This Divided World is American Brutality

"Brutal American Deathcore" is their slogan while New York is their home. This Divided World takes Mark Young (vocals) and Micah Brill (guitar, instrumentation) together was one when it comes to their brutality that is "When Darkness Reigns" a debut release that steps away and defines its own reality. These guys invade our reality welcoming to the scene a unique way to dominate the metalcore scene in a whole another fashion. Guitarist and instrumentalist Micah Brill discusses the band's current situation.

1. What type of band are you?

Micah: We are a deathcore band.  One of our slogans is "Brutal American Deathcore." Basically that means that we take elements of death metal and metalcore/hardcore and mixing them together. It's an intentionally brutal genre of extreme metal with very fast and  very slow parts mixed together.

2. Tell us the brief history of your band.

Micah: What started as a solo studio project turned into a two man studio band. It was definitely started with a simple desire to make really heavy music but to have it be from a Christian perspective/message and not the common metal message of atheism/agnosticism/self-indulgence. That is still what it is but now Mark and I (Micah) do it together.

3. What’s the origin of the band’s name?

Micah: Our song "Falling Stars" from our album "When Darkness Reigns" has a quote in it that says "If God is not your Father then Satan is."  That's kind of what the name This Divided World is supposed to be getting at.  There are lots of divisions in this world; Democrat/Republican, Communist/Capitalist, Mainstream/Counter-Culture etc.  Honestly there's so many but the most important division is whether or not your name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life.

4. Who are your musical influences?

Micah: For me as a guitarist, I've been influenced by so many different people over the years.  Musically I started with Acoustic then progressed into Emo, Post-Hardcore, Screamo, Metalcore and then into Deathcore. It's been a downward spiral into heaviness and I've never looked back. I love good songs more than I honestly love guitar shred.  I like bands like Suicide Silence, Oceano, Impending Doom, Suffokate, King Conquer, The Red Shore, Boris The Blade, Betraying The Martyrs and Rose Funeral.  Mark has a lot more old school Death Metal influences than me.

5. What are your dreams and goals?

Micah: As far as for the band we would like to take this as far as it goes and as far as God is willing to take us. We are very DIY but aren't totally opposed to a record label. If it seemed like it would be beneficial and we could still feel like we had our musical souls, we would consider a label. Personally, both Mark and I want to be working family men that seek God on a daily basis. Music will always be a part of our lives but not the focus.

6. Who writes the songs, what are they about?

Micah: I (Micah) write the guitar parts and the music and then Mark is the vocalist/lyricist. We want to write everything very together. We have different mind sets and musical approaches but both want to write great deathcore music. Lyrically our songs focus around God and the spiritual aspects of life. Some themes from our most recent album are God's forgiveness, Satan's damnation to Hell, the frailty of this world and living as a sold-out Christian.

7. What was the inspiration for the album name When Darkness Reigns?

Micah: It comes from a passage in the book of Luke from the Bible when Jesus is being betrayed by Judas into the hands of the people that would eventually lead Him to His bodily death. He describes the moment as being a time "...when darkness reigns." That moment in human history seemed so dark and that evil was triumphant but it turned out to be God's plan for the redemption of humanity and the eternal forgiveness of sin.

8. Why did you want to go and release it for FREE?

Micah: There are so many bands out nowadays. I find new bands all the time that I had no clue about and they're actually really good.  To be successful you have to set yourself apart. Sometimes you have to do something out of the box like putting out an album for free to get noticed. We think the music speaks for itself.  At this point in the bands career, we just want as many people as possible listening to our music.  It helps create loyal fans that want to share your music with their friends when they have something as cool as getting a free album download to brag about.

9. What's your favorite song off it?

Micah: Personally I love "The East and The West." I know Mark's favorite song is "Falling Stars." It's been a process and it's kind of come full circle.  It changed a bunch of times but now that it's out, I just love the guitar riffs and the breakdowns on the first track "The East and The West." It's the shortest song on the album but I feel like it's the most concise, heavy and to the point song we have.

10. Do you guys have any new music in the works?

Micah: I record riffs on a weekly basis. I have about 2 hours worth of riffs for the future already recorded.  But honestly we're taking a break from writing. We've been working super hard on this album for the past year and are finally glad to sit back for a minute and just enjoy the moment. We are planning on following up our album with a standalone single and then eventually an EP or another full length.  Money is definitely part of our thought process. Also we live 75 miles apart so that comes into play. Our next track is going to be a step up from our previous album though because we are going to be more cohesive as a writing team.

11. How do you promote your band and shows?

Micah: We promote anywhere and everywhere; Youtube, Facebook, Blogsites, Webzines, Twitter, ReverbNation, Purevolume, Bandcamp, Last.fm, Online Radio Stations and anywhere else we can. We are a studio band so our online presence is basically our identity. I think we go about our promotion in the right way.  We're not pushy and really appreciate any opportunities we get but we also aren't afraid to ask, even if it means being told no. We think we have a good product (us as a band) and want to "sell" it to anyone that's willing to buy. Our album is free, we're nice dudes and we want promotion so lots of people have been willing to help us.

12. Describe your show, visual and musically.

Micah: Since we are a studio band we do not play out live. But our album is definitely written with live shows in mind.  We want the intensity of a live show to shine through on the album. Writing technical death grind shred riffs and epic progressive metal music is cool, but a lot of those bands don't translate well live. If a bands music is so insanely good then their show doesn't have to be that good. But if a band's music is simple and intense and the show is crazy then that's a band worth paying attention to. That's our mindset. We have riffs but nothing insane. If we ever played out live it would be all about the head bang and moshing/throwing down in the pit...and maybe a circle pit or two!

13. What advice would you give to fellow bands?

Micah: Don't be cheap. Get legit artwork, legit promos and legit recording. Give stuff away for free.  Promote everywhere and anywhere. Do something to go viral and set yourself apart and get noticed. Don't do 12 genres, do 1 and do it really well.

14. How does music affect you and the world around you?

Micah: For the sake of a concise answer, it really helps make the world a better place. It brings people together. It helps people deal with emotional problems. It sets the tone of situations and changes the atmosphere. Watch a Disney movie without volume and you'll understand the importance of music. I go to bed listening to music most nights. It's my lullaby.

15. Anything else you want to say or add?

Micah: Thank you for the interview and the opportunity to hopefully spread our music and find new fans. Be on the lookout for us in the future. We plan to be making brutal music in the name of our King, Jesus the Christ, for many years to come. God bless!