A brief biography of Damien Cain...
Damien Cain is back. With his unique 13-year cycle coinciding with his 35th stage anniversary, the singer and lyricist is ready to unleash his latest album, Standarte—a musical tour de force deeply infused with the influences of his past creative eras.
Damien Cain's journey began in the late 1980s, in a basement lined with crumbling insulation, where five young musicians from Germany’s Ruhr region formed Celtic Crypt.
Despite their name, they were anything but Celtic — crafting an electrifying mix of alternative, progressive metal, gothic, and punk. They quickly gained a reputation with local shows and a string of EPs, most notably Wallenstein—a seven-minute prog-rock anthem inspired by Salvador Dalí’s Christ of St. John of the Cross, which even became the EP’s cover.
During a creative hiatus, Cain took an unexpected turn—writing the first-ever German Dracula musical, long before Dance of the Vampires by Roman Polanski and Jim Steinman or Dracula – The Musical by Wildhorn and Hampton. His rock-opera interpretation of the legendary vampire was backed by the prestigious GEMA Foundation and played to sold-out audiences for two years before the production, featuring a 50-person cast, came to an end. However, the Dracula album remains available for streaming, and independent theaters still perform the show today.
Then came a new adventure. Cain co-founded tPatrick, a raucous Irish folk band, despite none of the members actually being Irish. Their lively performances soon caught the attention of Murphy’s Brewery (Guinness’ main rival), leading to years of touring through Irish pubs, street festivals, and beyond. Their mix of classics like Whiskey in the Jar with original compositions, such as The Rambler and the Fox, even won them a regional music video competition. Though the band eventually disbanded, they reunited 13 years later for a one-time revival show, bringing Marcus back from the US for the occasion.
Then the darkness came: Damien Cain—the artist’s name itself a fusion of The Omen’s Damien Thorn and the biblical Cain—was truly born. It started with one song: Age of Darkness. Inspired by the gothic sound of the ’80s, the track became an instant underground hit, selling over 200,000 copies and earning the Impala Diamond Award. Featuring Cain’s hauntingly distorted vocals alongside metal powerhouse Kirstin New’s raw energy, the song captured the essence of The Sisters of Mercy and found its way into the legendary horror series John Sinclair as its official end-credit theme. The band Cain was formed—only to vanish just as quickly.
For years, fans demanded more. Meanwhile, Damien continued writing, landing a German chart hit in 2006 with Dein Herz for L’âme Immortelle and penning Elenore, a reimagining of Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven, performed by none other than Sir Christopher Lee.
By 2008, Celtic Crypt reunited, came with new material and again had a couple of live shows.
But the demand for Cain had become too great. The band fully transitioned, releasing Moonstruck in 2013—a darkly atmospheric masterpiece featuring none other than Wayne Hussey (The Mission), narrating between tracks. The album was a gothic sensation, shooting straight to #10 on the Alternative Charts.
After extensive touring, Cain closed the chapter once more, just as the single Raise! was released.
Damien Cain followed his heart, moving to Ireland in 2020, where he began shaping something new. And now, we arrive at Standarte — a vibrant blend of old and new, dark and light, familiar and unexpected. The album revisits the Celtic Crypt era with its title track, while The Room delivers pure gothic melancholy with lyrics dating back to 1986. The powerful anthem Sins of Our Sons offers a deeply personal reflection, while Connemara Heart nods to Gary Moore’s album Wild Frontier. Cain also ventures into fresh territory with Ride the Rainbow and Mountaineers, celebrating life in all its colors. Yet, through it all, Standarte remains unmistakably Damien Cain—marked by his signature surreal, melancholic undertones. As always, the album is a truly global collaboration, featuring producers from the US, South America, Finland, and Italy to perfectly capture its shifting moods.
The past, present, and future converge — Standarte is here.
