Non-Divine is a groove rock metal band founded by Ivor van Beek, a gifted Dutch musician. Based in Arnhem, Netherlands, Non-Divine is making waves in the global metal scene with their unique sound and captivating style. This high-energy, groove-rock, metal band is a musical force to be reckoned with. With this talented band’s musical sensibility, their music stands apart from others. The band’s rich experience in live performances has further amplified their charismatic presence. Non-Divine recently released the single “Eyeball,” and you will feel blessed after listening to this one.
“Eyeball” by Non-Divine is a thunderous and enchanting song that has set new standards in the modern day metal rock scene.”
Roaring like wild beasts, Non-Divine has given us one of the most powerful songs of the current times with the release of “Eyeball”. The song is like a thrilling roller coaster ride that takes you on a dive into a heartbeat-raising melodic ocean that washes away all unnecessary emotions, rendering the listener able to absorb this sonic masterpiece. The piercing vocals hit the heart straight, igniting a fire in your soul. The electrifying harmony in this art piece will leave you awestruck, and the lyrics will rile you up. But hey! Don’t just trust us, go listen to “Eyeball” by yourself and then tell us.
We had a chance to have a conversation with Non-Divine, and here is how it went:
Eyeball” introduces us to Dr. Chill, a character shaped by lobotomy and control. What inspired this concept, and what does this alter represent psychologically or socially?
Dr. Chill is one of the alters of the psychiatric patient diagnosed with Dissociative Identify Disorder (D.I.D). He lives in the fictional psychiatric hospital “Asylum 45”, the concept of the Non-Divine debut album in which every song contains a patient’s story. In the upcoming album “Alters” every song is about an alter from this patient. In the system of the patient the alter Dr. Chill, who thinks he ones has been lobotomized, is an overlord, a medical/political ruler. Sometimes lyrics writes their selves and I came up with “There’s something heading for your eyeball” in the beginning of the writing process. This was a 1 + 1 inspiration situation for me matching D.I.D. with lobotomy. I think these subjects go hand in hand.
Also I always try to match the lyrical atmosphere with the musical atmosphere. You can hear a dark sinister almost post-apocalyptic vibe in the music of “Eyeball”. Also the choir in couplet 2, and the second parts of the chorus you hear a storytelling separation from the rest of the lyrics. This totally matches because on those parts the fictional followers of Dr. Chill speak out. In the mind of Dr. Chill they are his followers that all had lobotomy from Dr. Chill and separate themselves from depraved society as a cult. All alters are in the system for a reason. Patients suffering from D.I.D. often had traumas. They found a way to survive by having alters. Dr. Chill is a rather dominant ruler. Not a person to argue with. He looks tough, confident and commands respect and obedience. His appearance I think is brilliantly made visual in the artwork and video done by Andy Pilkington of Very Metal Art (Motörhead, Judas Priest, Flotsam and Jetsam, Opeth, Skindred). I think in the system Dr. Chill needs to be a confident dominant alter that inspires people to follow by giving them the feeling they matter and can take distance from all day society.
Your upcoming album “Alters” expands on the psychiatric universe of “Asylum 45.” What made you return to this concept, and how much darker or more complex is this new chapter?
To be honest it was not planned to expand on the psychiatric universe at all. I like making concept albums and I let the future open which concept subject the upcoming album would have. When I re-integrated as a musician again in January 2023 it was soon clear to me I had to continue with Non-Divine from which it was left. I had to finish the upcoming album. When I put some songs together it was clear to me that inspiration and creativity lead to simple answers. I had to continue with the psychiatric theme because there was a complete match with the alters of a D.I.D. patient. Next to this Non-Divine already was known for having the psychiatric theme. All led to continue and expand on “Asylum 45”. Instead of having all kinds of patients, now there’s one patient with all kinds of alters. It makes sense to me. It inspires me, and until now all new songs match with an alter in the system of the patient.
Darker, yes. The subject you can call much darker than the “Asylum 45” subject. In “Asylum 45” all patients differ. From fictional crazy subjects to social problems. Back then I got a lot of reactions of people finding a match to the songs and subjects from “Asylum 45”. It expressed their feelings and told the same story they experienced. Psychiatric problems and diseases are everywhere. I never mocked with the subject but made it understandable. The stories are often true in real life. In the upcoming album “Alters’ about one psychiatric disease Dissociative Identity Disorder the subject starts darker already. There’s so much misunderstanding about this disease that is surrounded by darkness. The album cover of “Alters” will immediately put you in this darkness and mystery. The alters on the other hand can be very realistic down-to-earth people. If people will find a match, we will see.
More complex, also yes. Every alter takes a role in the system. They are all there for a reason. What is going on in the minds of the alters? How do they relate to each other? How does the patient behave differently. This will all be a part of the writing process of “Alters”. More complex but also more details, more fantasy, more fun.
With influences like Disturbed, Alter Bridge, and Rob Zombie, how do you maintain your originality while working within such a powerful sonic space?
According to past and present reviews, Non-Divine has never lacked originality, and I’m proud of that. There are all kinds of influences to mention, and keep in mind that Non-Divine was founded in 1999. The blueprint predates that. Music from the mid-70s, 80s, and 90s may have inspired Non-Divine. Everyone thinks they hear all sorts of influences, and every perception is valid. But sometimes it’s just the case that I’ve never actually listened to the music of those bands, and yet it still seems to have that vibe.
In addition, the Non-Divine compositions differ from one another. The beforementioned atmosphere that matches the lyrics can vary significantly from the mindset of a psychiatric patient. You can hear that in the music. Each song features a different musical style, yet it all comes together on the album. That was the case with the debut album “Asylum 45,” and I’m confident it will be the same with “Alters.”
I mentioned in Eyeball’s press release that Non-Divine’s music in this case is comparable to Disturbed, Alter Bridge, and Rob Zombie. I fully stand by that, but it’s different from actually being influenced by them. I certainly don’t feel influenced by Disturbed or Alter Bridge. The bands are simply too young for that. In the case of Rob Zombie, I felt a connection—perhaps an influence—with the characteristic swing you hear in the outro of “Eyeball.”
To maintain originality, I always try to stay away from hypes or never restrict myself listening to one band in a period. I often write music in my head, and when it’s growing, I take a distance from other music to make sure nothing interferes.
How has your creative process evolved after a seven-year break from music? Were there any challenges that you faced in your music-making process after your return?
Non-Divine became non-active early 2015. I absolutely made no music until a friend of my motivated me early in 2023 to bring my home studio back to life. You must understand that having a working home studio is the foundation of my work as a musician. If that doesn’t work, I can’t do my thing, and I don’t do anything. Challenge but also a lot of fun and expensive was rebuilding the home studio. The home studios I had in the past were mainly intended to support the songwriting process for the entire band. When re-integrating as a musician in 2023 I made the decision to work alone from the home studio, without any other band members. So now my work in the home studio is not supportive to but is the band. So suddenly, not only was I allowed to write the tracks which I was already used to, but I also got to be my own producer.
During this process, I realized that music hardware and software had advanced to such an extent that the final result was worthy of release. I wouldn’t have been able to pull that off five years ago. In that sense, I’m returning in a wonderful era as a musician. I realized that I could achieve a professional-quality final product as long as I left the mastering to a skilled producer. Since Non-Divine had previously worked with Jacob Hansen, it made sense for me to team up with him again. Fortunately, it worked out, and he did a fantastic job mastering “Eyeball.”
You’ll also understand that, as an old-school musician who made my debut in 1991 and has been actively involved for 25 years as of 2023, I no longer felt at home in today’s music industry after such a long absence. At the same time, I realized that the entire process of finishing the next Non-Divine album would take a long time. Too long. And in the meantime, I would focus solely on the home studio and learn nothing else about the music industry. Non-Divine, which is now very active again, would then remain inactive for too long in the eyes of the outside world. And by the time the album was finished, I’d be behind. Way behind. So, an unwise scenario.
That’s why I decided to launch a simpler product than Non-Divine as a professional offering and send it out as a scout—one that would not only allow me to rediscover the current music industry but also to start networking. For example, I needed graphic designers, producers, and webmasters. I needed to experience the whole process from nothing until releasing a product worldwide and do promotion. For this, I chose a 30-year-old death metal song that I wrote myself back then. I wanted to hear this song in its best possible form and had the idea to release it with two different guitar sounds: the American Mesa Rectifier/Peavey 5150 sound (which, by the way, is the same sound as on Non-Divine but with less gain) and the Swedish chainsaw sound of a Boss HM-2 pedal. So I did. In November 2023 the old school death metal band Vile Art was founded and the double single “Trapped In The Desert” (mastered by Jacob Hansen) released medio 2024. I will keep this band and make an album with new songs only.
I learned a lot and feel experienced enough as a nowadays musician. The music industry differs so much. Easier at one hand because as an independent artist you can release it all worldwide with ease, but so much difficult because there’s so much overload in bands and platforms. It all seems to be about the numbers, the likes and stuff like that. And to generate likes magazines are mainly interested in posting the big artists, not giving any about the independent artist. It’s easy to feel lost nowadays, but I do my best to be visible to the audience so they can join in with Non-Divine if they want.
The idea of a cult formed through enforced “peace” and conformity in “Eyeball” feels very relevant. Is this alter meant as a commentary on real-world power structures or societal control?
Yes and no. No, because as I mentioned earlier in the interview, my creativity and inspiration stem from the psychiatric concept of a fictional psychiatric institution and a fictional DID patient. Yes, because as I also mentioned earlier, there’s a chance that the story is so realistic that it becomes comparable to the real outside world. In the case of “Eyeball,” that can be described as quite confrontational. The urge to bury your head in the sand and retreat into a bubble of denial and detachment. It’s almost a necessity to survive in today’s society. Fortunately, I estimate that the likelihood of cults forming in this situation is very low.
“Eyeball” blends danceable grooves with disturbing psychological themes, with such stark contrast, how do you find balance, and what impact do you think it should make on the listeners?
Danceable grooves have always been a key element in Non-Divine’s blueprint. It stems from ’90s music. So whatever Non-Divine does, and whatever the subject matters, there will always be a certain danceable groove in the music. In addition, I make sure that the atmosphere of the music matches the atmosphere of, in this case, the patients alter. In this case, a sinister, dark groove, but this can and will vary from song to song. It all comes together when you put yourself in the Alter’s shoes. It’s no coincidence that Non-Divine’s biography states: “The emotions, grooves, and melodies of the music follow the Alter’s mood swings. Once again, you will be surrounded by madness of a special kind.”
At the end of this interview, I take the opportunity to thank … for having Non-Divine and thanks to all readers for your interest. I hope you enjoy the new era of Non-Divine with the new single “Eyeball” and the accompanied video and graphics. I will do my very best to finish the album as soon as possible so that you can enjoy more Non-Divine.
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