EMQ’s With Malice Divine

EMQ’s With Malice Divine

Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with Canadian Melodic Black/ Death Metal solo project, Malice Divine. Huge thanks to main man, Ric, for taking part. 

What is your name, what do you play and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?

My name is Ric, and in Malice Divine I perform vocals, guitars, and bass. Malice Divine is my solo project, so for that reason, I do the majority of the performing in the studio. I formed officially founded Malice Divine in the summer of 2019 right after I was kicked out of my previous band. Since then, I have recorded and released two full-length albums independently. 

How did you come up with your band name?

I was having a conversation about potential band names with a good friend of mine shortly after I was fired from my previous band. We were bouncing ideas off each other, and one idea I had for a potential band named was “Malicious Divinity”. After hearing my idea, my friend then had the idea of “Malice Divine”. I had a lightbulb moment, and I knew instantly that was the right name, so I have to thank my friend for that. Some of my ideas I still ended up using as song titles though. “Malicious Divinity” is one of them and “Somnium Lucidus” is the other.

What Country / Region are you from and what is the Metal / Rock scene like there?

I am from the Toronto area in Canada. The Metal / Rock scene is relatively small but solid. There are lots of bands from Canada that have been seeing quite a bit of success these past few years, which is always inspiring to see. 

What is your latest release?

My latest release is my second full-length Malice Divine album entitled “Everlasting Ascendancy”. Be sure to check it out if you haven’t already!

Who have been your greatest influences?

My greatest influences include bands such as Dissection, Death, Watain, Morbid Angel, Behemoth, Kreator, Slayer, Necrophobic, Behemoth, Bathory, among many more! The list could be way longer, but I will stop it there.

What first got you into music?

Probably from being exposed to it from a young age by my family. Some of my uncles play musical instruments, and when I was growing up there was a lot of music in my house because my dad was a big music fan too. Then at the age of 12, I got exposed to metal for the first time and I haven’t looked back since. 

If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?

To be honest, I don’t have any interest in collaborating with any bands or musicians as far as the song writing process is concerned. I’m totally content being creative on my own. With that said, I would love to collaborate with other musicians when it comes to performing my songs live. Having a live line-up of solid and hard-working musicians who are easy to get along with is the ideal situation for me.

If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?

I would have to go with Wacken Open Air. It is the biggest and the most iconic metal festival in the world which is why I have chosen it. So many legendary bands have performed at Wacken and it would be an honour to be a part of it. 

What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?

I can’t say that I have received any weird gifts from a fan, but recently I did receive something from a fan that I think is incredibly cool. A fan from the UK recently created a lyric video for the Malice Divine song “Silenced Judgement” which really took me by surprise (in a good way). I wasn’t expecting anyone to go out of their way to do something like that. 

If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?

Thanks so much to you all for supporting my music! No matter how big or small, I appreciate the support immensely. 

If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?

I’d have to go with Jon Nodviedt of Dissection. He only released 3 full-length albums and it’s fascinating to think of what else he might have written if he hadn’t passed away. Especially considering how fantastic those 3 albums are. I can’t help but wonder what could have been.

What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?

What I enjoy the most about being a musician has to be the actual creation of the music, as well as finally having the music released into the world. That ranges from the song writing process all the way to the recording process, right up to the mixing and mastering phase. Starting with a few riffs here and there, and then having that result in a batch of songs coming to life is incredibly exciting to me.

If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?

The payments that artists receive for streaming aren’t very high at all, so I would definitely change that by making it a lot higher. This could result in many artists finally being to make a living off music, especially considering that music streaming is so prevalent in today’s society.

Name one of your all-time favourite albums?

I’m going to go with something that isn’t so obvious from listening to my music. My pick would be Morbid Angel – “Altars of Madness”. It’s one of the first ever Death Metal albums that I heard, and it played a huge role in shaping my taste in music. 

What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?

Out of these 4 options, I would have to go with CD’s because that way I can listen to them when I am driving in my car. But all of them are legitimate ways of listening to music. I don’t think there is any way that is objectively the best. It all comes down to personal preference.

What’s the best gig that you have played to date?

The best gig that I played to date was when my old band opened for Goatwhore at the Garrison in Toronto. We played very well that night, the venue was packed, and the crowd was wild! I wish I could say that a Malice Divine gig has been the best one that I’ve played to date, but unfortunately Malice Divine hasn’t played live yet.

If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?

If I weren’t a musician, I’m sure I would be doing more other things that I enjoy doing. Those include reading, working out, watching movies and documentaries, etc. I still engage in those activities, but since being a musician takes up a large amount of my time, I don’t have an abundance of time to dedicate to them. 

Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?

No one because throwing dinner parties is something that I don’t care about. Like at all.

What’s next for the band?

Writing the 3rd Malice Divine album, as well as putting together a solid live line-up so I can finally start performing Malice Divine songs live. It’s been a long time coming. 

What Social Media / Website links do you use to get your music out to people?

YouTube – www.youtube.com/malicedivine 
Bandcamp – www.malicedivine.bandcamp.com 
Facebook – www.facebook.com/malicedivineband  
Instagram – www.instagram.com/malicedivineofficial 
TikTok – www.tiktok.com/malicedivine
Spotify
Apple Music

Time for a very British question now. As an alternative to the humble sandwich, is the correct name for a round piece of bread common in the UK either a Bap, a Barm (or Barm Cake), a Batch, a Bun, a Cob, a Muffin, a Roll or a Tea Cake

To be completely honest, I have no idea. However, I am going to make a guess and go with “a Bun” or “a Cob”. 

Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?

Thank you to everyone who has supported my music in any way! I would appreciate it if you checked out malicedivine.bandcamp.com because I have merchandise for sale over there. Cheers everyone!

Disclaimer: This interview is solely the property of Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.