Damien Steele built a following from the ground up, renting halls, putting on concerts, and hammering out red hot, molten metal tunes, playing music that was called "the bridge between Queensryche and Fates Warning." Lead guitarist Steve Matusik and bassist / vocalist Paul Staub co-founded the band around 1982, and many musicians came and went over the years. The core line-up with Steve, Paul, drummer Ben Tomlin, vocalist Mark Hopkins, guitarist Mike Learn is the one that most people remember, the one that packed regional rock clubs in the late eighties. Despite continued interest from hometown fans in Erie, Pennsylvania, the band nearly drifted into obscurity. Chris Rodler at PMM convinced Matusik to let him send out a small stash of old Damien Steele demo tapes to some overseas magazines like Metal Invader (Greece), Heavy Oder Was (Germany) and Rock Brigade (Brazil). The magazines published rave reviews and orders started coming in. Normally, that would not be a problem, but the CD did not exist... until now.

This CD includes the band’s original five-song demo tape, plus four unreleased tracks, all of which feature alternate mixes and have been re-mastered. PMM’s Chris Rodler tracked down DATs from original sessions, which were collecting dust in different recording studios. The main studio, TRS Audio, was struck by lightning during the sessions, one of many setbacks suffered by the band. Staub had left the band for a time, and returned shortly after the sessions began. He decided to concentrate on bass, leaving Hopkins to bask in the spotlight as lead vocalist. "His style was perfect for the band," said Rodler. "He writes lyrics and has that voice that was popular at the time, and still is for fans of prog-metal." Think Geoff Tate, Halford, Alder and Dickinson. "Those high notes in Damien Steele were one of the trademarks of the band. People went crazy when I hit those notes," said Hopkins.

Mark Hopkins wrote the lyrics for three of the songs from the old demo tape, all of which appear on the new disc. They include "I Am Doorway," "On The Crest of a Dune" and "Life After Life." Staub wrote the lyrics for "Dawn" and "Shadow of Our Time." Matusik came up with the melody and arrangement of most of the Damien Steele songs. The band ironed out all the rough edges during its endless practice sessions. Learn designed the cover for the demo tape, which was engineered by local studio ace Keith Veshecco.

"I Am Doorway" was Hopkins’ first attempt at writing a prog-metal tune. "Fates Warning was a big influence at the time I wrote this. This was probably the most popular of our songs. It’s amazing when I listen to this song how high I used to sing," said Hopkins. "I got the song title from a Stephen King short story. Your mind is the doorway you must open within yourself to get through what life throws at you. And you can accomplish anything and overcome anything by looking within yourself."

Hopkins also wrote the lyrics for "The Whisper," one of the bonus tracks. "This is one of my favorite songs I’ve ever done. Big Queensryche influence on this one. I love hearing this song; it never gets old. I used to call this song the ‘twisted little ballad.’ The guitar solos are really cool. It’s a simple theme - A guy hears voices in his head telling him to kill his family. He blacks out and eventually does but doesn’t recall doing it. It’s a little on the dark side but I’ve always been a fan of horror and sci-fi stuff," said Hopkins.

When it comes to music, Hopkins could ramble on for hours, but Matusik is hard-pressed to describe the signature sound of Damien Steele. Influences included Rush, Queensryche and Fates Warning. The ultimate perfectionist, he prefers to let the music do the talking. "We don’t play a lot of barre chords like most groups do. There’s more to the music than just brute force. We’re definitely not a party-rock band; we’re much more intense. We like to try and paint a picture."

Painting pictures, ironically, is what catapulted Mike Learn into the big leagues. He left Erie to pursue a career as a successful commercial artist. Check out the 2004 Megadeth CD "The System Has Failed" cover art, or the limited-edition releases he designs for the Jackson Guitar Custom Shop. His first custom airbrush design was a Jackson Flying V owned by bandmate Steve Matusik. Need more proof of Mike’s talent? Check out www.mikelearn.com for custom motorcycles Mike designs and paints at Rolling Chrome, Inc., his shop in Tempe, Arizona.

Mark Hopkins left Erie and moved to Tampa, Florida, where he fronted the hair-metal band Pretty Wicked. He eventually dropped out of the music business and moved back to his hometown of Meadville, PA in 2000. "I am totally excited about the release of the Damien Steele stuff on CD," said Mark. "It’s a little mind boggling to think that something I did when I was 18 ( I’m 34 now ) is going to be re-released because there is enough interest not only here in America but in other countries." Mark is currently working once again with Steve Matusik on a new recording project. "I’m quite excited to be working with Steve again and I’m anxious to see what we come up with. I’m sure it will be ultra-progressive metal."

After Damien Steele called it quits, Steve Matusik formed Andeavor and played guitar on the CD "Once Upon Time" in 1999. He also performed in Mythologic and played on the band’s 2003 CD "Standing in the Stillness". Both discs were released by PMM.

Paul Staub has been busy as well. Although he was partially paralyzed in an industrial accident in 1993, music had such a powerful grip on him that he continues to write and sing, fronting bands after a long rehabilitation period.

The CD did not exist...until now. It’s time to get on with the fascination and make some dreams come true. No band is more deserving of the limelight than Damien Steele.

Source : http://www.pickledbeast.com/pmm/ds_bio.htm