DAMIEN THORNE
KEN MANDAT
Damien Thorne was the disturbed evil kid in the Omen movies that's where they got their name from. Damien Thorne released an album titled Sign of the jackal in the mid 80's on Roadrunner Records. It became a success and it's widely remembered amongst metal fans still today. After that the grunge winds blew in and changed the music landscape but in 1998 the band got together and released an EP called Former life. After that the band has released three full-length albums; Wrath of Darkness from 2001, Haunted Mind in 2005 and End of the Game in 2011. I have spoken with Ken Mandat aka Ken Starr.
We can begin with a small presentation of yourself and Damien Thorne.
My name is Ken Mandat, I am the guitarist and founding member of Damien Thorne. We are a Chicago based classic metal band, founded in 1983. Our debut album “The Sign of the Jackal” was released in 1985 on Roadrunner Records.
How did you get in contact with Roadrunner Records?
We were playing in a Chicago club and Jack Starr and Dave DeFeis from Virgin Steele saw us and recommended us to their record label, which was A&M/Cobra Records. We signed a USA/Canada deal with Cobra and then signed with Roadrunner for Europe and the rest of the world.
What do you think about your debut album Sign of the Jackal in retrospect? And did you sell many copies of it?
I am very proud of that record. I think it captured the band at a great time, we were young and had tons of energy and it shows on the recording. We did sell a lot of records in Europe, Asia and South America. To this day, over 200,000. (over 30 years) Not many in the USA however…. not sure why.
The Sign Of The Jackal
Why did you leave Roadrunner Records?
Good question… We actually got into a legal battle with A&M/Cobra. They were stealing money and were in breach of contract, and we fought for what was ours and ended up losing our contract with them. Although we had no issues with Roadrunner, (they are a great label) I think they just didn’t want to deal with the mess that Cobra created.
You played with Nuclear Assault back in the days, how was that?
Yeah, we played with a lot of bands back then, but Nuclear Assault was awesome. Great band, great guys. Those guys never disappointed… Kicked serious ass every show.
Damien Thorne was quiet for many years, what led you to make a comeback?
Yes, we were quiet, but we were always still around and playing. We just didn’t like the music scene in the 90’s. We weren’t the type of band that labels wanted, the clubs wanted grunge bands, and we had a hard time finding places to play. So, we just retired to our rehearsal room and played for ourselves until we decided that the time was right for metal again. During that time we also had a lot of personal things to deal with, such as the death of Mike Monroe (our other guitarist) and so on.
Damien Thorne - Live in action
Your former bass player Sanders Pate died recently. Were you still in contact with him?
Yes, but not as close as would have liked. We had talked a few times over the past couple of years, but thats about it. Sanders will be missed. He was a great musician, and an even better human being. He was a huge part of the Damien Thorne sound.
You performed at the Keep it true-festival, how was that gig?
Its always great to play at such a prestigious gig as KIT. The fans there are second to none. We had a decent show, but we had some issues. Two of us were sick with the flu, we were very jet lagged and we had a new singer with us who wasn’t very prepared. It could have been better, but we gave it all we had. Hopefully we can return and give a better performance next time.
Did you play any gigs with other Chicago thrash bands like Zoetrope, Znöwhite, Wrath or similar?
We played with anyone and everyone who would share the stage with us. The Chicago metal scene was amazing back then! Many great bands. We played several shows with Zoetrope in particular, they were good friends of ours and a killer band. Barry Stern actually introduced me to Sanders Pate when we were in need of a bassist. Loved Znowhite as well…
The band re-located to Los Angeles, was it so much better metal climate there? Wasn't it just hair metal bands there?
After our record deal was done, we relocated to Los Angeles to pursue a new deal with another label out there. It was terrible timing. The scene switched from metal to glam bands wearing pink clothes. It totally sucked for a band like us.
What's the highlight of your career?
Well, I don’t know if there is one specific thing. Every time I’m on stage and I see the faces of the people in front of me, its a highlight. Thats really what its all about… we may not be a huge band, but the fans we have are definitely loyal and always supportive. We are a band that endures regardless of circumstance. It doesn’t matter to us that we don’t make any money or have fame or any of that stuff, we love what we do and will never stop doing it. The fact that we have any fans at all, is a highlight.
What's your plans for the near future? Will there be a fifth album?
Yes! We are recording the new album as we speak. It will be released end of 2014. Along with a remixed re-issue of Sign of the Jackal also. March 2015, we will play at UP THE HAMMERS FESTIVAL in Athens Greece, followed by some dates in Rome Italy.
Have you got any funny story to tell, if anything weird has happened while touring or so?
There are so many funny stories, I wouldn’t know where to start. There was a funny thing last year in Greece that involved old people without pants, drunk guys from Denmark and the band Pink Floyd, but everyone would kill me if I told that story…. Anyone who has ever played with us in Europe knows what we are like on tour…
By the way, I'm born on the sixth of june at six o'clock. Just like Damien Thorne in the Omen-movies. ;)
You are one of the chosen few…..
Any last words for our readers?
I would like to thank you for giving us the opportunity to do this interview, and we would like to thank all the awesome fans who continue to support us through thick and thin. Visit us on Facebook and at our website at: www.damienthorne.com
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