Artist of the Day: Bleeding Raven

Sinister sounding name. Sinister looking photos. Sinister music. Our Artist of the Day takes the form of Bleeding Raven. Who is actually a really nice bloke!

Introduce us to the world of Bleeding Raven?

I’m Dean Mason of Bleeding Raven and I am it. It’s a one man project. I do everything. I'm based more or less in between Montreal and Toronto.

What genre would you describe yourself as?

Some of my stuff is Aggrotech, some is Black Metal (like) Ambient and some just dark ambient.

Who is your main inspiration?

My first inspiration as regards music is Gary Numan but there are so many other bands/artists that have been inspiring and some more “influential” on my sound like Ministry or Skinny Puppy.

What is your song writing process like?

I usually start with either some beats/drum parts or I set the mood with some sort of atmosphere sample or a haunting ‘manipulated’ sample/loop and build on that. I let the track evolve naturally so to speak.

What made you want to start in music?

Well, again, it was Gary Numan who inspired me to consider music but also more recently and more concretely, Global Citizen and Fear Incorporated. Now, for me, music (I call it dungeon trash) is just a hobby.

What is on the horizon for you?

Nothing. Sadly, nothing. I have suffered SSHL (Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss) in the left ear… it is dead. Totally. The right ear is very compromised and I just don’t hear well at all. I can’t even enjoy doing music… it’s a task. It’s over. And that’s heartbreaking for me.

Who would you most like to collaborate with (alive or dead)?

Well, it would be great to do an ambient type album or EP with Numan but that will never happen obviously.

What is your ultimate goal?

I really don’t know. I would love to see what I have put out as Bleeding Raven and Gnostic Gorilla is discovered by more people but that’s an uphill battle.

If you could cover any song, what would it be?

“Fade To Black” by Metallica or “Shame on The Night” by DIO.

Tea making: milk first or last?

I don’t like tea. I don’t drink coffee. I only eat dark chocolate to get the serotonin flowing.

Tell us your funniest joke!

Teacher wants to teach class how to use the word “definitely” in a sentence to demonstrate they know what it means. So she starts going around the classroom. “Yes Tammie?” The little girl says, “The grass is definitely green”. The teacher replies, “Well, not always, sometimes it’s yellow because it’s too dry”. Next student. “The sky is definitely blue”. The teacher replies, “Well Jason, see… sometimes its overcast and it’s not blue and at night it’s black. Sorry.” Finally, the teacher allows Charlie to try, but she had been ignoring him since he is a bit of a pest even though he was desperately trying to get her attention… she says, “Ok Charlie, give it a try”. He asks, “Miss, do farts have lumps?” She rolls her eyes and shakes her head and replies, “No Charlie”. Then he says, “then I definitely shit myself.”

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Find Bleeding Raven of Facebook and Spotify

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