"I have a lot of inner angst and heavy music is great therapy for me. I've always loved listening to metal and I love playing it," is how Clay describes why he enjoys playing metal.
An intense perfectionist, Clay's style is heavy, driving, and lightning fast, yet melodic and full sounding. Where writing is concerned, complexity is commonplace, with technical rhythms and progressions, and leads full of complicated runs. Yet under all this technical wizardry lies a base of melodic power where dual guitar harmonies and melodic passages abound. Clay began playing the guitar in 1980 because, "I wanted to be Tony Iommi from Black Sabbath." Many years later: "I'm glad I'm not because I've developed a style which is much more... me," he says with pride.
The original founding member of Seventh Omen, Clay took on the lead singing role after the band got tired of auditioning "lame singers with attitudes". Lyrically, Clay's writing explores the mysteries of life, death, awareness, and everything between while conveying a positive message. Vocally, Clay is melodic and powerful, delivering the song's lyrics emotionally. Influenced by the likes of Rob Halford, Ozzy, Hetfield, Mustaine, Dio, Ray Alder, Trent Reznor, and many others, Clay is working on maintaining and nurturing his own unique style.