# Ryan Clark (musician)

Ryan Curtis Clark (born June 23, 1979) is an American musician who also has performed under the stage name Maven. 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.

## History

Before Demon Hunter, Clark was a former guitarist of the short-lived Sacramento/Elk Grove, California-based hardcore punk band Focal Point. 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. 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 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. 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.
He currently is working on three side projects. One such project is with former Project 86 guitarist Randy Torres called NYVES. using funding through Kickstarter. 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. 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

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)
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")
* Monsterns – (2013) (guest vocals – "Monster Life")
* Shonlock – A Night to Remember (2014) (guest vocals – "Don't Play")
* 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))
* Sleeping Giant – I Am (2018) (guest vocals – "Fly. Fight. Crow.")
* The Out Circuit – Enter the Ghost (2018) (guest vocals – "Book of the Void")
* 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 |
| 2001 | Papa Roach | "Between Angels and Insects" | Photography |
| 2002 | Ill Harmonics | Take Two | Photography |
| 2002 | Pedro the Lion | Control | Layout, design, illustration |
| 2003 | Saxon Shore | Four Months of Darkness | Artwork (design) |
| 2004 | Throwdown | Together. Forever. United. (DVD) | Artwork |
| 2005 | Mae | The Everglow | Illustration |
| 2005 | Emery | The Question | Art direction, design |
| 2006 | He Is Legend | Suck Out the Poison | Design |
| 2006 | Dead Poetic | Vices | Design |
| 2006 | Jeremy Camp | Beyond Measure | Design |
| 2006 | Inhale Exhale | The Lost. The Sick. The Sacred. | Design |
| 2007 | The Brothers Martin | The Brothers Martin | Design, illustration |
| 2007 | Anberlin | Cities | Design |
| 2007 | Haste the Day | Pressure the Hinges | Illustration, design |
| 2007 | Joy Electric | The Otherly Opus | Design (sleeve) |
| 2007 | The Chariot | The Fiancée | Design |
| 2007 | Becoming the Archetype | The Physics of Fire | A&R, design |
| 2007 | Neon Horse | Neon Horse | Design |
| 2007 | Sullivan | Cover Your Eyes | Design |
| 2007 | August Burns Red | Messengers | Design |
| 2007 | MxPx | Secret Weapon | Design |
| 2007 | Throwdown | Venom & Tears | Design |
| 2007 | Cry of the Afflicted | The Unveiling | Design |
| 2007 | Thousand Foot Krutch | The Flame in All of Us | Design |
| 2007 | Emery | I'm Only a Man | Design |
| 2007 | Oh, Sleeper | When I Am God | Design |
| 2007 | The Agony Scene | Get Damned | Illustration, design |
| 2007 | Demon Hunter | Storm the Gates of Hell | Design |
| 2007 | Anberlin | Lost Songs | Design |
| 2007 | Dead Poetic | The Finest (Compilation) | Design |
| 2008 | Number One Gun | The North Pole Project | Design |
| 2008 | Secret and Whisper | Great White Whale | Design |
| 2008 | The Presidents of the United States of America | These Are the Good Times People | Layout, design |
| 2008 | Chris Taylor | Take Me Anywhere | Design |
| 2008 | Run Kid Run | Love at the Core | Artwork |
| 2008 | Showbread | Nervosa | Design |
| 2008 | Joy Electric | My Grandfather, The Cubist | Design |
| 2008 | Bon Voyage | Lies | Design |
| 2008 | Capital Lights | This Is an Outrage! | Design |
| 2008 | Sever Your Ties | Safety In The Sea | Design |
| 2008 | The Showdown | Back Breaker | Design |
| 2008 | Underoath | Lost in the Sound of Separation | Design concept (deluxe edition) |
| 2008 | Trenches | The Tide Will Swallow Us Whole | Design |
| 2008 | The Becoming | Vol. 1 | Design |
| 2008 | Copeland | You Are My Sunshine | Design |
| 2008 | Haste the Day | Dreamer | Illustration, design |
| 2008 | Theocracy | Mirror of Souls | Artwork |
| 2008 | Becoming the Archetype | Dichotomy | A&R, design |
| 2008 | Jeremy Camp | Speaking Louder Than Before | Design |
| 2009 | Joy Electric | Early Cubism (EP) | Art direction |
| 2009 | And Then There Were None | Who Speaks for Planet Earth? | Design |
| 2009 | Falling Up | Fangs! | Illustration, design |
| 2009 | Pomegranates | Everybody Come Outside | Design |
| 2009 | The Chariot | Wars and Rumors of Wars | Design |
| 2009 | The Crucified | The Complete Collection | Design |
| 2009 | August Burns Red | Constellations | Design, illustration |
| 2009 | DevilDriver | Pray for Villains | Design, illustration |
| 2009 | Neon Horse | Haunted Horse: Songs of Love, Defiance, and Delusion | Design, illustration |
| 2009 | Advent | Naked and Cold | Design |
| 2009 | Boys Like Girls | Love Drunk | Design |
| 2009 | Thousand Foot Krutch | Welcome to the Masquerade | Art direction, design |
| 2009 | Hawk Nelson | Live Life Loud | Design |
| 2009 | Inhale Exhale | Bury Me Alive | Design, illustration |
| 2009 | Wolfmother | Cosmic Egg | Design |
| 2009 | Joy Electric | Favorites at Play | Design |
| 2009 | The Crucified | The Pillars of Humanity | Design, illustration (reissue) |
| 2010 | Living Sacrifice | The Infinite Order | Layout |
| 2010 | Fair | Disappearing World | Design |
| 2010 | Wolfmother | "White Feather" | Design |
| 2010 | Black Breath | Heavy Breathing | Layout (consultation) |
| 2010 | Secret and Whisper | Teenage Fantasy | Design |
| 2010 | Bleeding Through | Bleeding Through | Art direction, illustration, design |
| 2010 | Sent by Ravens | Our Graceful Words | Design |
| 2010 | Write This Down | Write This Down | Design |
| 2010 | The Letter Black | Hanging On by a Thread | Design |
| 2010 | Since October | Life, Scars, Apologies | Art direction, design |
| 2010 | Coliseum | House with a Curse | Cover (photo manipulation) |
| 2010 | Starflyer 59 | The Changing of the Guard | Design |
| 2010 | The Showdown | Blood in the Gears | Design |
| 2010 | August Burns Red | Home | Illustration, design |
| 2010 | Bebo Norman | Ocean | Art direction, design |
| 2010 | Monster Magnet | Mastermind | Illustration, design |
| 2010 | Haste the Day | Concerning the Way It Was (Compilation) | Art direction, design |
| 2010 | As They Sleep | Dynasty | Design |
| 2011 | I Am Empire | Kings | Design |
| 2011 | Hawk Nelson | Crazy Love | Design |
| 2011 | DevilDriver | Beast | Design |
| 2011 | Becoming the Archetype | Celestial Completion | Design |
| 2011 | Emery | We Do What We Want | Design |
| 2011 | FM Static | My Brain Says Stop, But My Heart Says Go! | Design |
| 2011 | Atmosphere | The Family Sign | Art direction, design |
| 2011 | Hyland | Weights & Measures | Design |
| 2011 | Sleeping with Sirens | Let's Cheers to This | Design |
| 2011 | The Chariot | Before There Was | Design |
| 2011 | Thousand Foot Krutch | Live at the Masquerade | Art direction, design |
| 2011 | August Burns Red | Leveler | Design |
| 2011 | Grieves | Together/Apart | Art direction, illustration, design |
| 2011 | Queensrÿche | Dedicated to Chaos | Design |
| 2011 | Earth Crisis | Neutralize the Threat | Design |
| 2011 | Every Avenue | Bad Habits | Design |
| 2011 | Icon for Hire | Scripted | Design |
| 2011 | Low & Behold | "Blood Red" | Design |
| 2012 | Blessed by a Broken Heart | Feel the Power | Design |
| 2012 | Nine Lashes | World We View | Design |
| 2012 | Demon Hunter | True Defiance | Design |
| 2012 | The Letter Black | Hanging On By a Remix | Design |
| 2012 | To Speak of Wolves | Find Your Worth, Come Home | Design |
| 2012 | Write This Down | Lost Weekend | Design |
| 2012 | The Overseer | We Search, We Dig | Design |
| 2012 | P.O.D. | Murdered Love | Design, illustration |
| 2012 | Abandoned Pools | Sublime Currency | Design |
| 2012 | The Amity Affliction | Chasing Ghosts | Design |
| 2012 | Poema | Remembering You | Design |
| 2012 | August Burns Red | Sleddin' Hill, A Holiday Album | Design |
| 2012 | Matt & Toby | Matt & Toby | Design |
| 2012 | Hyland | Finding Our Way | Artwork |
| 2012 | Bebo Norman | Lights of Distant Cities | Design |
| 2012 | Underoath | Anthology: 1999–2013 | Art direction, design |
| 2013 | Starflyer 59 | IAMACEO | Artwork |
| 2013 | Fit for a King | Creation/Destruction | Design |
| 2013 | I Am Empire | Anchors | Design |
| 2013 | All Things New | All Things New | Art direction, design |
| 2013 | Alice in Chains | The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here | Art direction, design |
| 2013 | Sleeping with Sirens | Feel | Art direction, design |
| 2013 | August Burns Red | Rescue & Restore | Design, illustration |
| 2013 | My Heart to Fear | Algorithm | Design |
| 2013 | Rosetta | The Anaesthete | Design (band logo |
| 2013 | DevilDriver | Winter Kills | Design |
| 2013 | Tonight Alive | The Other Side | Design |
| 2013 | Monster Magnet | Last Patrol | Design |
| 2013 | Living Sacrifice | Ghost Thief | Design |
| 2013 | Fit for a King | Descendants (Redux) | Design |
| 2014 | Throwdown | Intolerance | Design, illustration |
| 2014 | Of Mice & Men | Restoring Force | Design, photography |
| 2014 | Demon Hunter | Extremist | Art direction, design, photography |
| 2014 | Memphis May Fire | Unconditional | Photography, design |
| 2014 | Killer Be Killed | Killer Be Killed | Art direction, design |
| 2014 | Cush | SP3 | Design |
| 2014 | Tedashii | Below Paradise | Design |
| 2014 | The Atlas Moth | The Old Believer | Design |
| 2014 | Anberlin | Lowborn | Artwork (Fig. 2: In Summation) |
| 2014 | Wovenwar | Wovenwar | Art direction, design |
| 2014 | Trip Lee | Rise | Design |
| 2014 | Monster Magnet | Milking the Stars: A Re-Imagining of Last Patrol | Design |
| 2014 | White Lighter | White Lighter | Artwork |
| 2015 | Sleeping with Sirens | Madness | Design |
| 2015 | NYVES | Anxiety | Art direction, design |
| 2015 | Coal Chamber | Rivals | Design |
| 2015 | August Burns Red | Found in Far Away Places | Art direction, design |
| 2015 | Saint Asonia | Saint Asonia | Art direction, design |
| 2015 | Bullet for My Valentine | Venom | Art direction, design |
| 2015 | Jeremy Camp | 3CD Collection | Design (CDs 1 and 2) |
| 2015 | Low & Behold | Uppers | Art direction, design |
| 2016 | Starflyer 59 | Slow | Artwork |
| 2016 | Wovenwar | Honor Is Dead | Art direction, design |
| 2016 | David Bazan | Christmas Bonus (EP) | Design |
| 2017 | Aaron Sprinkle | Real Life | Design |
| 2017 | Demon Hunter | Outlive | Design |
| 2017 | Stone Sour | Hydrograd | Design |
| 2017 | Lo Tom | Lo Tom | Design |
| 2017 | Starflyer 59 | "Terror" | Artwork |
| 2017 | August Burns Red | Phantom Anthem | Art direction, design |
| 2018 | Evidence | Weather or Not | Art direction, design |
| 2018 | IAMX | Alive In New Light | Art direction, design |
| 2018 | Stone Sour | Hydrograd Acoustic Sessions (EP) | Art direction, design |
| 2018 | Alice in Chains | Rainier Fog | Art direction, design |
| 2018 | Manafest | Stones Reloaded | Art direction, design, photography |
| 2018 | Billy Idol | Vital Idol: Revitalized | Design |
| 2019 | August Burns Red | Phantom Sessions (EP) | Design (package design) |
| 2019 | Death Therapy | Voices | Artwork, design, layout |
| 2019 | Starflyer 59 | Young in My Head | Art direction, design |
| 2019 | Wolves at the Gate | Eclipse | Art direction, design |
| 2019 | Starflyer 59 | Gold | Design (revisualizing) |
| 2020 | IAMX | Echo Echo | Art direction, design |
| 2020 | Anchor & Braille | Tension | Art direction, design |
| 2020 | Lightworker | Fury by Failure | Art direction, design |
| 2020 | Starflyer 59 | Miami (EP) | Artwork |
| 2020 | Lo Tom | LP2 | Design |
| 2020 | Slick Shoes | Rotation & Frequency | Design |
| 2020 | Acceptance | Wild, Free | Art direction, design |
| 2020 | Sevendust | Blood & Stone | Art direction, design |
| 2021 | Demon Hunter | Songs of Death and Resurrection | Art direction, design |
| 2021 | August Burns Red | Leveler: 10th Anniversary Edition | Design |
| 2021 | Alice in Chains | Facelift | Art direction, design (30th Anniversary reissue) |
| 2021 | Jerry Cantrell | Brighten | Art direction, illustration, design |
| 2022 | Wolves at the Gate | Eulogies | Art direction, design |
| 2022 | Demon Hunter | Exile | Art direction, design concept, artwork |
| 2023 | Elegant Weapons | Horns for a Halo | Artwork (additional) |
| 2023 | Jerry Cantrell | Degradation Trip Volumes 1 & 2 | Art direction, design (repackaging) |
| 2023 | Sevendust | Truth Killer | Art direction, design |
| 2024 | P.O.D. | Veritas | Artwork |