	IAMACEO	Artwork[141]
	Fit for a King	Creation/Destruction	Design[142]
	I Am Empire	Anchors	Design[143]
	All Things New	All Things New	Art direction, design[144]
	Alice in Chains	The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here	Art direction, design[145]
	Sleeping with Sirens	Feel	Art direction, design[146]
	August Burns Red	Rescue & Restore	Design, illustration[147]
	My Heart to Fear	Algorithm	Design[148]
	Rosetta	The Anaesthete	Design (band logo[149]
	DevilDriver	Winter Kills	Design[150]
	Tonight Alive	The Other Side	Design[151]
	Monster Magnet	Last Patrol	Design[152]
	Living Sacrifice	Ghost Thief	Design[153]
	Fit for a King	Descendants (Redux)	Design[154]
2014	Throwdown	Intolerance	Design, illustration[155]
	Of Mice & Men	Restoring Force	Design, photography[156]
	Demon Hunter	Extremist	Art direction, design, photography[157]
	Memphis May Fire	Unconditional	Photography, design[158]
	Killer Be Killed	Killer Be Killed	Art direction, design[159]
	Cush	SP3	Design[160]
	Tedashii	Below Paradise	Design[161]
	The Atlas Moth	The Old Believer	Design[162]
	Anberlin	Lowborn	Artwork (Fig. 2: In Summation)[163]
	Wovenwar	Wovenwar	Art direction, design[164]
	Trip Lee	Rise	Design[165]
	Monster Magnet	Milking the Stars: A Re-Imagining of Last Patrol	Design[166]
	White Lighter	White Lighter	Artwork[167]
2015	Sleeping with Sirens	Madness	Design[168]
	NYVES	Anxiety	Art direction, design[169]
	Coal Chamber	Rivals	Design[170]
	August Burns Red	Found in Far Away Places	Art direction, design[171]
	Saint Asonia	Saint Asonia	Art direction, design
	Bullet for My Valentine	Venom	Art direction, design[172]
	Jeremy Camp	3CD Collection	Design (CDs 1 and 2)[173]
	Low & Behold	Uppers	Art direction, design[174]
2016	Starflyer 59	Slow	Artwork[175]
	Wovenwar	Honor Is Dead	Art direction, design[176]
	David Bazan	Christmas Bonus (EP)	Design[177]
2017	Aaron Sprinkle	Real Life	Design[178]
	Demon Hunter	Outlive	Design[179]
	Stone Sour	Hydrograd	Design[180]
	Lo Tom	Lo Tom	Design[181]
	Starflyer 59	"Terror"	Artwork[182]
	August Burns Red	Phantom Anthem	Art direction, design[183]
2018	Evidence	Weather or Not	Art direction, design[184]
	IAMX	Alive In New Light	Art direction, design[185]
	Stone Sour	Hydrograd Acoustic Sessions (EP)	Art direction, design[186]
	Alice in Chains	Rainier Fog	Art direction, design[187]
	Manafest	Stones Reloaded	Art direction, design, photography[188]
	Billy Idol	Vital Idol: Revitalized	Design[189]
2019	August Burns Red	Phantom Sessions (EP)	Design (package design)[190]
	Death Therapy	Voices	Artwork, design, layout[191]
	Starflyer 59	Young in My Head	Art direction, design[192]
	Wolves at the Gate	Eclipse	Art direction, design[193]
	Starflyer 59	Gold	Design (revisualizing)[194]
2020	IAMX	Echo Echo	Art direction, design[195]
	Anchor & Braille	Tension	Art direction, design[196]
	Lightworker	Fury by Failure	Art direction, design[197]
	Starflyer 59	Miami (EP)	Artwork[198]
	Lo Tom	LP2	Design[199]
	Slick Shoes	Rotation & Frequency	Design[200]
	Acceptance	Wild, Free	Art direction, design[201]
	Sevendust	Blood & Stone	Art direction, design[202]
2021	Demon Hunter	Songs of Death and Resurrection	Art direction, design[203]
	August Burns Red	Leveler: 10th Anniversary Edition	Design[204]
	Alice in Chains	Facelift	Art direction, design (30th Anniversary reissue)[205]
	Jerry Cantrell	Brighten	Art direction, illustration, design[206]
2022	Wolves at the Gate	Eulogies	Art direction, design[207]
	Demon Hunter	Exile	Art direction, design concept, artwork[208]
2023	Elegant Weapons	Horns for a Halo	Artwork (additional)[209]
	Jerry Cantrell	Degradation Trip Volumes 1 & 2	Art direction, design (repackaging)[210]
	Sevendust	Truth Killer	Art direction, design[211]
2024	P.O.D.	Veritas	Artwork