GASTEM

Eonian Records is proud to announce the release of “That’s Just Love,” the new single and music video from Maryland rockers GASTEM.

Widely regarded as one of the defining acts of the Mid-Atlantic hard rock scene, GASTEM emerged in the 1980s with a sound that packed clubs across Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia. The band’s return offers fans both a nostalgic look back and something entirely new to celebrate.

To celebrate the band’s 40^th Anniversary, Eonian Records reissued GASTEM’s long out-of-print albums, Catch the Flame (1985) and Do It Like Wild (1986), in newly remixed and remastered editions on September 1, 2025. The reissues feature numerous previously unreleased bonus tracks, rare archival photos, original and updated artwork, and exclusive track-by-track commentary from the band. Orders are now available at www.eonianrecords.com and through your favorite hard rock retailers worldwide.

Regarding the new single, Craig Stegall, drummer, “On the surface, it’s a typical ‘love gone wrong’ song. However, unbeknownst to Rob, who sang the track, when I wrote the lyrics, the protagonist wasn’t just a heartbreaker. She was a woman who turned into a werewolf when she was ready to end the relationship. It’s laughable, really. First, because werewolves have almost always been depicted as male, and second, WTF, Craig?! Who thinks up a story like that for an ’80s rock tune?

There are a few lyrical hints pointing to her true nature. Lines like ‘In the midnight moonlight, she’s not all mine’ and the more obvious ‘Can’t be too careful, she could steal you on all-fours’ suggest we’re dealing with someone a little more beastly than your average ex.

We recorded the track in November 1984 while I was home on college break, down in Rob’s parents’ basement on a Tascam 234 four-track recorder. A fun sidenote: all the electronic tom fills, and explosion sounds came from my birthday present earlier that year, a Mattel Synsonics electronic percussion module. It cost me $100, and it broke right after I beat it into submission recording that one song.

The lineup on the track was Rob on vocals and guitar, me on drums, and Mark Emon (R.I.P.) on bass. Not long after, Mark Schenker joined the band, just as we were finishing the tracks for Catch the Flame in 1985.”

About GASTEM:
GASTEM is an ’80s-era hard rock band originally formed in Damascus, Maryland, in 1985. The core lineup includes Rob Galpin (lead vocals, guitar, piano/keyboards), Craig Stegall (drums), and Mark Schenker (bass, piano/keyboards, Taurus pedals). GASTEM was active between 1985 and 1989 and earned strong support and respect throughout the vibrant hard rock scenes of Baltimore and the surrounding region.

The band is perhaps best known as the original home of longtime KIX bassist Mark Schenker. After making a name for themselves in the vibrant Baltimore-DC-VA scene throughout the 1980s, GASTEM quickly built a strong following across the regional club circuit, headlining packed shows and opening for national acts, including their Baltimore brothers, KIX. Schenker would go on to join KIX full-time in 2001, holding down bass duties until the band’s final performance in 2023.

THE RETURN: GASTEM III… AND BEYOND
After a decades-long hiatus, GASTEM reunited in early 2024 to record their first album in 34 years, III. Released via Avalon Street Records in October 2024, the album received critical acclaim and topped the Sentinel Daily “Weekly Top 30” chart for five consecutive weeks.

The project, however, was nearly abandoned before it began. As the band was preparing to reunite, tragedy struck as the original bassist Mark Emon passed away suddenly from a heart attack.

“When Rob got the news that my dear friend Emon had died suddenly… I had to pause,” recalls drummer Craig Stegall. “We were going to scratch the whole idea.”

Despite the loss, the surviving members, Rob Galpin, Craig Stegall, and longtime friend and bassist Mark Schenker, came together to honor Emon’s memory. After heartfelt discussions with Emon’s family, they made the decision to move forward. Schenker, recently retired after a 23-year run with Platinum-selling rockers KIX, stepped in to contribute bass on the album, a role he embraced without hesitation.

The result was III, a record that not only captures GASTEM’s signature hard rock spirit but also serves as a tribute to their late bandmates. More than three decades after their last release, GASTEM returned with a renewed sense of purpose, determined to finish what all four members had set out to create together. GASTEMIII marked the official introduction of Eonian Records as the album’s distributor and the band’s label partner.

The celebration does not stop there. Eonian Records also plans to release a companion album, recorded during the GASTEM III sessions, slated for Fall 2025. The upcoming release builds on the momentum of 2024’s GASTEM III, as well as the 40^th Anniversary reissues of Catch the Flame and Do It Like Wild highlighting the band’s continued relevance and raw energy.

CATCH THE FLAME (Originally Released July 1985)
GASTEM is Rob Galpin on All Guitars, Lead Vocals, & Harmonica, Craig Stegall on Drums, Mark Emon on Bass & Backing Vocals

GASTEM ‘Catch the Flame’ Track-list:
That’s Just Love
Bump & Grind
Danger’s Own
When Love Seems Dead
Knock Me Out
Drinkin’ Wild
Don’t Mess with
Love
Catch The Flame
Tour De Force
Cutting Edge
Answer
Never Too Old
Run For Your Life (Bonus Track)
Spontaneous Combustion (Bonus Track)
Streets Of Misfortune (Bonus Track)
Hot Nights (Bonus Track)

DO IT LIKE WILD (Originally Released October 1986)
GASTEM is Rob Galpin on All Guitars, Lead Vocals, Keyboards, & Harmonica, Craig Stegall on Drums & Backing Vocals, Mark Emon on Bass & Backing Vocals, Mark Schenker on Rhythm Guitar & Backing Vocals

GASTEM ‘Do It Like Wild’ Track-list:
Victory At Sea – Kamikaze
Live It to The Limit
Candy Girl
Caught Under Fire
Wasted Life
Ain’t School A Drag
Open Fire
Forever
Some People Fall in Love
A Fool Rules
Style
Steely Breeze
Is That It
Not 4 Every 1 (Bonus Track)
Runaway (Bonus Track)
Yoyo Trix (Bonus Track)
Sure, As the Sun (Bonus Track)
When She Walks (Bonus Track)
Coming Home (Bonus Track)