Steels, born in Normanton, West Yorkshire, is of Scottish and Norwegian descent on his mother's side of the family.
Shortly before the release of the 2006 album A Line of Deathless Kings, Steels announced his permanent departure from My Dying Bride due to health concerns.
[2] Steels also recorded drums with the Norwegian metal band Vestige of Virtue alongside Kjetil Ottersen and Frode Forsmo.
He had in fact left months before it was made public due to being extremely unhappy with the situation he found himself in.
Steels also plays drums alongside longtime friend and fellow musician Hamish Glencross in the blackened doom metal band Godthrymm.