In the latest episode of the 80's Glam Metalcast, host Metal Mike talk with Angel frontman Frank Dimino. They discuss the band's new line-up and their new album, Once Upon A Time, as well as the classic Angel era.
On the new Angel line up and new album
Dimino: "I think with Once Upon A Time, we’ve really developed as songwriters. We’ve tried not to pigeonhole ourselves into any one category. We’ve always been a high energy band. The original band was and we still are with the new guys. We are very lucky to have the guys that we have right now, and we keep doing the same kinds of things we’ve done in the past. Punky and I wrote a lot of the classic songs and now we have been writing with Danny (Farrow - current rhythm guitarist). He’s an Angel fan. He gets what we’ve done in the past and where we want to go moving forward. We are very lucky to have this second time around to be just as good as the first time."
On Punky Meadows comeback and where past members are
Dimino: "People come back and don’t come back for a lot of different reasons. (former drummer) Barry Brandt and I did it for a while. A lot of people ask where Barry is. Barry would love to come back, but there’s a lot of physical things he has to deal with. For all those years he played the drums, it wears on the body and on the mind as well. I don’t question anyone’s reasons for doing it or not doing it. I’m glad Punky is doing it again. I’m grateful for that. I wish all the guys had. But we move on and we do what we have to do. I’ve always been out there doing what I do. I’ve never stopped, so it’s hard to fathom not doing it.
On influencing 80’s bands and how the original line-up fell apart
Dimino: "Nikki Sixx came to some of our rehearsals. We rehearsed in the same place as they did. Tommy (Lee) used to sit by Barry and watch him. We used to do the same thing with Deep Purple and Rainbow. I think you pick up things from the bands you grow up on. I think MTV would have made a huge difference for Angel because we were such a visual band. In the late 80’s, I did a lot of studio work. I did a lot of stuff with producer Giorgio Moroder, soundtrack and TV stuff. Angel just fell apart in the early 80’s. Rudy Sarzo was the last bass player we had. We had about five songs written and recorded at that time. They were like a mix between White Hot and Sinful. Randy Rhoads was calling Rudy to join Ozzy. I told Rudy to go for it because we were in a bad situation contractual wise with Polygram. Jack Douglas was supposed to produce our next album. That all fell apart because Polygram wouldn’t honor the contract we had with Casablanca. They wanted to rework it and it didn’t work out for Jack. We just wanted them to let us go so we could go with Neil Bogart over at Boardwalk Records. They wouldn’t let us go from the contact. So we were stuck in an odd situation and I didn’t think we were really progressing. So I started doing more studio work and I kinda fell out with the rest of the guys. I just needed to keep moving forward."
On the future of Angel
Dimino: "There’s a lot more music in the tank. We have a new energy right now. Who knows? If you would have asked me we if we were going to have another album out right after Sinful, I would have said of course! I always look to the future as something positive. With the line up now, we really enjoy playing together live and that’s the most important thing. When we come to your town, come see us. It’s a shame if you don’t, because there is a time limit for anything. For Angel or any other band. So come see us, it’s a high energy show and you won’t regret it!"
Angel's new album, Once Upon A Time, was released today on April 21st via Cleopatra Records. The reviews have been incredible as well as pre-sales hitting the #1 and #2 spots on Amazon’s best sales list. The album features 11 brand new songs, plus three bonus tracks on the CD version, all written by Punky Meadows, Frank Dimino and Danny Farrow.
Farrow: "The new album kicks ass and I hope the fans love it. It is very diverse and has all the elements of the Angel sound and more. The band really worked hard to make it great and an album we can all be proud of!"
Tracklist:
"The Torch"
"Black Moon Rising"
"It’s Alright"
"Once Upon A Time An Angel And A Devil Fell In Love (And It Did Not End Well)"
"Let It Rain"
"Psyclone"
"Blood Of My Blood, Bone Of My Bone"
"Turn The Record Over"
"Rock Star"
"Without You"
"Liar Liar"
Bonus Tracks:
"Daddy's Girl"
"C'mon"
"Let The Kid Out"
- Order the CD/Vinyl/Cassette here.
- Order the digital here.
Tour dates are listed below.
August (with Sweet)
25 - Louisville, KY - Habana Blues Night Life
26 - Columbus, OH - King of Clubs
