Cold Steel was formed in January of 2005, and the original lineup included Alex DiBaise on vocals, Matt DiBaise on rhythm guitar, Gage McClain on drums, Josh Graves on bass, and Jake Hopes on lead guitar. When the band formed, its members were only ages 12 to 14, but their skills were already at the level of long-time musicians. After a year of playing local clubs and events for kids their age, they decided to work on original music. Jake left the band and Cold Steel would go forward as a 4 piece with Matt moving to lead guitar and his twin brother Alex on rhythm and lead vocals. The band’s sound is unique, yet obviously influenced by bands like Iron Maiden, Metallica and Avenged Sevenfold. Cold Steel wrote their first original song, "Only Human", in June of 2006 and released it to local rock radio stations in the Omaha, Nebraska area. After this initial success, original songs continued to be written and arranged by the group. "Forever" was written for Matt and Alex’s grandfather, the late Sam DiBaise, Sr.. This song revealed a different side of Cold Steel, with aggressive vocal screaming and blistering guitar work. For some time, "Open Your Eyes" was an instrumental showcasing Cold Steel’s musical muscle, with multiple time changes and more incredible guitar-fueled solos. The band didn't initially consider “Open Your Eyes” as one of their better songs, but lyrics and vocals were added, immediately transforming the song into an outstanding original work. "Your Disease", a local fan favorite, was written next. The song is played in drop B, making it one of the harder rock songs on this release. In December of 2006, Cold Steel ventured to Omaha’s famed Ware House Studios to record their first EP, “And It Begins”. The fifth song added to the EP, “Something Wicked”, was literally written the night before the band went into the studio. Starting as only a riff and a drum beat, Matt and Gage wrote the lyrics. From there, Matt and Alex added guitar parts they had been experimenting with and the song came together quickly. The next morning, they laid it down. Several days in the studio and solid help from engineer Jim Homan resulted in this 5-song set. Cold Steel is currently planning to head back to the recording studio in January to create their first full-length CD, armed with many new songs written and arranged by this talented, hard-working band. Give “And It Begins” a listen and you’ll realize that the future of rock music is in very capable hands. Cold Steel may be young in age, but they're already seasoned pros, whether writing music or performing live.