At this time last year, the Ames area band Deviant had just completed putting together its lineup, and according to bass player Troj Brown, the band wasn’t anything to brag about.

But in just one year’s time, the band has gelled musically, built a strong base in Des Moines and is now preparing for its CD release party this Saturday at People’s Bar & Grill.

One thing that has helped Deviant’s quick climb in the local scene has been the assistance of Troj’s brother, Cory Brown. Cory is better known in the music scene as C-Bone, one of the lead singers of 35″ Mudder. Cory has done everything from land gigs to sell merchandise for the group, something that is greatly appreciated by Deviant.

“He pushes us a lot; he’s always throwing in a good word to bar owners and club owners. He’s done so much for us,” Troj says of his older brother. “He’s like all about it.”

Deviant has come under fire from some in the music scene for trying to sound too much like Mudder. Even though Deviant comes from the same metal/rap background as Mudder, and are even sometimes referred to as “35” Mudder’s little brother band,” neither band sees Deviant as style biters.

“We’re not out to sound like Mudder at all, they have their own thing going. We want to be a little harder, and a little more aggressive than their music,” Troj says.

“They do the rap/metal thing like we do, but they do it in a whole different way,” adds 35″ Mudder’s C-Bone. “They are more influenced by today’s new metal, your Korns and Limp Bizkits. There are similarities, but they are just trying to do a style, and do it their way.”

The group started to form in the middle of 1998 when Troj and drummer Quinn Kaiser started jamming together in the dorms at Iowa State. Guitarists John Ohlfest and Landon Burg were added shortly after with frontman Kurt Daniels as the last to join the band.

At the time, Daniels was involved in another band, and it took some recruiting by Troj to land him for Deviant.

“He was singing like Pearl Jam covers, and Nirvana, more mellow stuff. But he was wearing Coal Chamber and Korn shirts,” Troj says. “So I asked if he wanted to sing for our band, and he was like ‘Hell yeah,’ and he quit his band and joined us.”

And in just one short year together, the band headed to SR Studios in Des Moines to cut its debut record, “Chapter 1, Bag of Tricks,” which was produced by Matt Sepanic, guitarist for Des Moines hardcore outfit DeadFront.

In a swift, Deviant fashion, the band only spent one day in the studio, despite troubles playing for a very sick Burg. But it didn’t stop the group from flying through the recording process.

“We had a blast. We had a few beers to loosen up, and we just busted through the first song flawless, no mistakes, nothing. So after that the pressure was off and we just started having fun,” Troj says of the studio experience.

Making a name for themselves in Ames has been the hardest part for the five-piece, according to Troj. Every member of Deviant is currently enrolled at Iowa State, but has still struggled to get the recognition here that they do in Des Moines.

But that looks to change this Saturday. The group is bringing in new fans with every show, and with area favorites 35″ Mudder and Mr. Plow on the bill for Deviant’s release party, the band anticipates getting their name out in Ames. But they know that earning a crowd comes with lots of hard work.

“We’ve been practicing a lot, and when we practice, we go in and don’t come out ’til three hours later,” Troj says. “We’re pumped.”

One thing that Deviant hasn’t done is let their quick success go to their heads. Come Saturday, people will be buying Deviant’s music, something Troj describes as a dream come true.

“A year and a half ago, or a year ago, I never saw this coming. It just kind of started, and snowballed, and I can’t believe we’re here. But we’re just having fun.”

Deviant’s debut album, along with other much anticipated merchandise, will be available at the show and on their Web site, available through iowaconcerts.com.