Angel is a hard rock/heavy metal 'glam' band that was formed in Washington D.C. around 1974. Guitarist Edwin 'Punky' Meadows and original bassist Mickey Jones first teamed up in the band Bux and released one album, which did not get officially released until Bux had broken up.
Jones and Meadows then met keyboardist Gregg Giuffria, and formed a new band. They acquired vocalist Frank Dimino and drummer Barry Brandt, and began playing the club circuit in Washington D.C.
Gene Simmons of Kiss discovered the group in early 1975, and convinced Kiss' label, Casablanca, to sign the new group. In October, 1975, the debut album, Angel, was released. It featured songs that were like Kiss, but vastly different, with a progressive edge. Highlights included the opening song "Tower" and "Rock And Rollers".
The band quickly became the nemesis of Kiss, wearing white costumes and magically appearing and disappearing on stage. The next album, Helluva Band, was released in 1976. It was the heaviest of Angel's albums, and featured such rockers as "Feelin' Right" and "Anyway You Want It".
In 1977, the band gained enough popularity to start their own fan club. The next album, On Earth As It Is In Heaven, was produced by Eddie Kramer, Kiss' famous producer. The band began experimenting with more pop tracks in this album, but plenty of hard rock material was still featured, including "Can You Feel It" and "On The Rocks".
After the "On Earth..." tour, Mickey Jones left the band. New bassist Felix Robinson came in, and the band took on a modern appearance and sound for their next studio album, White Hot, released in January, 1978. Hits like "Don't Leave Me Lonely" and "Over And Over" increased the band's popularity. Like Kiss, Angel's live shows were fantastic, and the band decided to record a live album to capture their power on vinyl.
Sinful, the band's fifth studio album, came out in 1979. The band wanted to name it "Bad Publicity", and in fact, a few albums were sold with that title and a different cover. Songs like "Don't Take Your Love" and "I'll Never Fall In Love Again" were very pop-oriented, and did not sound anything like the original Angel. However, the album was regarded as the band's definitive work.
A soundtrack for a movie titled "Foxes" was released in 1980, and featured two songs by Angel, "20th Century Foxes" and "Virginia". The live album, Live Without A Net, which took nearly three years to complete, was finally released in 1980, and was Angel's last album.
By this time, the music industry was suffering from poor sales, and the style of rock was changing. Angel was quickly classed as 'old news', and dropped from their label. In 1981, the band broke up, and the individual members pursued various projects. The most successful was Gregg Giuffria, who had some minor successes with his bands Giuffria and House Of Lords in the 80s.
Mercury Records released Angel's Anthology album in 1992, documenting the legacy of the band's music from 1975-1980.
In 1998, Frank Dimino and Barry Brandt resurrected Angel for another studio album, In The Beginning. It was released in 1999 through Coallier Entertainment Ltd., and was the band's first studio album in 20 years. Some of the songs featured Punky Meadows on guitar and Felix Robinson on bass, with studio musicians taking up the slack. The album featured the radically changed voice of Dimino, with songs "Hero" and "Set Me Free" sounding most like classic Angel. Still, the album remained virtually unknown, since it was never released on a major label.
After the release of the "In The Beginning" album, most of the band's original members left the band to continue their business pursuits. Punky Meadows owns and operates several tanning salons in the Washington D.C. area. Felix Robinson continues working behind the scenes in the New York area. Gregg Giuffria, who did not join the band for the recording of "In The Beginning", has gone on to become a successful business man in Las Vegas.
Angel's current lineup includes Dimino and Brandt, along with Steve Blaze of Lillian Axe as the new guitarist. Randy Gregg, who played with Thin Lizzy and Garlic, became the band's bassist. Michael T. Ross joined the band as the new keyboardist. This new Angel lineup has since toured the world, and most recently played at the Bang Your Head festival in Europe, to much appreciation. The band continues to this day, bringing their music to legions of fans around the globe.