‘It was time to show my colours’ - Laois musician wins major international award

A Laois-based musician has won a major international music award for his acclaimed single off his latest album.

Originally from Germany, Damien Cain moved to Ireland 6 years ago and has lived in Mountmellick for the past three years.

With over 30 years of experience in the music industry, Damien has now added another accolade to his belt with his song ‘Standarte’, the title track from his latest album, taking home a huge win at the 2026 Intercontinental Music Awards (ICMA).

Damien was announced as the winner in the European Metal category of the annual ICMAs in Los Angeles in August.

The ICMAs recognise artists from around the world through an independent professional judging process. The 2026 jury included Grammy and Emmy award winners and voting members, Billboard-charting artists, internationally acclaimed composers, producers, songwriters and music executives.

Damien has enjoyed many highlights throughout his career. Most notably, the many collaborations he’s had with other artists such as the Lord of the Rings star Christopher Lee.

However, this award carries particular significance for the German born artist as ‘Standarte’ is one of the most personal and philosophical songs of his career.

Written in both German and English, the song combines images of marching armies, religious symbolism, political obedience, revolt and social collapse.

For Damien, at its centre lies a simple question, “what makes people follow ideas into hatred, violence and destruction and why do societies continue to repeat the same patterns?”

The song also forms a distant continuation of ‘Wallenstein’, a composition he first wrote in the early 1990s. More than three decades later, ‘Standarte’ returns to some of the same imagery from a very different perspective.

“For me, ‘Standarte’ is much more than a song about war. It reflects the way I see the world. There is no meaningful reason to start wars, spread violence or accept discrimination, but I am interested in what happens before that point: where blind anger comes from, why people surrender their own judgement and why they become willing to follow a flag, an ideology or a supposed truth,” Damien said.

“To me, ‘Standarte’ is a statement. It’s about showing your colours, quite literally, in more than one sense. The album cover bursts with all the colours of the rainbow, and the music on the record is just as wide-ranging. The same is true of the emotions, thoughts and experiences that went into the album, and especially into this song.

“After more than thirty years of making music, I felt it was time to show my colours and actually stand for something that matters to me. ‘Standarte’ is about saying this is who I am, this is what I believe in, and these are the things I care about. In that sense, the title isn’t just the name of a song or an album. It really is my standard.”

Another visual and philosophical influence on the song is Salvador Dalí’s Christ of Saint John of the Cross painting, whose elevated perspective places the crucified Christ above the world below.

“That image has stayed with me for years. I kept wondering what God, or Jesus, if you prefer, would think while looking at what humanity is doing from that distance. Why would he allow it? I don't approach that as a religious question. For me it is philosophical: what does human behaviour look like when you step far enough away from it?”

The ICMA recognition follows a year of growing international attention for the album.

‘Standarte’ reached number four in the American Alternative Charts, while Damien’s music has received airplay on more than 200 individual radio stations across over 45 countries.

Before the winners were announced, Damien had already achieved the unusual distinction of having two songs from the same album, ‘Fascinating Face’ and ‘Standarte’, selected as finalists in the European Metal category.