Deus InvictusDeus Invictus has been around for a while and will be releasing their debut album on Bomboworks in the Summer of 2010.  I had a chance to talk to Jeff Carter, the drummer for Deus Invictus.  Hi, Jeff.  Thanks for taking the time to do this interview. First off, can you give us a history of the band?


Hi Jeff!  Thanks for having us!  I had left The Chariot back in the beginning of 2005, January to be exact, and was actually told by the members that they felt I had “a more metal future”.  Upon looking around through some groups of friends/acquaintances, I came upon our first vocalist co-founder, David Hopper.  We knew enough people between the both of us to kick it off and get some rehearsals together.  To make a long story short, we teamed up with Jay Sexton (guitar) and my friend Damien Chason, also on guitar.  Jay also brought long time friend, Josh Kosko, in on bass; David Hopper of course on vocals.  Everything sounded tight and interesting.  So after a few practices we felt ready to play.  Unfortunately Josh decided against sticking with us due to starting up a family of his own, so we then found Randy Searcy to add as permanent bassist.  During this time we played a few bigger shows here and there around the Atlanta area.  After a while we lost Randy and over the course of the band history, we’ve played musical bassists (Matthew Lee, Jeff Watt), both of whom we played many shows with.  We lost our guitarist Damien, as eventually financial troubles and life opportunities arose, and immediately found the perfect replacement, Nich Shacklette of Louisville, KY.  Nich was one of those guys where you meet him and you know he’ll fit right in.  David Hopper also had a family to start up/got married, and Joseph Solomon jumped in for around a year and a half on vocals…then back out again!  We almost have as many lineup changes as ZAO (no offense Zao, I love you) So far so awesome!  Unfortunately, we are left bassist-less….so….if anyone knows anyone….


What does Deus Invictus mean and how did the band decide on this name?



Deus Invictus is Latin for “Unbound” or “Unconquerable” God.  For Jay and I, it’s a bit more hilarious because we got prodded towards approving of the name when we were joking around about what ifs.  David Hopper was looking at a song by The Showdown and saw that they had a song called Deus Invictus.  Looked it up and found the real meaning behind it, and the name just stuck.  The real determining factor was deciding on something dark, different, and edgy.  Something to describe the feel of our sound in our own eyes.  I think it’s an alright fit.


How would you describe Deus Invictus’ style of music?

We have darker passages (riffs) here and there, prog elements since I grew up listening to bands like Yes, Rush, and my all time favorite…The Police!  My parents were very much into progressive rock/metal back in the mid to late 70’s, so that’s the heart and soul of music to me.  Basically we have elements of light and darkness, swirled together.  An amalgamation of different forms of metal, maybe even music in general.  Our soul purpose was to create our own genre, but to let certain influences shine through.  Bands like Anubis Gate, Amorphis, Extol, Opeth, etc.  just to name a few.  So I guess prog/power/death/thrash?  PROWEASH.
Who are some of the influences among the band members?


Bands like Anubis Gate, Amorphis, Extol, Opeth, The Police, November’s Doom, Selfmindead, Hate Eternal, Believer, andddd CYNIC!  Just to name a few!


You have signed with Bombworks Records, who have signed bands like My Silent Wake, A Hill To Die Upon and Dagon. How did the band feel about signing with Bombworks and how did the two of you original get in contact?



It’s been a while so I will answer this to the best of my ability.  We were contacted on our MySpace I do believe by David Bixler (A & R for Bombworks/co-owner).  Said he liked what he heard and would like to see us live at Cornerstone.  So we played C-stone 07 on their “Day of Metal” stage and pretty much shook hands at that time.  They have been very nice guys through the whole process.  We are ecstatic to get our music heard across the globe, but even more excited are we, to let our ministry be heard.


How is the upcoming release Staged in Awaiting coming along?



It’s going nicely so far!  Really anxious to have the finished product in our hands, as this has been 5 years up and coming.  Lots of hard work, lots of member changes, lots of difficult times.  Blood, sweat, and tears went into this, and we would like people to hear that as well in the recording when they pick it up.  It’s part of being in a band.  It’s part of life in general.  We are, essentially, just waiting on the artwork to be finished, and then it’s off to be pressed by Bombworks!



What is in store for Deus Invictus in 2010?



New merch, lots of new merch.  Probably a few Tshirt designs, as well as a web store.  We will be doing some shows here and there to promote the new cd release of course, and we will begin work on our sophomore recording shortly!  The new album “Staged in Awaiting” will be available on itunes for those who are current in technology, but for those who are stubborn like me, cd’s will be available at select retail stores and online distros.  We do at some point want to have a paintball match at a show, we’ll see how that goes.  We might go skydiving, but I’m not sure.  If someone wants to play laser tag, let me know.


Any last comments to the readers of Untombed?



You guys keep the metal alive, stay safe, stay out of trouble!  Or else Robocop will take you out.  I just talked to him on the phone, he’s really upset.  Byeeeeeeee



Interview by Jeff DLS

One Response to “ DEUS INVICTUS – Interview ”

  1. lhversaw

    lhversaw

    This band really sounds cool I will have to check them out.