Let's speak with Fierce Deity (Stoner/Power Metal, 2020)

This was a love upon first sight. I just watched the video on YouTube and the warrior at the fire instantly woke my interest. 

To my further pleasure the music and further progress of the lyric video spoke from my heart. It felt like being back in my childhood days listening Iron Maiden for the first time. I simply had to know more about who stands behind Fierce Deity. Happily my questions where listened to so here's what I was able to find out...

Heavy Metal Underdogs: Hey! Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions of the Heavy Metal Underdogs blog.
Fierce Deity / Jonathon Barwick: Really appreciate you having me, Jens!

- Where does the inspiration for the warrior at the campfire on the cover come from?
I call him ‘The Traveller’ (or ‘Trav’ for short) and I got inspiration for the images a few years ago when my life was chaotic. I grieved by reading The Witcher and travelling to Japan. Witchers and Samurai share many philosophies that helped me move forward and find peace - well, that and a little LSD.

- Do you practise meditation for yourself?
I started in July 2017. I found a group of Tibetan Buddhists in my city that allowed the public to join in their meditations. I wrote ‘The Path’ after my first session - I got home, picked up my guitar and all those riffs fell into place.

 
- Do you play retro-games? If so: which systems and games/genres do you prefer?
My first console was a SNES but I spent most of my childhood on a Nintendo 64. I don’t prefer any system and I love all genres. My favourite games always seem to be single player adventures - Zelda, Witcher 3, Fallout 3, the Souls games… Also I’m the best in the world at Mario Kart 64.

- What do the japanese letters underneath the band name stand for?
It translates to “INTENSE GOD”. I visited Japan in 2018 - I was blown away by their culture and I haven’t seen life the same way since. It opened my eyes to the big wide world and the possibilities of life. A year later Fierce Deity was born but without a doubt the idea was conceived in Japan.

- Could you imagine converting the one-man project Fierce Deity into a full band if there was a demand for shows?
I sure can but I have a wild imagination! If the music catches a strong wind I’ll put a show together - and I mean “a show”. I have zero desire to do the local grind. I’d rather do something special a few times than do the same mediocre thing over and over again. I like the idea of Lemmy and Motorhead - he had a bunch of awesome people come through his band creating a different sound from his writing over the years.

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