Lyle Söderström

Born in Stockholm, Sweden, Lyle's family emigrated to America in the early 70s. Though arriving in New York, Lyle's family eventually relocated to Boston, Massachusetts, where they would finally settle.

Lyle was essentially the "problem child" of his siblings; being the youngest and most pushed around gave him a nasty mean streak that would follow him through his teens and into his 20s, when it was clear to people that he wasn't to be messed with. In his teens, he also began a habit of drinking -- first socially, and then habitually. It was during this time that he also picked up the guitar. His interest in music grew, and he latched onto heavier and more psychedelic forms of rock and early metal, being a fan of bands like Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. Bored easily, Lyle decided guitar wasn't for him (despite showing promise with it) and moved on to drums. He found it was a better outlet for his pent-up tension, moving onto that more instead of breaking things when he was upset or starving himself out of anger and spite.

As he and his friends were in their teens, Lyle was delighted that his at-the-time boyfriend Stacy Castillo would be forming a band with their mutual friend, Ramona Garcia. Lyle wasn't Ramona's first choice due to tensions between the two of them, his alcoholic habits, and her preference for her friend Kevin Collins' drumming. Lyle instead ended up drumming for thrash metal band Blunt Force Trauma.

In the months leading up to the 1989 New Years Battle of the Bands event, Lyle begins a "friends with benefits" relationship with the Pessimist bassist, Dante Stokowski. They're both apprehensive about a relationship for their own reasons, and tend to avoid the idea/topic despite having budding feelings for each other.

Personality wise, Lyle is very competitive and outspoken about his opinions. He's surprisingly protective of his close friends but is difficult to get to know, preferring to talk about other things than himself, as well as having difficulty accepting gifts. He does not think highly of himself despite what he leads others to think.