The History
From the dorm rooms of CPI to the independent fortress of Engine Room Records. The story of a family who fought the industry and won.
1985-1987: The Ironhead Origins
The story begins at Commonwealth Polytechnic Institute (CPI) in Blacksburg, Virginia. Through a combination of delayed entry (Ryan) and academic acceleration (Holly), all five family members—siblings Ryan, Cassidy, and Holly O'Connell, and their cousins Evan and Tyler Wright—managed to enter the Class of '89 together.
This wasn't just about school; it was about survival. Ryan and Cassidy, both navigating the world with autism, relied on each other (and their sister Holly) as their designated "Safe Person." The five of them formed a protective, insular unit—a "fortress" long before they had a name for it.
They weren't just students; they were "Ironheads." In 1986, they wrote "Ignition (The Forger's Call)," an industrial-rock anthem donated to the university's football team. When 60,000 fans at "The Crucible" adopted it as their sacred entrance music, the band became local legends before they ever signed a contract.
1987-1992: The Apex "Cold War"
Their success at CPI attracted Apex Records, a major label looking for the next big synth-pop act. This began a five-year "Cold War" over the band's identity.
Apex created reductive personas: Cassidy was "The Stardust" (the pop princess) and Ryan was "The Engine" (the rock grunt). The label actively suppressed their heavier sound, leading to a series of albums defined by "malicious compliance," where the band would hide anti-corporate lyrics inside polished pop songs like Plastic Sky and Hollow Sound.
1992: The "Friction" Catalyst
The Day The Contract Ended
In 1992, during pre-production for their third album, Friction, the conflict with Apex reached a breaking point. A new executive made a "fatal assumption" about the band's dynamic. He mistook the profound, comfortable intimacy between Ryan and Cassidy—born of a lifetime of caregiving and being each other's "Safe Person"—for something romantic.
He attempted to push a marketing narrative that sexualized their bond, violating their integrity as siblings in the most offensive way possible. The result was explosive. Holly O'Connell (then a law student) and Ryan O'Connell drew a line in the sand. They didn't just reject the marketing; they "nuked" the relationship.
Apex Records, facing a legal and PR nightmare, voided the contract and surrendered the master tapes. The band was free, but they were effectively blacklisted and broke.
1995-2005: The Freedom Era
Penniless but free, the band retreated to a warehouse in Blacksburg they dubbed "The Fortress." They were saved by the "Forger Nation War Chest," a grassroots fundraising campaign by their loyal college fanbase.
Holly founded Engine Room Records, LLC, and the band began their most prolific period.
- 1995: Released The Warehouse Tapes, a raw, defiant EP that sounded like 80s arena rock dropped into the middle of the 90s Grunge era.
- 1997: Released Hard Reset, their professional comeback and a critical darling.
- 2000-2005: They toured relentlessly, releasing Signal & Noise and The Long Way Home, playing for the fans who saved them.
2008-2014: The Long Hiatus
After a decade of non-stop independent touring, the "family unit" needed to heal. In 2008, following the grueling "Long Way Home" tour, the band announced an indefinite hiatus.
They didn't break up—they just went home. They retreated completely from the public eye, locking the doors of "The Fortress" to recover from the burnout of the industry. They spent these years simply existing as brothers, sisters, and cousins, reclaiming the family bond that the business had tried to commodify.
During this silence, they released Lost Sounds (2007), a compilation of polished demos from the Apex era, as a gift to keep the fans engaged while they slept.
2015-2016: Re-Ignition
The silence broke in 2015 with the release of Re-Ignition. The album was a massive return to form, featuring the "Stardust" melodies and "Engine" power that defined them.
This tour culminated in the 2016 live album Live at The Crucible—a homecoming show at CPI's stadium where they played "Ignition" live for the first time in decades, accompanied by the university marching band.
2017-Present: The Transmission
The Knox Tapes
"We aren't just a band anymore. We are witnesses."
Following the explosive energy of the Crucible reunion, the band retreated to the newly incorporated Engine Room Records. They didn't write pop songs. They recorded a concept album detailing the struggle of the "Weave" on Telsus Minor.
Released as Knox (O.S.T.), the album was marketed as a soundtrack to a film that didn't exist yet. Critics called it "Industrial Prog-Folk." Fans called it a transmission.
The Nine-Figure Refusal
In 2018, Omni-Global Media approached the family with a staggering $150,000,000 offer for their entire master catalog. All five members were present for what they thought was a standard business meeting.
Then came the slide about "Catalog Optimization." The executives explained their plan to slice the 15-minute masterpiece Escape Velocity (Ad Astra) into four separate, playlist-friendly tracks.
"They are going to rip my baby apart!"
Cassidy's scream pierced the air before dissolving into a low, guttural sound as she fell into a severe autistic meltdown. To her, Ad Astra wasn't just a song; it was her magnum opus, the document of their freedom, and an epic journey she refused to let be fragmented.
Ryan was moving before she hit the floor, catching her and holding her through the storm. Holly O'Connell stood up, stared down the executives, and said three words: "The meeting is over."
They weren't looking to sell anyway, but seeing their sister in pain made the decision instantaneous. Family protects family.
Engine Room Records
Holly O'Connell formally purchases the warehouse where the band started in 1985. Engine Room Records is established as a legal LLC, with a corporate charter that explicitly forbids "external creative interference."
The studio becomes a haven for artists who don't fit the Axiom (or Apex) mold. Ryan O'Connell takes the helm as Chief Engineer, using his custom-built "Regulator" pre-amps to define the studio's signature gritty sound.
The Bunker Sessions
When the world shut down for COVID-19, the "Fortress" lived up to its name. The family—already accustomed to an insular life—locked the doors and isolated together in the studio complex.
While tours were cancelled, the signal didn't stop. They launched the "Bunker Sessions," a series of weekly, high-fidelity livestreams. Playing deep cuts, ambient jams, and acoustic versions of Ad Astra, they provided a lifeline for the "Forger Nation." For Ryan and Cassidy, the lockdown was business as usual; for the fans, it was a beacon of continuity in a chaotic world.
The Signal Continues
The Stardust Engine no longer tours for profit. They tour for Impact.
Occasional surprise shows at The Ironworks (and select venues on Earth) keep the legend alive. They are currently rumored to be working on a remaster of the "Lost 2007 Sessions," finally giving the post-breakup era the release it deserves.
Listen to the Latest Transmission