Feature: Zack Plunkett of Abated Mass of Flesh – Interview on Belief, Doubt, & Leaving Christianity

By Seth Metoyer, Heavens Metal Magazine –

Faith isn’t a fixed point on a map—it’s more like a winding, unpredictable road trip. Some folks stick to the highways, safe and predictable, cruising comfortably between the lines. Others hit the back roads, getting lost, finding new paths, questioning every turn, destination unknown. Zack Plunkett, founder of Abated Mass of Flesh, has traveled both roads.

For years, Abated Mass of Flesh carved their niche in the extreme music scene as an unapologetically Christian death metal band. Initially, Zack used the band as an outlet to explore deeply personal struggles, particularly a crippling anxiety disorder, and express his doubts and faith through music. Yet over time, curiosity led him down roads of skepticism, philosophy, and various theological perspectives, reshaping his beliefs.

Controversy brewed when Zack openly discussed the band’s departure from their Christian roots in an interview with Extreme Brutal Death magazine. The backlash was swift, tangled with political and spiritual critique, underscoring just how challenging it can be when your spiritual path publicly diverges from expectations. The community’s divisive and tribal reactions highlighted the emotional complexity of Zack’s journey, inspiring him to address these experiences directly in his new music.

The band’s latest album, “Rebirthing the Vile,” dives deeply into these themes, lyrically exploring Zack’s current views on religious tribalism, hypocrisy, and his personal evolution away from Christianity.

I caught up with Zack to unpack that journey—from how the band started, through his personal faith experiences, the complexities around stepping away from belief, and how he’s handled the pushback. And yes, we’ll even touch on his familiarity with my own band’s early demo days. Perhaps most importantly, we’ll explore what Zack would say to those still inside the faith who struggle to understand or accept when others choose a different road.

Heaven’s Metal Interview with Zack Plunkett (Abated Mass of Flesh) by Seth Metoyer

Heaven’s Metal: Can you walk us through the inception of Abated Mass of Flesh and how your musical journey began?

Zack Plunkett: The band originally started as a one-man project in the summer of 2011. I started writing and recording my own music around that time, so AMOF was one of my earliest projects. I was increasingly becoming influenced by brutal death metal bands at that time and wanted to start a project of my own. After the release of my first EP, people in the underground metal community started to notice it and share it around. I was very surprised by the amount of support I received, so I was encouraged to keep writing.

The following year, I decided to have my brother Matt take over on lead vocals and we started writing our second EP titled “Brutal Death.” After that release, we started to get other members to make it a full band. Since then, we have traveled and played many shows while continuing to write and release material. It has definitely been a journey for us, and I am very thankful for the amount of support we have received over the years.

HM: Reflecting on your early days, what role did your Christian faith play in shaping the band’s identity?

ZP:  The Christian faith definitely had a major role in the beginning. The project was meant to be a reflection of my struggles and faith as a believer. At the time, I was dealing with a crippling anxiety disorder and AMOF was an outlet for me to explore that and grow in my faith. A lot of that is reflected in the lyrics. It was all about my doubts, struggles and understanding through praise.

The Christian faith played a prominent role in my writing up until about 2017 after the release of our album “Eternal Harvest”. I think we were all going through changes around that time as a band. Each member was dealing with their own struggles regarding doubt and faith. We weren’t really talking about it much and we were taking some time to figure some things out for ourselves while trying to see what the next step was for the band.

HM: Over the years, what experiences or realizations led you to step away from the faith?

ZP:  I believe it was around 2016 when I started to confront some of the doubts I was having. It felt like I spent my whole life as a believer running from doubt because of the fear of uncertainty. I remember the feelings of panic that would erupt whenever my faith was challenged. At the time, I was going to church, reading the Bible and maintaining a routine of prayer and worship, but I was also having questions about it all. I remember listening to many people within the faith who had different perspectives and outlooks from one another. Some of them were contradicting each other on biblical matters and other topics regarding salvation.

I attended a non-denominational church, an Assembly of God Church and a Baptist Church within the span of about 4 years. There was a lot going on and I became increasingly curious about what was true. It was around that time that I started listening to a lot of interviews, discussions and debates from believers, skeptics, atheists etc. I was also reading different books to understand other perspectives and figure out where I stood with all of it.

I was beginning to embrace my doubts and become more comfortable with them until I found myself completely fascinated and curious about everything. It felt like I was thrown into a new world of curiosity and I dove into many topics like philosophy, ethics, religion, epistemology, history, science, skepticism etc. All of this was happening over the span of about 6 years and it would be very difficult to summarize all of that in this interview, but to sum it up, I came out the other side an unbeliever. All of it is still fascinating to me today and I still try to keep an open mind about all of it.

HM: The lyrics of “Rodent Infested” off of the new album “Rebirthing the Vile” (which rules btw), strongly critiques hypocrisy, misplaced priorities, and the damage that arises when spiritual communities elevate uniformity and judgment over empathy and understanding. Can you delve into the inspiration behind this track?

ZP:  You can imagine how it felt coming out of the faith. It felt like there was no one to talk to about it all. Just about everyone I knew was a believer and I had been associated with the Christian metal scene for over a decade. As I was going through that process of doubt, I started to write about it in our music.

I think people were starting to notice and became curious, so they would reach out to me and ask about it. There were several productive conversations that took place, but not everyone had healthy motives. It started to spread around that we weren’t a Christian band anymore, so many people began messaging us about it.

People started talking about the situation in Christian group pages online and some would even take screenshots of our private conversations and share them around. Suddenly we were getting denounced by some of our followers. People began to act negatively about the whole situation and basically wrote us off. It started to become very tribal and divisive.

It wasn’t my intention to hurt people and I always try to be respectful and honest with anyone that asks about it. It all left a negative impression on me, so I started to write about those experiences on “Rebirthing the Vile”. The songs “Rodent Infested” and “The Cross is Lost” deal with the tribalistic mindset within the church and how exclusionary people can be towards others who have different beliefs.

HM: The interview with Extreme Brutal Death magazine stirred discussions, especially regarding the band’s shift away from Christian themes. How did you and the band navigate reactions from both longtime fans and the broader community?

ZP: That was a difficult situation to navigate. They asked a series of questions and I decided to speak openly about our experiences and where we are as a band. We discussed the topic of change and how a lot of my ideas and beliefs changed over time. I wanted to make the point that I am always open to change and that I see it as a positive thing. The conversation took a turn when certain topics regarding social and political matters came up.

I decided to speak about my opinions on those things and when the interview was published, people were sharing that part around without any context. It looked like they omitted the specifics of that particular question, so it seemed like I was diving into irrelevant topics.

Looking back on it, I might have changed my tone or avoided the question entirely. Perhaps I was feeling a bit defensive during the interview. It was a very politically divided time (and still is) and I was in the process of developing my thoughts on certain political matters. I still am really, it’s a developing thing and nobody has it all figured out. You live and learn and despite all of the blow back, it’s best to just move on and look ahead.

HM: How has the band’s evolution influenced your creative process and the themes you explore in your music today?

ZP: We have been through a lot of changes over the past 14 years. With that, I believe there is a lot to discover and write about. I have always written about our experiences and continue to do so. Like I mentioned earlier, the band has always been an outlet for us. It is also a way for us to come together as friends and share influences and ideas. We always try to stay inspired and not take ourselves too seriously. I believe that is the secret to our longevity and why we work well together.

HM: Looking ahead, where do you see Abated Mass of Flesh heading in terms of musical style and thematic content?

ZP: That is a good question. We always try to do something different with each release. We like every release to sound different. Some releases are more focused on atmosphere, while others are more focused on brutality. We jump around with production quality too. With “Rebirthing the Vile”, we wanted to go for a more raw/gritty sound. We weren’t sure how it was going to be received because some people are very particular about production quality, but we ended up being very surprised by its reception. We wanted everything to sound as natural as possible by leaving some of the subtle imperfections in the mixes. We also wanted it to feel real by capturing our live sound, minimizing over dubbing and not sampling any instruments.

It was a very exciting and intimate process for us, so we might look into doing more of that. It was definitely a learning experience too, so it would be cool to apply what we learned into the next release. But we are all thinking about it and talking about where to go from here. We have several shows booked, so we’ll be more focused on fulfilling those throughout the year, then we plan on writing new material towards the end of the year.

HM: You mentioned familiarity with my extreme metal band Mangled Carpenter’s 2007 demo, “First Offering.” How did you come across that release?

ZP:  That is such a cool release! I was getting into more obscure music around that time, a lot of Christian death metal and grindcore. I would basically take advantage of my computer classes to find out about more awesome bands. This was around 2009 and my brother and I were making music together around that time with a different project. We were getting inspired by a lot of those types of bands and I remember stumbling upon “First Offering”.

I remember how l felt hearing it for the first time. I had never heard anything like that before, it was very unsettling and it made me a bit uncomfortable at first, but I kept getting more obsessed with it. Everything, from the vocal performances to the production, had a sinister vibe to it and it created a creepy, dark atmosphere that was really cool and influential. I still wish I had a physical copy to this day.

HM: What insights or advice would you offer to bands navigating their own identities and the challenges of evolving beliefs within their music?

ZP: My advice is just to be honest with others and yourself. It is best to approach things creatively from an honest mindset. If anyone is starting a band, it is always important to stay inspired, maintain good chemistry with your bandmates and don’t take yourselves too seriously. Focus more on reaching creative fulfillment instead of becoming popular. If you are feeling burnt out, it’s okay to take a break from it. It is important for everyone to get a reset and take some time to become reinvigorated. I have made many mistakes over the years, but I think these things have helped me the most in my musical journey.

HM: Many Christians struggle to understand or empathize with those who’ve left the faith, often feeling hurt, confused, or even betrayed. From your perspective and personal experience, what advice or encouragement would you offer to those wrestling with how to process or approach friends, family members, or artists who leave Christianity? How can they better understand or engage with people whose spiritual journeys have taken a different path?

ZP:  That is a really good question and a very important one. There are several people who are struggling like I was. I think it needs to become normal for people to have safe spaces to talk about their doubts with one another. I think several people going through a crisis of faith struggle with the fear of rejection.

I feel like our society puts a lot of pressure on people to maintain and uphold certain beliefs. Nobody has it all figured out and we are all out here trying to do the best we can, so it’s best to exercise some grace for people trying to navigate through it all.

I’m very thankful for the Christians that took time to hear my story without judging me, the people that made me feel welcome and safe to talk about these things. I didn’t expect them to have all of the answers or solutions, but giving their time was enough for me to feel heard and understood. Sincerely, thank you all.

With that said, I don’t know where life is leading me, but I am open to what it has to offer in my pursuit of truth. I realize a lot of people are praying for me and I am grateful for their friendship and concern. I look forward to talking with many of you in the times ahead. Thank you Seth for giving me the space to share my experience and thanks to all who have supported us and encouraged us along the way. We look forward to seeing you soon! 

Final Thoughts
I’d like to thank Zack for sharing his personal journey and insights with such openness and authenticity. His experiences highlight the importance of honesty, empathy, and the courage to express himself, both artistically and personally. I’m looking forward to seeing where his creative path leads next, and I’m grateful for the valuable perspective he’s given us.

It’s my hope that readers, especially those within the Christian community, approach this interview with hearts full of compassion and understanding. The Bible reminds us to “work out your own salvation” (Philippians 2:12), underscoring the deeply personal and individual journey of faith that each of us undertakes. As we reflect on Zack’s story, let’s be reminded to genuinely love one another, support each other in times of doubt and questioning, and trust that everyone is navigating their own unique path. After all, we’re all human, each deserving of grace, empathy, and sincere dialogue.

About Author