From The Artists That Shaped My Style Facebook 25/10/2016:

 

The third instalment of our "Artists That Shaped My Style" series focuses on the Mark of Decay front man, we sat down with the voice of the band to ask him about his influences and inspirations that bring his style to the forefront of the bands performance.

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"I've always been a fan of strong and clean vocals, I tend to steer clear or indistinct or shouted lyrics purely out of personal preference. I'm also a bit of a sucker for a huge chorus.

 

Paradise Lost: Anyone that knows me personally will have seen this coming from a mile away, and so I'll get the obvious one out of the way first. I absolutely love this band, particularly the period between 1995 and 2010. Its dark, cold and miserable as sin. I could go on and on, and make this entirely about them, Live performances, VIP Shows, Meet and Greets, the works, but I wont. I'll simply say that throughout the myriad of times I've seen and heard them, they have never failed to impress me.

 

Disturbed: I'm not all about the slow and miserable stuff, I'm a big fan of music with energy, and Disturbed have that in droves. I've been a fan of theirs since the rock clubs scene of around 1995, and I've remained a fan of theirs throughout their career. David Draiman's vocals can range from fear inducingly powerful, to epically dark and haunting, and there's some real power in the band that I really enjoy listening to.

 

Blaze Bayley: The saying goes that you should never meet your heroes, but having said that, when I was lucky enough to support him as part of Inner Fire I can honestly say I have never met a more down to earth and genuinely nice individual, I may get some stick for saying this from a couple of people (Sorry Matt), but since he had to leave Iron Maiden, I personally believe that his albums have been better than theirs.

 

Art Alexakis: I quite like Everclear but what really impresses me is Art's ability to write a story, "Soundtrack to an American Movie" Parts 1& 2 are a rare example of a consistent double album, whereas usually they would consist of one amazing disc and another that is destined for the bin.

 

Bruce Springsteen: The Boss! Again I may catch some criticism for mentioning the legend that is, as part of a forum predominantly populated by metal heads, but do your damn research people! Bruce Springsteen writes songs and lyrics about events that have affected his life, and sings them with a passion and intelligence that's hard to come by anywhere else."

 

Cliffs varied influences remain at the forefront of what makes Mark Of Decay the band they are today, his lyrics and styles continue to push the band into increasingly interesting places musically, and along with the other members they continue to strive towards something different for their audiences.