Dave Cilluffo

Dave picked up the guitar at age 13 after a friend played him a Led Zeppelin riff. What started with Kiss and Cinderella tabs evolved into serious study. He went through three teachers by age 17, each one telling his parents they had nothing left to teach him. His biggest early influence was Randy Rhoads. He bought the tab book for Ozzy's Tribute album and learned it front to back.

After high school, Dave went into the military and got to travel the world, finding guitars everywhere he went. In 2003 he started a metal band called Thirty3 Cell with Tom, the same T.W. now in Storms Within. They put out an EP, an album, and a music video before the band dissolved.

In 2021, a random run-in with Tom changed everything. Tom mentioned Storms Within needed a guitarist. Dave checked out the songs, heard Erica's vocals, and knew immediately it was right for him. Outside the band, he's released a solo EP and a full-length album, with an EP called Awake in Dreamland and a full-length titled Done With Mirrors both in the works.

His musical tastes extend well beyond metal. He's a big fan of 90s gangsta rap, from N.W.A. and Ice-T to Snoop Dogg. The most memorable concert experience for Dave wasn't a legendary band or arena show. It was seeing his son play on stage for the first time.

For Dave, Storms Within is family. "I love that we are a big family, even outside of music," he says. "And on stage I love that I know everybody is going to give 100% every time." If he could share a stage with anyone, it would be Marty Friedman, Rocky George, or Slash.