Pyramid was formed in the mid 1980's in Philadelphia PA by bassist Steve Kessler, guitarist Vic Chiarella and drummer Ron Alan. In 1987 they picked up vocalist Steve Leonardo and guitarist Mitch Scott from the band Ozone. Together they wrote some hard rocking tunes and combined it with an energetic stage show. In 1988 they recorded and released Fugue in D Minor, an 11 song EP. The EP earned rave reviews and received extensive airplay on several radio station programs throughout the East Coast. The band played venues such as the Empire Rock Club, The Trocadero and Tommasso's in Phila, and The Galaxy and Bonnie's in NJ. In April 1989, they were invited to headline the U.S. Navy's Fleetweek concert aboard the U.S.S. Intrepid in New York City. The concert was a two day event and was attended by more that 10,000 navy personnel. They sold out every copy of Fugue in D Minor and the crowd loved them. So much so, that they were invited back the following year. Later in 1989, creative differences led to the departure of vocalist Steve Leonardo, followed shortly thereafter by guitarist Mitch Scott. Things looked up in late 1989 when the band acquired vocalist Mike Hill, formerly of the band Runner. With the addition of Mike and his powerful vocal range, the band headed in a slightly heavier direction. They recorded several new songs and re-worked some earlier fan favorites. They headed into the studio and recorded a 4 song demo. That led to the band aquiring financial backing that enabled them to go to K-Gem studios to record a full length album. During production of that album, Nirvana debuted on Saturday Night Live, which the band recall as the beginning to the end of their genre of music. And right they were, the debut of grunge was the kiss of death to bands like Pyramid. So, like many a band of their sound, they ended up disbanding Pyramid in 1992. Together Ron, Vic and Steve went on to form Ironclad. Although Ron Alan left during the early stages of the group, Ironclad continued recording and playing around the Phila area with fellow drummer Mike Verrecchia before disbanding at the end of 1995.
Fortunately for their fans, the band lives on thanks to Myspace and Youtube. And the best news is that Retrospect Records released the 13 tracks on CD on June 13,2008. Eleven tracks from the original "Fugue in D Minor" and two additional tracks have been repackaged as "Hieroglyphics". But that's not all, in the near future, look for another release featuring tracks from the Mike Hill years. To purchase these releases, simply click on the band website link in the "general info" section or visit www.retrospectrecords.com. Check back often to see news of the release. Pyramid would like to thank all their fans for their support over the years, without their faithful fans, Pyramid would not have been as successful and for that, will be forever grateful.
HYDE YOUR DAUGHTER LIVE
EMPIRE ROCK CLUB 1988
STEVE LEONARDO
VIC CHIARELLA
MITCH SCOTT
STEVE KESSLER
RON ALAN
Photos by: Linda Law-DeCasien
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Pyramid - Hieroglyphics
A SAMPLING OF SONGS ON THE CD
FLEETWEEK NYC 1989
EMPIRE ROCK CLUB 1988
FLYER FOR THE 1988 EMPIRE SHOW